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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on May 15, 2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP2024-079642 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 & 4 are objected to because of grammatical phrasing of the following limitation:
Claim 1: “in a case where in a case where an image, on a medium, formed by performing printing by first print data which includes information designating the second liquid droplet includes a continuous-dot image, long-length dots each of which is formed of one of a plurality of second liquid droplets, including the second liquid droplet, landed on the medium, and which have a length long in the first direction being continuously disposed in the continuous-dot image in a second direction crossing the first direction.”
Claim 4: “in a case where first placement in which two continuous first liquid droplets, of a plurality of first liquid droplets including the first liquid droplet and one second liquid droplet of the plurality of second liquid droplets are located adjacent to one another along the first direction of the image is present in the first print data, the controller is configured to replace the first placement with second placement in which the one second liquid droplet is located between the two continuous first liquid droplets.
Appropriate correction is required to correct grammatical issues and enhance clarity. Examiner notes that Applicant should amend language especially in the case that the Examiner has interpreted the limitation’s phrasing in a way that veers from Applicant’s intended interpretation.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura (US 20050200905 A1) further in view of Kodama et al. (US 20130120485 A1; herein referred to as “Kodama”).
With respect to claim 1, Kimura teaches a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a head (i.e., “14” & Fig. 2) having a nozzle surface in which a plurality of nozzles (i.e., “45”; Fig. 7) each configured to eject a first liquid droplet and a second liquid droplet of liquid (i.e., ink drops of various sizes; Fig. 11, specifically droplets 11(b) & 11(d)) to a medium (i.e., “3” & Fig. 2) are open (Kimura: ¶0092 & 0104),
the second liquid droplet having a size in an ejection direction longer than a size in the ejection direction of the first liquid droplet and a volume greater than a volume of the first liquid droplet (i.e., Fig. 11(d) droplet is larger in volume that Fig. 11(b) droplet; Kimura: ¶0125). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the second liquid droplet (i.e., a spherical shape) of greater volume than the first liquid droplet would also have a greater diameter to accommodate that volume (i.e., a longer size in the ejection direction as well as other directions).
a moving device (i.e., “13”) configured to move the head (i.e., “14”) relative to the medium (i.e., “3”) in a first direction crossing the ejection direction (i.e., “main scanning direction”; Kimura: ¶0092 & Fig. 1-2); and
a controller (i.e., controller; Kimura: ¶0059 & Fig. 8), wherein
in a case where an image, on a medium (i.e., image recorded on “paper 3”), formed by performing printing by first print data which includes information designating the second liquid droplet includes a continuous-dot image (i.e., Fig. 14 depicting the second liquid droplets composing the continuous-dot image in Fig. 13), long-length dots each of which is formed of one of a plurality of second liquid droplets, including the second liquid droplet, landed on the medium (i.e., large dots in Fig. 14-17 discharged by the moving carriage and arranged on “paper 3”), and which have a length long in the first direction being continuously disposed in the continuous-dot image in a second direction crossing the first direction (i.e., second direction is the ”paper transport direction” and first direction is “main scanning direction”; Kimura: ¶0092, ¶0095, Fig. 2 & Fig. 11). As discussed above, the second liquid droplet (i.e., droplet in Fig. 11(d)), has a larger diameter than the first liquid droplet (i.e., droplet in Fig. 11(b)), and therefore the second liquid droplet has a length that is long, compared to the first liquid droplet, in the first direction. Also note that Fig. 14 represents print data prior to relevant correction processes (Kimura: ¶0196-0208 & Fig. 14-17B), and therefore this pre-correction data can be referred to as first print data.
the controller is configured to control the head and the moving device (Kimura: ¶0118, Fig. 2 & Fig. 8) to:
generate second print data based on image data (i.e., Fig. 15-17B depicted generating second print data based on image data for Fig. 13, wherein the second print data adjusts Fig. 14 first print data; Kimura: ¶0063-0067 & ¶0195-0208); and
form the image on the medium by causing each of the plurality of nozzles (i.e., “45”; Fig. 7) of the head (“14” & Fig. 2) to eject a liquid droplet… , while causing the moving device to move the head relative to the medium in the first direction (Kimura: ¶0092, ¶0118, Fig. 15-16, & Fig. 22).
Kimura is silent on the controller is configured to control the head and the moving device to:
generate second print data based on image data such that a landing position of one second liquid droplet on the medium in the second print data is further away from a landing position of the other second liquid droplet on the medium in the first print data, wherein the one second liquid droplet and the other second liquid droplet form the continuous-dot image; and
form the image on the medium by causing each of the plurality of nozzles of the head to eject a liquid droplet based on the second print data, while causing the moving device to move the head relative to the medium in the first direction.
Kodama teaches the controller is configured to control the head and the moving device to:
generate second print data based on image data such that a landing position of one second liquid droplet on the medium in the second print data is further away from a landing position of the other second liquid droplet on the medium in the first print data, wherein the one second liquid droplet and the other second liquid droplet form the continuous-dot image (i.e., print data of oval-shaped droplets in Kodama Fig. 5(b) adjusted from Fig. 5(a)). In other words, Kodama teaches Fig. 5(b) as a second print data, adjusting the landing positions of second liquid droplets in the first print data (i.e., Fig. 5(a)).
form the image on the medium by causing each of the plurality of nozzles of the head to eject a liquid droplet based on the second print data (image depicted in Kodama Fig. 5(b) in data adjusted from print data shown in Fig. 5(a); Kodama: Abstract).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the controller taught by Kimura to generate second print data in the form taught by Kodama, because Kodama teaches that large droplets can be long in an A-direction and therefore be more densely positioned if arranged in the claimed landing positioning (i.e., Kodama Fig. 5(b) is visually denser than Fig. 5(a)). This increased visually density is beneficial, because it generates a higher quality continuous-dot image. Moreover, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention operate Kimura’s plurality of nozzles to eject a liquid based on Kodama’s second print data, so as to enact this print data correction when printing the medium.
With respect to claim 2, Kimura as modified by Kodama teaches the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the head includes:
individual channels which communicate with the plurality of nozzles (Kimura: ¶0019, ¶0041-0042, & 0118), and
an actuator configured to be driven by an ejection signal having a periodic waveform so as to apply pressure causing the liquid in the individual channels to be ejected, as the liquid droplet, from the nozzles corresponding to the individual channels (Kimura: ¶0019 & ¶0041-0042),
the first liquid droplet is one liquid droplet formed by a waveform corresponding to one cycle of the ejection signal (i.e., droplet and corresponding one-cycle waveform shown in 11(b)), and
the second liquid droplet is one liquid droplet formed by a waveform corresponding to two cycles or more of the ejection signal (i.e., droplet and corresponding multi-cycle waveform shown in 11(d)).
With respect to claim 3, Kimura as modified by Kodama teaches the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where in the first print data (Kimura: Fig. 14), the second liquid droplet is located at an end part in the first direction of the image (i.e., first direction is left-right, wherein the second liquid droplet is the large droplet in the upper-right corner of Kimura’s Fig. 14 print data), the controller is configured to execute replacement of the second liquid droplet with a plurality of first liquid droplets including the first liquid droplet (i.e., Kimura’s Fig. 17(a)-(b) second print data does not include that upper-right large droplet and instead replaces it with multiple small droplets, which can be referred to as first liquid droplets).
Allowable Subject Matter
1. Claim 4 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 primary reasons for allowance for claim 4 is that applicant’s claimed invention includes a liquid ejecting apparatus having a controller, where in a case where first placement in which two continuous first liquid droplets, of a plurality of first liquid droplets including the first liquid droplet and one second liquid droplet of the plurality of second liquid droplets are located adjacent to one another along the first direction of the image is present in the first print data, the controller is configured to replace the first placement with second placement in which the one second liquid droplet is located between the two continuous first liquid droplets. It is this limitation, expressed in the claimed combination not found, taught, or suggested in the prior art that makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
2. Claim 5 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 primary reasons for allowance for claim 5 is that applicant’s claimed invention includes a liquid ejecting apparatus having a controller, where generating the second image data includes: generating half-tone data based on the image data, the half-tone data including designation of the first liquid droplet and not including designation of the second liquid droplet; and generating the first print data by replacing at least a part of the designation of the first liquid droplet with the designation of the second liquid droplet based on the half-tone data. It is this limitation, expressed in the claimed combination not found, taught, or suggested in the prior art that makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
3. Claim 6 is objected to for being dependent upon claim 5.
The Examiner notes that Kimura teaches away from claims 4-6, which each include limitations related to the inclusion of the second liquid droplet as a replacement and/or addition to the first liquid droplet (e.g., replacing a small droplet with a larger droplet), because Kimura teaches that smoothing of a continuous-image can be improved by replacing large droplets with smaller droplets.
Conclusion
In view of the foregoing, the above claims have failed to patentably distinguish over the applied art.
The remaining references listed on forms 892 and 1449 have been reviewed by the examiner and are considered to be cumulative to or less material than the prior art references relied upon in the rejection above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHLOMIT CHELST whose telephone number is (571)272-0832. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
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/SHLOMIT CHELST/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/GEOFFREY S MRUK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 08/31/2026
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