DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 3/4/2025 and 9/3/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With regard to claim 11, it is unclear how the liquid ejection device can be in either in the recording mode or cleaning mode while also being in a non-completed cleaning mode. Also, is the claimed restriction the prevention of the liquid container from being mounted? Please explain the other mode. If there are three modes, and one mode is operating, what is the claimed “other mode.”
With regard to claim 18, as written, the first and second mount regions of the mount section have first and second recording liquid containers (with respective colors) mounted. So why is the container type of each region determined, when it is already known? Does this method only happen when the current mode is the processing mode? How is it assured that processing liquid container or cleaning liquid container is mounted on the first mount region and the recording liquid is container is mounted on the second mount region as claimed?
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-9, 12, and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2023155996 to Hiroshi.
With regard to claim 1, Hiroshi teaches (fig. 1) a liquid ejection device (1) comprising:
a liquid ejection section (10) configured to eject liquid onto a medium (P) [0010];
a mount section (120) on which is mounted a liquid container (110) containing the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection section (10) [0010] and [0024]; and
a flow path (113) through which the liquid contained in the liquid container (110) flows until the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection section (10) [0022], wherein
the mount section (120) is configured to alternatively have mounted thereon, as the liquid container (110Ba), a recording liquid container (110A) containing a recording liquid (ink) for performing recording on the medium (P) [0048], and as the liquid container (110Ba), a processing liquid container (sterilization cartridge) containing a processing liquid for performing processing on the medium [0031] and [0047] and
the flow path is cleanable [0031], [0048], and [0052].
With regard to claim 2, Hiroshi teaches wherein the mount section (120) is configured to have mounted thereon, as the liquid container (110B), a cleaning liquid container containing a cleaning liquid (110Bb) for performing cleaning of the flow path (113) [0041]-[0042].
With regard to claim 3, Hiroshi teaches further comprising: a control section (50) configured to control the device (1) [0019], wherein the control section (50) is configured to switch between a recording mode when recording is to be performed on the medium with the recording liquid, a processing mode when processing is to be performed on the medium with the processing liquid (antibacterial liquid), and a cleaning mode when cleaning is to be performed on the flow path with the cleaning liquid (sterilizing liquid) [0028] and [0051-0053].
With regard to claim 4, Hiroshi teaches wherein when switching from either the recording mode or the processing mode to another mode, the control section causes interposition of cleaning of the flow path by the cleaning mode [0023], [0052] and [0056].
With regard to claim 5, Hiroshi teaches wherein the control section (50) detects switching from either the recording mode or the processing mode to the other based on received job data and causes interposition of cleaning of the flow path in the cleaning mode [0023]-[0025], [0052] and [0056].
With regard to claim 6, Hiroshi teaches wherein the control section detects mounting of the liquid container on the mount section, detects switching from either the recording mode or the processing mode to the other based on the detection, and causes interposition of cleaning of the flow path in the cleaning mode [0023]-[0025], [0052] and [0056].
With regard to claim 7, Hiroshi teaches wherein the control section detects switching from either the recording mode or the processing mode to the other based on an input from an operation section that receives an operation setting and causes interposition of cleaning of the flow path in the cleaning mode [0023]-[0025], [0052] and [0056].
With regard to claim 8, Hiroshi teaches wherein the recording liquid container, the processing liquid container, and the cleaning liquid container each have an information holding section that holds liquid information and that is accessible by the control section and when power of the device is turned on, the control section accesses the information holding section and issues an alert when, compared to the liquid information when the information holding section was last accessed, one of the recording liquid container or the processing liquid container was replaced with the other [0028].
With regard to claim 9, Hiroshi teaches further comprising: a maintenance section (70) configured to perform maintenance of the liquid ejection section (10), wherein the cleaning mode is a mode for cleaning the flow path (113) by performing maintenance using the cleaning liquid and the maintenance section [0031] and [0048].
With regard to claim 12, Hiroshi teaches wherein the mount section is configured to have mounted thereon a first recording liquid container configured to contain recording liquid of a first color and a second recording liquid container configured to contain recording liquid of a second color different from the first color [0024-0025].
With regard to claim 14, Hiroshi teaches wherein the mount section includes a first mount region on which the first recording liquid container is mounted and a second mount region on which the second recording liquid container is mounted and when the processing mode is executed in a state where the processing liquid container is mounted on the first mount region and the cleaning liquid container is mounted on the second mount region, the control section converts image data included in the job data into data of the first color [0028-0030].
With regard to claim 15, Hiroshi teaches wherein the mount section includes a first mount region on which the first recording liquid container is mounted and a second mount region on which the second recording liquid container is mounted and the first mount region and the second mount region are configured to have mounted thereon the processing liquid container and the cleaning liquid container [0027-0028].
With regard to claim 16, Hiroshi teaches (fig. 8) wherein the liquid ejection section includes nozzles configured to eject the liquid onto the medium over an entire width direction, which intersects a transport direction of the medium [0021].
With regard to claim 17, Hiroshi teaches a control method for a liquid ejection device (1),the liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection section (10) configured to eject liquid onto a medium (P), a mount section (120) on which is mounted a liquid container (110) containing the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection section (10), and a flow path (113) through which the liquid contained in the liquid container flows until the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection section (10), wherein the mount section (120) of the liquid ejection device (1) is configured to selectively have mounted thereon a recording liquid container (110A) as the liquid container containing a recording liquid for performing recording on the medium, a processing liquid container (110Ba) as the liquid container containing a processing liquid for performing processing on the medium, and a cleaning liquid container (110Bb) as the liquid container containing a cleaning liquid (antibacterial liquid) for performing cleaning of the flow path (113), the control method comprising: executing a recording mode that is a mode in which recording is performed on the medium by ejecting the recording liquid from the liquid ejection section onto the medium [0012], executing a processing mode that is a mode in which processing is performed on the medium by ejecting the processing liquid from the liquid ejection section onto the medium [0041], and executing a cleaning mode that is a mode in which the flow path through which the recording liquid and the processing liquid flow are cleaned using the cleaning liquid [0042].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiroshi as modified by US 2024/0424797 to Ono.
With regard to claim 10, Hiroshi teaches the claimed invention except for further comprising: a waste liquid storage section configured to store waste liquid generated by the maintenance section, wherein the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning mode is discharged to the waste liquid storage section.
However, Ono teaches further comprising: a waste liquid storage section (77) configured to store waste liquid generated by the maintenance section, wherein the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning mode is discharged to the waste liquid storage section [0147]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hiroshi with the teachings of Ono to prevent bubbles of the cleaning liquid from adhering to the inkjet printer [0006].
Claim(s) 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiroshi as modified by CN 111688358 A to Koganehira.
With regard to claim 13, Hiroshi teaches the claimed invention except for wherein the mount section includes a first mount region on which the first recording liquid container is mounted and a second mount region on which the second recording liquid container is mounted and when the processing liquid container is mounted on either the first mount region or the second mount region and when the recording liquid container is mounted on the other of the first mount region and the second mount region, the control section performs an error process.
However, Koganehira teaches wherein the mount section includes a first mount region on which the first recording liquid container is mounted and a second mount region on which the second recording liquid container is mounted and when the processing liquid container is mounted on either the first mount region or the second mount region and when the recording liquid container is mounted on the other of the first mount region and the second mount region, the control section performs an error process [0071]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hiroshi with the teachings of Koganehira to inhibit the use of a non-suitable container [0008].
Examiner Note
The examiner cites particular columns and lines numbers (or paragraphs or figures) in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. The specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim. Other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 18 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 11 is the inclusion of the limitations wherein during either the recording mode or the processing mode while cleaning in the cleaning mode is not completed, the control section restricts the liquid container to be used in the other mode from being mounted on the mount section. It is these features found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of Claim 18 is the inclusion a method steps prompting mounting of the cleaning liquid container or the processing liquid container on the second mount region when a current mode is the processing mode, the processing liquid container is mounted on the first mount region, and the recording liquid container is mounted on the second mount region. It is these steps found in the claim(s) which have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2024/0066894 discloses a liquid ejection device includes a medium set section that is configured to set a medium, a support section that is configured to support the medium, a recording section that ejects ink onto the medium supported by the support section to record, a liquid container mounting section to which a liquid container that contains the ink to be supplied to the recording section is attached, and a waste liquid container mounting section to which a waste liquid container that stores ink discharged as waste liquid from the recording section is attached, wherein the liquid container mounting section and the waste liquid container mounting section are provided at position below the support section and overlap with the medium set section as viewed from a direction along a transport direction in which the medium is transported in the support section.
JP 4389449 B2 discloses the liquid recovery apparatus 17 transfers the liquid to be discharged from each droplet discharge head 11 in the first to third capping suction operations, and transfers it to another liquid (for example, the pre-drawing flushing unit 104). The liquid to be discharged received by the periodic flushing unit 82 and the dot dropout detection unit 19 and the cleaning liquid used for cleaning the liquid droplet discharge heads 111 and the flow paths are not mixed with each other. Stored in the use tank 171 and the second reuse tank 172. Further, the liquid recovery apparatus 17 according to the present embodiment stores the discharge target liquid sucked through the caps 87 in each set in the first reuse tank 171 and the second reuse tank 172 in common.
US 11020980 B2 discloses a droplet-discharge-apparatus includes a first-head, a first-ink-container storing first-ink, a second-head, a second-ink-container storing second-ink, a cleaning-liquid-container storing cleaning-liquid, a common-flow-path-system, a cleaning-liquid-flow-path, a first-pomp feeding the first-ink from the first-ink-container to the second-ink-container through the common-flow-path-system, a second-pomp feeding the cleaning-liquid from the cleaning-liquid-container to the first-ink-container through the cleaning-liquid-flow-path and the common-flow-path-system, a first-valve controlling a liquid flow rate between the common-flow-path-system and the first-ink-container, a second-valve controlling a liquid flow rate between the common-flow-path-system and the second-ink-container, a third-valve controlling a liquid flow rate between the common-flow-path-system and the cleaning-liquid-flow-path, and a control-unit.
US 12030301 B2 discloses a liquid ejecting device includes a first liquid ejecting unit configured to eject recording liquid onto a medium, a second liquid ejecting unit configured to eject disinfectant liquid onto the medium, and a control unit configured to control the first liquid ejecting unit and the second liquid ejecting unit, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the disinfectant liquid to eject avoiding a position at which the recording liquid ejects on the medium.
US 2024/0326453 discloses A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, an attachment unit, and an operation unit including a display unit. The attachment unit includes a first attachment portion for a first liquid reservoir unit that reserves a first liquid, and a second attachment portion fora second liquid reservoir unit that reserves a second liquid having a sedimentation property inferior to that of the first liquid. A control method includes, in a case in which execution of a replacement mode is instructed, displaying information for prompting removal of the first liquid reservoir unit, displaying information for prompting attachment of a different second liquid reservoir unit from the second liquid reservoir unit attached to the second attachment portion, to the first attachment portion, and supplying the second liquid to nozzles that discharge the first liquid when the different second liquid reservoir unit is attached to the first attachment portion.
Communications with the PTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHARON A POLK whose telephone number is (571)270-7910. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7-3.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached at 571-431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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SHARON A. POLK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Sharon Polk/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
