DETAILED ACTION
[1] Remarks
I. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
II. This Office Action is in response to the RCE filed on 01/28/2026.
III. Claims 1-10 and 12-25 are pending and have been examined, where claims 1-10, 12-22 and 25 is/are found rejected. Claims 23-24 are withdraw. Explanations will be provided below.
IV. Inventor and/or assignee search were performed and determined no double patenting rejection(s) is/are necessary.
V. Patent eligibility (updated in 2019) shown by the following: Claims 1-10, 12-22 and 25 pass patent eligibility test because there is/are no limitation or a combination of limitations amounting to an abstract idea / the following limitations. Also, the following limitation or the combinations of the limitations: “acquires a value related to a plurality of types of sheet physical properties of a sheet detected by a plurality of corresponding sheet physical property sensors; and determines a parameter related to sheet processing for printing on the sheet without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties” effects a transformation or a reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing / adds a specific limitation(s) other than what is well-understood, routine and conventional in the field, or adding unconventional steps that confine the claim to a particular useful application and providing improvements to the technical field of sheet determination, which recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application and amounting significant more.
VI. There are no PCT associated with the current application.
[2] Response to Arguments
The arguments presented by the applicant have been considered and are found convincing. An updated search was performed and determined all claims to be allowable. Details are shown below.
[3] Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
Use of the word “means” (or “step for”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim element is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) (pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph). The presumption that 35 U.S.C. 112(f) (pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph) is invoked is rebutted when the function is recited with sufficient structure, material, or acts within the claim itself to entirely perform the recited function. Absence of the word “means” (or “step for”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim element is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) (pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph). The presumption that 35 U.S.C. 112(f) (pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph) is not invoked is rebutted when the claim element recites function but fails to recite sufficiently definite structure, material or acts to perform that function.
Claim elements in this application that use the word “means” (or “step for”) are presumed to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Similarly, claim elements that do not use the word “means” (or “step for”) are presumed not to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
Claim(s) 1-10, 12-22 and 25 are not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA U.S.C. 112 6th paragraph because of the following reason(s): limitations are modified by sufficient structure or material for performing the claimed function.
Upon examination of the specification and claims, the examiner has determined, under the best understanding of the scope of the claim(s), rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a)/(b) is not necessitated because of the following reasons: sufficient support are provided in the written description / drawings of the invention.
[4] Grounds of Rejection
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. 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.
2. Claims 1-3, 5-7, 14, 16-19, 21-22 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mamura (US 20160187826) in view of Matsuki (US 20180173946).
Regarding claim 1, Mamura discloses a parameter determination apparatus, comprising: a hardware processor that:
acquires a value related to a plurality of types of sheet physical properties of a sheet detected by a plurality of corresponding sheet physical property sensors (see figure 3, 120 read as the plurality of sensors, see paragraph 17, a document image is obtained due to a movement of a carriage 131 in a sub-scanning direction, the image reading unit 120 generates the image data of the original document corresponding to respective colors, for example, R, G, and B, where sensors are required for each color and the scanner having plurality of sensors); and
determines a parameter related to sheet processing for printing on the sheet without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties (see figure 6, S603 determines sheet surface property without needing specifying the sheet type), but not based on a program using at least any of a learning function including artificial intelligence or a statistical method;
wherein the value related to a plurality of types of sheet physical properties includes at least one of a value related to a sheet basis weight, a value related to a sheet thickness, a value related to sheet gloss, a value related to emboss processing, a value related to a sheet moisture amount, a value related to sheet volume resistance, a value related to sheet bending strength, or a value related to a sheet charge amount (see figure 6, S606 determines the thickness).
Mamura is silent in disclosing determines a parameter related to sheet processing for printing on the sheet without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, based on a program using at least any of a learning function including artificial intelligence or a statistical method.
Matsuki discloses determines a parameter related to sheet processing without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, based on a program using at least any of a learning function including artificial intelligence or a statistical method (see paragraph 20, an abnormality of a bill P is detected, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 conveys the bill P along the conveyance path 14 and sorts the bill P and stacks it in the rejecter 19 or 20 according to the type of abnormality, if no abnormalities of the bill P are detected, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 passes the bill P through the barcode reader 18 and then sorts the bill P and stacks it in the cassettes 21 to 23 according to the sheet type of the bill P, the above is the bill sorting procedure, the abnormality of a bill P is read as the physical property and there are plurality of abnormalities which reads on the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, this process does not include “specifying a sheet type from an acquired value” rather this identifies the document / sheet based on the features extracted from the sheet).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include determines a parameter related to sheet processing without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value because it focuses on the underlying physics of the material's behavior under stress, which directly dictates the required processing parameters, which learns to map input thickness or hardness to outputs directly, which learns the material.
Regarding claim 2, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program based on an algorithm that changes dynamically (see paragraph 63, the result of a combination process on each of the plurality of secondary feature images generated by the plurality of image processors 32 to 34, the sheet type identifier 35 sequentially updates and learns a parameter set for identifying the sheet type of the paper sheet, the update is read as changes). See the motivation for claim 1. Also by breaking complex dynamic problems into smaller It adapts to input data, building solutions iteratively based on previously calculated results rather than recomputing them.
Regarding claim 3, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the learning function includes ensemble learning that generates one learning device by fusing a plurality of learning devices (see figure 2, illustration below):
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See the motivation for claim 1. In addition, fusing multiple learning models into a single, stronger model because it improves predictive performance and robustness, often outperforming any single model.
Regarding claim 5, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the hardware processor further acquires information regarding an apparatus state of a sheet processing apparatus that performs the sheet processing, and the hardware processor determines a parameter related to the sheet processing, from a value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties and information regarding the apparatus state (see paragraph 63, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 passes the bill P through the barcode reader 18 and then sorts the bill P and stacks it in the cassettes 21 to 23 according to the sheet type of the bill P, the above is the bill sorting procedure, the abnormality of a bill P is read as the physical property and there are plurality of abnormalities which reads on the plurality of types of sheet physical properties). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 6, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the hardware processor acquires information regarding an apparatus state of the sheet processing apparatus at a predetermined timing, and the hardware processor determines a parameter related to the sheet processing for a plurality of sheets (see paragraph 63, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 passes the bill P through the barcode reader 18 and then sorts the bill P and stacks it in the cassettes 21 to 23 according to the sheet type of the bill P, the above is the bill sorting procedure, the abnormality of a bill P is read as the physical property and there are plurality of abnormalities which reads on the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, when there are abnormalities the bill is put through a sorting procedure). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 7, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the hardware processor acquires information regarding an apparatus state of the sheet processing apparatus at a predetermined timing, and the hardware processor determines a parameter related to the sheet processing for every sheet passing or for every predetermined sheet passing interval, during actual printing, at a time of an initial setting of actual printing preparation (see paragraph 19, the conveyer 15 adjusts the conveyance speed of the bills P such that the bills P are spaced at predetermined intervals, and conveys the bills P to the inspection device 16, the inspection device 16 reads an image of each of the bills P to detect the sheet type of the bills P, the front and back orientation of the bills P, and abnormalities, folds, tears or dirt, where the bills P delivered by the rollers 12 are conveyed along the conveyance path 14, where the sheets are fed through the conveyor). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 14, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a parameter related to the sheet processing includes a parameter related to post-processing in a post-processing apparatus that is an apparatus that performs the sheet processing, or a parameter related to sheet feeding processing in a sheet feeding apparatus that is an apparatus that performs the sheet processing (see paragraph 16, a plurality of bills P are placed in the supplier 11, where the rollers 12 deliver the bills P one by one from the supplier 11 to the conveyance path 14, where the bills P delivered by the rollers 12 are conveyed along the conveyance path 14, where the sheets are fed through the conveyor). See the motivation for claim 1. Also, these parameters, such as speed and friction, must be adjusted to match the specific characteristics of the sheet’s material like paper weight to prevent jams, double-feeding, and misalignment.
Regarding claim 16, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a parameter related to the sheet feeding processing includes at least any of: a parameter related to a suction air volume by a suction belt in sheet feeding and related to an assist air volume; or a parameter related to a separation roller pressure and an operating speed of a separation roller (see paragraph 16, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a supplier 11, rollers 12, a foreign matter collector 13, a conveyance path 14, a conveyer 15, an inspection device 16 (i.e., a learning device or a paper sheet identification device), a line sensor 17). See the motivation for claims 1 and 14.
Regarding claim 17, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is a sensor included in the parameter determination apparatus (see paragraph 16, a conveyance path 14, a conveyer 15, an inspection device 16 (i.e., a learning device or a paper sheet identification device), a line sensor 17, a barcode reader 18, rejecters 19). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor acquires a value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties from a sensor connected to the parameter determination apparatus (see paragraphs 16 and 21, the processors, 16, are connected to the line sensor 17). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 19, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sheet processing apparatus that performs the sheet processing is connected (see citation of claim 18).
Regarding claim 21, Matsuki discloses a post-processing apparatus, comprising: the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1; and a post-processing part that performs post-processing on a sheet (paragraph 20, an abnormality of a bill P is detected, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 conveys the bill P along the conveyance path 14 and sorts the bill P and stacks it in the rejecter 19 or 20 according to the type of abnormality). See the motivation for claim 1. In addition, to refine and strengthen the raw printed object into a high-quality product.
Regarding claim 22, Matsuki discloses a sheet feeding apparatus, comprising: the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1; and a sheet feeding part that feeds a sheet (see paragraph 16, a plurality of bills P are placed in the supplier 11, where the rollers 12 deliver the bills P one by one from the supplier 11 to the conveyance path 14, the conveyor is read as the feeder). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 25, see the rationale and rejection from claim 1, where the value being acquired directly from a sheet (see Mamura, see figure 6, S606 and S607, determine sheet thickness and sheet type).
2. Claims 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mamura (US 20160187826) in view of Matsuki (US 20180173946) and Csordas (US 10380753).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Mamura and Matsuki as a whole discloses all the limitations of claim 1, but is silent in disclosing the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the learning function includes a neural network. Csordas discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the learning function includes a neural network (see figure 2, 50 shows neural network).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a neural network for learning because to extract optimal image features such as edges and image structure by training filter weights for improving image recognition.
3. Claims 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mamura (US 20160187826) in view of Matsuki (US 20180173946) and Nomoto (US 20050099644).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Mamura and Matsuki as a whole discloses all the limitations of claim 1, but are silent in disclosing the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor performs, based on the program, first processing of specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to a sheet physical property, and second processing of determining a parameter related to the sheet processing without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to a sheet physical property. Hikawa discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor performs, based on the program, first processing of specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to a sheet physical property, and second processing of determining a parameter related to the sheet processing without specifying a sheet type from an acquired value related to a sheet physical property (see paragraph 93).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include specifying paper type in order to ensure optimal printing quality, ink absorption and printer performance by adjusting setting based on the sheet’s texture and coating.
4. Claims 9-10, 12-13, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mamura (US 20160187826) in view of Matsuki (US 20180173946) and Qian (US 20130258361).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Mamura and Matsuki as a whole discloses all the limitations of claim 1, discloses all the limitations of claim 1, but is silent in disclosing the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a priority is given to each value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, and the hardware processor determines a parameter related to the sheet processing based on a given priority. Qian discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a priority is given to each value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, and the hardware processor determines a parameter related to the sheet processing based on a given priority (see paragraph 46, In step 440, at least one physical page from the plurality of physical pages is selected and at least one print property is changed on the at least one physical page, figure 4, 440, priority is given to the sheet that is selected which is based on the sheet properties). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include placing a priority to each value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties in order to ensures accurate adjustments for ink drying time and color consistency while optimizing the printing process for different paper types.
Regarding claim 10, Qian discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: a priority is given to each value related to the plurality of types of sheet physical properties, and a priority to be given is different between the first processing and the second processing (see illustration in figure 5, 520 and 530 are first and second processing). See the motivation for claim 9.
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Regarding claim 12, Qian discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a parameter related to the sheet processing includes a parameter related to image formation in an image forming apparatus that is an apparatus that performs the sheet processing (see paragraph 42, The at least one print property 350 preferably relates to color and/or image quality of the print image, and see figure 1, 126, figure 2, 250). See the motivation for claim 9.
Regarding claim 13, Matsuki discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a parameter related to the image formation includes at least any of: a parameter related to a fixing process; a parameter related to a destaticizing process; a parameter related to a transfer process; or a parameter related to a conveyance process (see paragraph 20, an abnormality of a bill P is detected, the paper sheet processing apparatus 1 conveys the bill P along the conveyance path 14 and sorts the bill P and stacks it in the rejecter 19 or 20 according to the type of abnormality). See the motivation for claim 1.
Regarding claim 20, Qian discloses an image forming apparatus, comprising: the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming part that forms an image on a sheet (see figure 10, the printing or image formation part is separated into 6 different pages, this selection is read as the parameter):
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See the motivation for claim 9.
5. Claims 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mamura (US 20160187826) in view of Matsuki (US 20180173946) and Hagiwara (US 20080168110).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Mamura and Matsuki as a whole discloses all the limitations of claim 1, but is silent in disclosing the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a parameter related to the post-processing includes at least any of: a parameter related to punch processing; a parameter related to stack processing; a parameter related to stapling processing; a parameter related to cutting processing; a parameter related to creasing and folding processing; a parameter related to perforation processing; or a parameter related to bookbinding processing.
Hagiwara discloses the parameter determination apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a parameter related to the post-processing includes at least any of: a parameter related to punch processing; a parameter related to stack processing; a parameter related to stapling processing; a parameter related to cutting processing; a parameter related to creasing and folding processing; a parameter related to perforation processing; or a parameter related to bookbinding processing (see paragraph 44, with respect to the file having the file name "Setting_allP.txt", as the job setting processing, both-side printing designation or staple processing designation, or a job parameter different from a default value).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include staple processing in order to properly align and bind printed documents enhancing professional presentation.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX LIEW (duty station is located in New York City) whose telephone number is (571)272-8623 (FAX 571-273-8623), cell (917)763-1192 or email alexa.liew@uspto.gov. Please note the examiner cannot reply through email unless an internet communication authorization is provided by the applicant. The examiner can be reached anytime.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MISTRY ONEAL R, can be reached on (313)446-4912. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEX KOK S LIEW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2674
Telephone: 571-272-8623
Date: 3/7/26