DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 5, 2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5-7, 9, 11, and 12 remain rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. [US 5,220,377] in view of Asano et al. [US 5,041,865].
For claims 1 and 11, Suzuki teaches a direct printing system (see Figs. 4-11) comprising:
a projecting device (1) configured to project a digital content (image data), said device comprises:
a memory (23) for storing instructions, a processor (29) coupled to the memory, an input unit (21) configured to receive at least one input corresponding to the digital content from a user, a digital content processing unit (22 and 29) configured to process the digital content,
a projecting unit (2-6, 18, 71, and 81) configured to project the processed digital content;
and the projecting device is configured to project the processed digital content on to a printable substrate (7) configured to receive and imprint the projected digital content from the projecting device,
wherein the projecting unit comprises a thermal projection sub-unit (2-4, 6, and 81 or 71) and a photonic projection sub-unit (2-6 and 18), wherein the projecting unit is configured to project a combination of thermal projection rays (thermal rays from halogen lamp 3 or heater array 71) and photonic projection rays (exposure rays from the halogen lamp 3) on to the printable substrate, and wherein a selection of the projection rays comprises selecting the combination of the thermal projection rays and the photonic projection rays is based upon inputs from the digital content processing unit (projection of the image onto the sheet 7 based on control by CPU 29, LCD controller 24, and heater array control 27, see col. 6 line 47- col. 9 line 16).
Suzuki fails to teach in the embodiments described with respect to Figs. 3-11 a sensing unit configured to monitor an ambient environment condition, wherein a selection of the projection rays comprises selecting the combination of the thermal projection rays and the photonic projection rays is based upon inputs from the sensing unit.
Asano teaches a sensing unit (16 and 17, see Figs. 1 and 2 and col. 4 line 30 - col. 5 line 26) configured to monitor an ambient environment condition, wherein a selection of the photonic projection rays is based upon inputs from the sensing unit (selection of exposure amount based on the detected ambient environment).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a sensing for adjusting exposure conditions as taught by Asano in the printing apparatus as taught by Suzuki in order to optimize the exposure amount based on the sensitivity of the photosensitive medium (see col. 4 line 30 - col. 5 line 57 of Asano).
Suzuki teaches a sensing unit (sensor 43, see Fig. 17 and col. 12 lines 24-60) configured to monitor an ambient environment condition, wherein a selection of the thermal projection rays is based upon inputs from the sensing unit (halogen heater 38 is controlled so that the surface of the heat plate 42 retains predetermined temperature in cooperation with the sensor 43 fixed on the back surface of the heat plate 42, temperature is preset in the range of 100C-150C and the temperature to be preset is selected based on various conditions of the feeding speed, the atmospheric temperature, the image output mode).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the sensor and temperature control by thermal rays as taught by the embodiment described with respect to Fig. 17 of Suzuki in the temperature control of the thermal rays provided by the means described with respect to Figs. 4-11 as taught by Suzuki in order to ensure that the desired heat is provided by the heating element.
For claim 2, Suzuki teaches the digital content is any of or a combination of an image (image data, see Fig. 5) and a document.
For claim 5, Suzuki teaches the input unit provides an interface (video interface, see Fig. 5) to the user for providing the at least one input.
For claim 6, Suzuki teaches the digital content processing unit is configured to evaluate pixel data based upon processing of the digital content (determining pixels based on RGB image data, see col. 6 line 47- col. 7 line 41).
For claim 7, in the combination, Asano teaches the sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensors for monitoring the ambient environment condition, the ambient environment condition is any or a combination of light, temperature, pressure, humidity, distance (see Figs. 1 and 2 and col. 4 line 30 - col. 5 line 26).
For claims 9 and 12, Suzuki teaches the printable substrate is any of or a combination of a carbonized paper and a photosensitive paper (see col. 4 lines 29-38).
Claims 3 and 4 remain rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki in view of Asano as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Stephenson [US 5,909,248].
For claims 3 and 4, Suzuki fails to teach the device comprises an imaging unit configured to capture an image based upon the input from the user, wherein the projecting device is any of or a combination of a smart phone and a camera.
Stephenson teaches the device comprises an imaging unit (head 14, see Fig. 3) configured to capture an image based upon the input from the user (capture an image, see col. 2 lines 41-52), wherein the projecting device is any of or a combination of a smart phone and a camera (10 and 12, see Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the camera features as taught by Stephenson in the apparatus as taught by Suzuki in order to provide portable printing with LCD display printing.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed September 25, 2024 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues on pages 5-8 of the Remarks, regarding claims 1 and 11, combination of Asano and Suzuki does not teach or suggest selecting a combination of both thermal projection rays and photonic projection rays based on inputs from a digital content processing unit and a sensing unit, as recited in amended independent claims 1 and 11, because providing exposure control by modulation of a single light source based on detected environmental factors as taught by Asano is not an active selection and Suzuki is silent to the claimed features.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. For the purposes of examining, using broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims in light of the specification at paragraphs [0063] and [0065], the salient portion of the claimed subject matter of a selection of the projection rays comprises selecting the combination of the thermal projection rays and the photonic projection rays based upon inputs from the digital content processing unit and the sensing unit is understood as any selection of a projection rays that includes a selected set of the both thermal rays and photonic rays that is based on image data and an environment sensor. Any selection of a characteristic including a selected configuration of an intensity, radiation, distance, focus, etc. of the projection rays including a combination of the thermal rays and photonic rays is understood to be a selection of the projection rays comprising selecting the combination of the thermal projection rays and the photonic projection rays. Suzuki teaches in Figs. 4-11 and col. 6 line 47- col. 9 line 16 providing a desired exposure amount and heat amount at selected locations of the substrate based on image data. No argument has been presented regarding this teaching of Suzuki. Asano teaches in col. 3 line 35 – col. 5 line 16 changing the exposure amount of the light source based on sensors 16, 16’, and 17. Suzuki teaches in Fig. 17 and col. 12 lines 24-60 adjusting a halogen lamp to provide a desired heat with thermal rays. In the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 of claims 1 and 11, the combination of Asano and Suzuki teach a selected combination of thermal rays and photonic rays are provided at selected amounts based on the environmental sensors, thereby meeting the claimed subject matter.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chandrasekar [US 2022/0009262], Sawamura et al. [US 2018/0333964], Hayashi [US 2005/0174420], Uchiyama et al. [US 2003/0137642], and Mori et al. [US 6,494,627] teach environmental sensors.
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/Steven H Whitesell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759