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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“is operate at a threshold back pressure” should be changed to “is operating at a threshold back pressure”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9, 11 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2022019883 A1 to Vazquez Fernandez et al.
Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses a fluid delivery device (fig. 7) in one embodiment, and a bypass valve (fig. 3) in a second embodiment. The instant rejection incorporates the bypass valve of fig. 3 into the embodiment of fig. 7.
Fig. 7 of Vazques Fernandez et al. discloses, with regards to claim:
1. A fluid delivery device (fig. 7) comprising:
a printing fluid pump (18a);
a recirculation valve (V3/V4) movable between:
an open position in which a recirculation path from the outlet of the pump towards a supply port connectable to a printing fluid supply (12) is established (V2->V4->V6->V12, [0055] ), and
a closed position in which a feeding path from the outlet of the pump towards a printhead port is established (14, [0056] ),
Fig. 7 does not disclose a return fluid path including a pressure relief valve to receive printing fluid from an outlet of the pump,
wherein the fluid delivery device comprises a pressure-controlled mode in which the recirculation valve is in the closed position and the pump is to operate at a pressure sufficient to open the pressure relief valve.
However, Fig. 3 depicts a return fluid path including a pressure relief valve (30) to receive printing fluid from an outlet of a pump,
wherein the fluid delivery device comprises a pressure-controlled mode in which the recirculation valve is in the closed position and the pump is to operate at a pressure sufficient to open the pressure relief valve ( [0037], [0039] ).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to have incorporated the pressure relief valve (30) and conduit (22) of fig. 3 into the embodiment of fig. 7, to cooperate with pump 18, wherein the fluid delivery device comprises a pressure-controlled mode in which the recirculation valve is in the closed position and the pump is to operate at a pressure sufficient to open the pressure relief valve.
The reason for performing the modification would have been to enable the flushing of the fluid pump at a predefined pressure to dislodge dry particles [0037].
The resulting combination discloses the following claims:
2. The fluid delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery device further comprises a recirculation mode in which the recirculation valve is in the open position and the pump is to operate at a pressure insufficient to open the pressure relief valve (during normal operation, the recirculation valve is open and pressure does not rise beyond the threshold to open the pressure relief valve).
3. The fluid delivery device of Claim 1, further comprising:
a recirculation line to fluidly connect the outlet of the pump with a second supply port (12b) and including the recirculation valve (v3/v4); and
an auxiliary printhead port (14b) fluidly connected to a portion of the recirculation line downstream the recirculation valve,
wherein upon a dummy printhead is connected to the printhead port and the auxiliary port, the fluid delivery device further comprises a through-dummy recirculation mode in which the recirculation valve is in the closed position, the pump is to operate at a pressure insufficient to close the pressure relief valve, and the recirculation path includes a fluid path along the dummy printhead towards the second supply port (fluid is supplied to printhead 14b, such that upon connection of a dummy printhead, the dummy printhead is supplied with fluid).
4. The fluid delivery device of Claim 1, further comprising:
a first supply port to be connected to a first printing fluid supply (12a); and
a second supply port to be connected to a second, different, printing fluid supply (12b),
wherein an inlet of the pump is in fluidic communication with one of the first supply port and the second supply port (fig. 7), and wherein in the open position of the recirculation valve, the recirculation path is established from the outlet of the pump to one of the first supply port and the second supply port [0055].
5. The fluid delivery device of Claim 4, further comprising a valve assembly (V1, V7, V8) switchable between:
a forward state in which the inlet of the pump is fluidly connected to the first supply port (12a) and the recirculation path is established from the outlet of the pump towards the second supply port (12b), and
a reverse state in which the inlet of the pump is fluidly connected to the second supply port and the recirculation path is defined from the outlet of the pump towards the first supply port (fig. 7),
wherein the fluid delivery device further comprises a recirculation mode in which the recirculation valve is in the open position and the pump is to operate at a pressure insufficient to open the pressure relief valve ( [0037], [0039], during normal operation, the recirculation valve is open and pressure does not rise beyond the threshold to open the pressure relief valve).
The combination does not disclose:
6. The fluid delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the pressure relief valve has a set pressure within a pressure range from 65 kPa to 85 kPa.
However, the prior art reference discloses a pressure-relief valve configured to open in response to a threshold pressure in the fluid path. The pressure at which the valve opens is recognized as a result-effective variable because varying the pressure threshold directly affects when pressure relief occurs.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to select and optimize the threshold through routine experimentation in order to provide pressure relief at the appropriate pressure for the system. Determining a threshold would have involved merely varying the known operational parameter of the known pressure relief valve and observing the operation, with a reasonable expectation of successfully identifying an optimum threshold that dislodges dry particles.
"[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). Accordingly, selection of the claimed pressure threshold would have amounted to routine optimization of a known result effective variable.
Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses, with regards to claim:
7. A printing system (fig. 7) comprising:
a printing fluid supply (12a/12b);
a fluid delivery device comprising a pressure-controlled mode in which a pump (18a) in fluidic communication with the printing fluid;
the device including a recirculation valve (V3/V4/20) movable between an open position in which a recirculation path from the outlet of the pump towards a second supply port (12b) is established and a closed position in which a feeding path from the outlet of the pump to a printhead port (14) is established; and
a controller (28) to operate the recirculation valve based on an operating mode of the fluid delivery device.
Fig. 7 of Vazquez Fernandez et al. does not disclose that the pump in fluidic communication with the printing fluid supply is to operate at a pressure sufficient to open a pressure relief valve in fluidic communication with an outlet of the pump.
However, fig. 3 of Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses pump (18) in fluidic communication with the printing fluid supply operating at a pressure sufficient to open a pressure relief valve (30) in fluidic communication with an outlet of the pump.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to have incorporated the pressure relief valve of fig. 3 into fig. 7 for the purpose of flushing of the fluid pump at a predefined pressure to dislodge dry particles [0037].
The combination discloses wherein in the pressure-controlled mode, the recirculation valve is in the closed position [0033].
8. The printing system of Claim 7, wherein the fluid delivery device further comprises a recirculation mode in which the pump is to operate at a pressure insufficient to open the pressure relief valve (during normal operation, the recirculation valve is open and pressure does not rise beyond the threshold to open the pressure relief valve).
9. The printing system of Claim 7, further comprising:
a recirculation line (at V3/V4) to fluidly connect the outlet of the pump with the second supply port (12b) , the recirculation line including the recirculation valve; and
a pressure sensor to measure a pressure in a fluid path defined downstream the return fluid path and upstream the recirculation line [0037],
wherein the controller is to determine a malfunction event in the fluid delivery device based on the measured pressure and the operating mode of the fluid delivery device [0037].
11. The printing system of Claim 7, further comprising:
a recirculation line to fluidly connect the outlet of the pump with a second supply port (12b), the recirculation line including the recirculation valve (V3/V4) and an auxiliary pump (18b) having an outlet in fluidic communication with the second supply port, and
an auxiliary printhead port (14b) fluidly connected to an inlet of the auxiliary pump,
wherein upon a printhead is connected to the printhead port (14a) and the auxiliary printhead port (14b), the fluid delivery device further comprises a through-printhead recirculation mode [0035] in which the recirculation valve (20) is in the closed position, the pump is to operate at a pressure sufficient to open the pressure relief valve [0039], and the auxiliary pump is operate at a threshold back pressure (back pressure is acting on the auxiliary pump).
Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses, with regards to claim:
13. A printing method comprising operating a fluid delivery device (fig. 7) in a pressure-controlled mode or a recirculation mode, the fluid delivery device comprising:
a printing fluid pump (18a), and
a recirculation valve (v3/v4) movable between:
an open position in which a recirculation path from an outlet of the pump towards a supply port (12) is established (V2->V4->V6->V12, [0055] ), and
a closed position in which a feeding path from the outlet of the pump towards a printhead port (14) is established, wherein operating the fluid delivery in the pressure-controlled mode comprises setting the recirculation valve in the closed position and moving printing fluid along the feeding path and the return fluid path.
Fig. 7 of Vazquez Fernandez et al. does not disclose a return fluid path including a pressure relief valve to receive printing fluid from an outlet of the pump, the return fluid path fluidly connected to a region upstream the pump.
However, Fig. 3 of Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses a return fluid path including a pressure relief valve (30) to receive printing fluid from an outlet of the pump, the return fluid path fluidly connected to a region upstream the pump.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to have incorporated the pressure relief valve of fig. 3 into fig. 7 for the purpose of enabling the flushing of the fluid pump at a predefined pressure to dislodge dry particles [0037].
14. The method of Claim 13, wherein operating the fluid delivery device in the pressure-controlled mode comprises operating the pump at a pressure greater than a set pressure of the pressure relief valve [0039].
15. The method of Claim 13, wherein operating the fluid delivery device in the recirculation mode comprises operating the pump at a pressure lower than a set pressure of the pressure relief valve (during normal operation, the recirculation valve is open and pressure does not rise beyond the threshold to open the pressure relief valve).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2022019883 A1 to Vazquez Fernandez et al. as applied above and further in view of Cerro et al. (U.S. 20110063345 A1).
Vazquez Fernandez et al. discloses, with regards to claim:
10. The printing system of claim 9, wherein the controller to determine the malfunction event comprises the controller to determine:
a printhead blockage event upon the measured pressure is greater than a blockage pressure value [0037].
Vazquez Fernandez et al. does not disclose determining a depletion event upon the measured pressure is lower than a depletion threshold value.
However, Cerro et al. discloses [0041] an ink pressure sensor can be used to determine when to cease the refilling process as well as to diagnose the health of the ink delivery system 102 and the refilling process, and is used to determine when the high volume ink supply 106 is running low on ink.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to have modified Vazquez Fernandez et al. to use the pressure sensor to determine a depletion event when the pressure is below a depletion threshold value, as suggested by Cerro et al., for the purpose of providing a notification that the ink supply is running low so a user can remediate the low ink condition.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art of record does not teach or suggest the auxiliary sensor to measure a second pressure upstream the inlet of the auxiliary pump, wherein the control is to determine a malfunction event based on the measured pressures, as claimed in the combination.
Conclusion
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JULIAN D. HUFFMAN
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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