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 .
Final Rejection
The applicant’s amendment of 07/07/2026 necessitated a new ground of rejection as follows below:
Claim Rejections
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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hashii et al. (US Pub. 2007/0103515).
Hashii et al. disclose in Figures 1-20 an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
Regarding claim 1, a container body (1) configured to store ink therein, the container body including:
one end portion (8) defining a first outer surface of the container body (1) extending in a first direction (vertical direction) (Figure 1A);
another end portion (7) defining a second outer surface of the container body (1) extending in the first direction and separated from the one end portion (8) in a second direction (horizontal direction) crossing the first direction (Figure 1A);
a first end portion (3) defining a third outer surface of the container body (1) extending in the second direction (horizontal direction) (Figure 1A);
a second end portion (2a) defining a fourth outer surface of the container body (1) extending in the second direction and separated from the first end portion (3) in the first direction (vertical direction) (Figure 1A);
an integrated circuit board (15) having an electrical contact surface (14) extending in the first direction, a portion of the electrical contact surface (14) being positioned at the first outer surface of the container body (1) and being positioned closer to the one end portion (8) of the container body (1) than to the another end portion (7) of the container body (1) in the second direction, and the portion of the electrical contact surface (14) being positioned closer to the first end portion (3) of the container body (1) than to the second end portion (2a) of the container body (1) in the first direction (vertical direction) (Figures 1A and 3A); and
a supply port (4) positioned at the first end portion (3) of the container body (1) in the first direction, the supply port (4) positioned closer to the another end portion (7) of the container body (1) than to the one end portion (8) of the container body (1) in the second direction, wherein the electrical contact surface (14) is positioned farther from the second end portion (2a) than a distal end of the supply port (4) is positioned from the second end portion (2a) in the first direction (Figures 1A-1B).
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 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.
Claims 1-2 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Ono (US Pub. 2017/0066248) over in view of Hashii et al. (US Pub. 2007/0103515).
Ono discloses in Figures 1-20 a liquid cartridge comprising:
Regarding claim 1, a container body (30) configured to store ink therein, the container body including:
one end portion (141C) defining a first outer surface (147) of the container body (30) extending in a first direction (front-rear direction) (Figure 3);
another end portion (142) defining a second outer surface of the container body (30) extending in the first direction and separated from the one end portion (141C) in a second direction (up-down direction) crossing the first direction (front-rear direction) (Figure 3);
a first end portion (140) defining a third outer surface of the container body (30) extending in the second direction (up-down) (Figure 3);
a second end portion (41) defining a fourth outer surface of the container body (30) extending in the second direction (up-down direction) and separated from the first end portion (140) in the first direction (front-rear direction) (Figure 3);
an integrated circuit board (64) having an electrical contact surface (146) extending in the first direction (front-rear direction), a portion of the electrical contact surface (146) being positioned at the first outer surface of the container body (30) and being positioned closer to the one end portion (141C) of the container body (30) than to the another end portion (142) of the container body (30) in the second direction (up-down direction), and the portion of the electrical contact surface (146) being positioned closer to the first end portion (140) of the container body (30) than to the second end portion (41) of the container body (30) in the first direction (front-rear direction) (Figure 3).
However, Ono does not disclose a supply port positioned at the first end portion of the container body in the first direction, the supply port positioned closer to the another end portion of the container body than to the one end portion of the container body in the second direction, wherein the electrical contact surface is positioned farther from the second end portion than a distal end of the supply port is positioned from the second end portion in the first direction.
Nevertheless, regarding of claim 1, Hashii et al. teach: a supply port (4) positioned at the first end portion (3) of the container body (1) in the first direction, the supply port (4) positioned closer to the another end portion (7) of the container body (1) than to the one end portion (8) of the container body (1) in the second direction, wherein the electrical contact surface (14) is positioned farther from the second end portion (2a) than a distal end of the supply port (4) is positioned from the second end portion (2a) in the first direction (Figures 1A-1B).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Hashii et al. in the Ono’s liquid cartridge for the purpose of providing a compact printer and stably supplying ink from an ink cartridge to the printer.
Regarding claim 2, Ono teaches: wherein the container body (30) further includes: a cover (32) positioned at the first end portion (95) of the container body (30), the cover (32) covering at least a portion of the first end portion (95), wherein the portion of the electrical contact surface (146) is positioned at an outer surface of the cover (32) in the second direction (Figure 4).
Regarding claim 6, Ono teaches: wherein the container body (30) includes a main body (31) and a cover (32), the main body (31) has a protrusion (161) extending in a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction, and the cover (32) is attached to the main body (31) by inserting the protrusion (161) into a through hole (97) of the cover (32) (Figure 4).
Regarding claim 7, Ono teaches: wherein the integrated circuit board (64) is positioned on an outer surface of the cover (31) (Figure 3).
Regarding claim 8, Ono teaches: wherein the integrated circuit board (64) is configured to store information related to the ink cartridge (30) (Figure 4, paragraph 0046).
Regarding claim 9, Ono teaches: wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the electrical contact surface (64) (Figure 3).
Regarding claim 10, Ono teaches: wherein the supply port (71) is configured to allow the ink to flow out of the container body (30) (Figure 3).
Response to Applicant’s Arguments
The applicant’s arguments with respect to the prior art rejection have been carefully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. These claims would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest an ink cartridge comprising container body has an opening at the first end portion, wherein the container body has an open state and a closed state, wherein the ink cartridge further comprises a bar movable between a first position and a second position, in a case where the container body is in the open state, the bar opens the opening of the container body, in a case where the container body is in the closed state, the opening is closed, in a case where the bar is in the first position, the case is in the closed state, in a case where the bar is in the second position, the case is in the open state, wherein the opening is positioned closer to the one end portion of the container body in the second direction than to the another end portion of the container body in the second direction, and wherein the opening is positioned between the electrical contact surface and the supply port in the second direction in the combination as claimed.
CONCLUSION
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Anh Vo whose telephone number is (571) 272-2262. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 9:30 A.M.to 6:00 P.M..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner'ssupervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached on (571) 431-0716. The fax phonenumber for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH T VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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