Appeal No. 2000-0722
Application No. 08/646,399
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to an ink-jet system integrated on a common substrate.
An understanding of the invention can be derived from a reading of exemplary claim 1,
which is reproduced below.
1. An ink-jet system comprising:
an ink channel between an ink reservoir and a nozzle, the ink channel
being attached to the ink reservoir and the nozzle; and
an electromechanical transducer which comprises an expansible
member being arranged adjacent and operatively connected to the ink
channel for abruptly reducing volume of the ink channel to thereby eject an
ink droplet through said nozzle, the ink channel having a first portion and a
second portion with each portion having a depth as measured in a depth
direction, the expansible member exerts a force on ink in the ink channel in
the depth direction,
the second portion of the ink channel being between the expansible
member and the nozzle and the first portion of the ink channel being adjacent
to the expansible member, the depth of the second portion being larger than
the depth of the first portion and being larger than a height of the nozzle.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the examiner in rejecting the appealed
claims are:
Takeshima et al. (Takeshima) JP 60-008074 Jan. 16, 1985
Koizumi et al. (Koizumi) JP 03-081155 Apr. 05, 1991
Claims 1-4, 6, 10, 14-16 and 20-32 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, second
paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the
2
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