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 .
2. This office action is responsive to the application Nº 19/183,594 filed on April 18th, 2025 in which claims 1-9 are pending and ready for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. Acknowledgment is made of Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) form PTO-1449. These IDS have been considered.
Priority
4. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Drawings
5. The examiner contends that the drawings submitted on 04/18/2025 are acceptable for examination proceedings.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Hayashi et al. (JP 2020-189454).
9. Regarding independent claim 1: Hayashi et al. disclosed a liquid storage bottle for replenishing liquid ([0072], line 1; also see Fig. 4, reference 130) to a recording apparatus ([0047], line 2; also see Fig. 1, reference 11) including a liquid tank, the liquid tank including a storage portion configured to store the liquid ([0056], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 3, references 100) to be supplied to a recording head configured to eject the ink ([0053], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 2, reference 39), and a liquid injection portion configured to receive supply of the liquid ([0054], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 2, references 40), the liquid storage bottle comprising:
a bottle main body configured to store the liquid ([0072], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 6, reference 131); and
a liquid supply portion ([0080], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, reference 132) including a base end part having an opening communicating with the bottle main body ([0096], lines 1-8; also see Fig. 6, reference 154 and Fig. 8, reference 160) and a tip part (Fig. 8, reference 161) having an opening communicating with the liquid tank ([0101], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 184,186. Fig. 4 also shows the opening communicating with the liquid tank 100), and including a liquid flow path for supplying the liquid from the bottle main body to the liquid tank ([0093], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 181,182),
wherein a holding portion configured to hold the liquid by capillary action is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the opening at the tip part ([0164], lines 1-5; the long and narrow shapes of flow paths 182 and 183 hold the liquid by capillary action on an inner peripheral surface of the opening at the tip part, as evidenced by the formation of the meniscus).
10. Regarding claim 2: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion is a groove provided on the inner peripheral surface, and the groove is a part of the opening at the tip part (Fig. 8, references 181, 182).
11. Regarding claim 3: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 2, wherein the groove includes at least one corner part (Fig. 8, reference 164; also see the corner from the lower section of flow passage 181 to the mid-section of flow passage 181).
12. Regarding claim 4: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of grooves is provided (Fig. 8 the grooves of flow paths 181 and 182).
13. Regarding claim 5: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 3, wherein the groove is branched on an inner peripheral surface of the liquid flow path (see Fig. 8).
14. Regarding claim 6: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion is a rib provided on the inner peripheral surface, and the rib is a part of the opening at the tip part (Fig. 8, reference 180 is a partitioning rib between flow path 181 and 182 that is also part of the opening part at the tip part (separating the openings 184 and 186)).
15. Regarding claim 7: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid storage bottle according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply portion is configured to be engageable with an inner peripheral surface of the liquid injection portion (Fig. 4, shows the nozzle 161 of bottle 130 (see Figs. 8 and 6), engaged with an inner peripheral surface of the liquid injection portion (Fig. 3, reference 112) of the tank (Fig. 3, reference 100)).
16. Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Hayashi et al. (JP 2020-189454).
17. Regarding independent claim 8: Hayashi et al. disclosed a liquid replenishment system (see Fig. 4), comprising:
a liquid storage bottle for replenishing liquid ([0072], line 1; also see Fig. 4, reference 130) to a recording apparatus ([0047], line 2; also see Fig. 1, reference 11) including a liquid tank, the liquid tank including a storage portion configured to store the liquid ([0056], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 3, references 100) to be supplied to a recording head configured to eject the ink ([0053], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 2, reference 39), and a liquid injection portion configured to receive supply of the liquid ([0054], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 2, references 40), the liquid storage bottle comprising:
a bottle main body configured to store the liquid ([0072], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 6, reference 131); and
a liquid supply portion ([0080], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, reference 132) including a base end part having an opening communicating with the bottle main body ([0096], lines 1-8; also see Fig. 6, reference 154 and Fig. 8, reference 160) and a tip part (Fig. 8, reference 161) having an opening communicating with the liquid tank ([0101], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 184,186. Fig. 4 also shows the opening communicating with the liquid tank 100), and including a liquid flow path for supplying the liquid from the bottle main body to the liquid tank ([0093], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 181,182);
the recording head configured to perform recording by ejecting the liquid ([0053], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 2, reference 39); and
the liquid tank ([0056], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 3, references 100),
wherein a holding portion configured to hold the liquid by capillary action is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the opening at the tip part ([0164], lines 1-5; the long and narrow shapes of flow paths 182 and 183 hold the liquid by capillary action on an inner peripheral surface of the opening at the tip part, as evidenced by the formation of the meniscus).
18. Regarding claim 9: Hayashi et al. disclosed the liquid replenishment system according to claim 8, wherein the liquid tank includes an inclined surface inclined relative to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction when in use, and wherein the liquid injection portion into which the liquid supply portion of the liquid storage bottle is inserted is formed on the inclined surface ([0059], line 1 and [0067], line 1; also see Fig. 3, reference 106).
Conclusion
19. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YAOVI M. AMEH whose telephone number is (571)272-4578. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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/YAOVI M AMEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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