DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasu et al. (2015/0056423) in view of Hong (2021/0107291).
Regarding claims 1 and 7-9, Yasu teaches a printer, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:
a print head (fig. 4, item 40) configured to discharge ink onto a print medium (fig. 1, item M);
a processor (fig. 8, item 72Cc) configured to control the print head (see fig. 8); and
a memory (fig. 8, item 72EX) storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform processes comprising:
performing determination processing (fig. 13) of determining whether execution of wet-on-wet printing using a first printing method, the wet-on-wet printing being printing wet-on-wet with the ink onto the print medium to which a pretreatment agent has been applied by a pretreatment portion applying the pretreatment agent to the print medium and is in a wet state with the pretreatment agent, is able to be completed, based on whether the print head is able to discharge the ink within a predetermined time period, wherein the print medium to which the pretreatment agent has been applied by the pretreatment portion is in a wet state and the predetermined time period is a time period, wherein the print medium to which the pretreatment agent has been applied by the pretreatment portion becomes from the wet state to a non-wet state (see fig. 13);
performing first processing of printing using the first printing method with the ink by discharging the ink from the print head onto the pretreatment agent that has been applied to the print medium, when it has been determined by the determination processing that the print head is able to discharge the ink within the predetermined time period and execution of the wet-on-wet printing using the first printing method is able to be completed (fig. 13); and
performing second processing differing from the first processing, when it has been determined by the determination processing that the print head is unable to discharge the ink within the predetermined time period and execution of the wet-on-wet printing using the first printing method is unable to be completed, the second processing being processing of prohibiting execution of printing or being processing of printing using a second printing method with the ink by discharging the ink from the print head onto the pretreatment agent that has been applied to the print medium, the second printing method being a method that completes the wet-on-wet printing in a shorter time than the first print method (fig. 13, [0050], [0172]-[0174], [0221], Note that more preprocessing liquid is applied when the image forming speed is higher, and less is applied when the speed is lower. Examiner is taking the image forming speed to be indicative of the time it takes for the print medium to travel from the pretreatment liquid applicator to the print head).
Note that the first processing is being defined as wet-on-wet printing when the conveyance speed is low, total speed of image formation is high and less pretreatment liquid is correspondingly applied, and the second processing is being defined as when wet-on-wet printing when conveyance speed is high, total speed of image formation is low and more pretreatment liquid is applied. As such, the predetermined time corresponding to the first processing is being defined as the range of times required for total image formation during the first processing. That is, a certain range of times corresponds to a high conveyance speed and more pretreatment liquid, and a certain range of times corresponds to a low conveyance speed and less pretreatment liquid, and the two ranges do not overlap. Thus, the first processing is carried out once the determination processing determines that the conveyance speed is slower than that during the second processing and the total speed for image formation will fall within the predetermined time range corresponding to the first processing.
Note that the language added to the end of the claim specifies that the second processing is one of a prohibition of printing or printing with second wet-on-wet method. Yasu teaches wherein the second processing is also wet-on-wet printing, just at a faster speed, shorter time than the first processing.
Yasu does not teach a first print head to print with white ink on top of the pretreatment agent and a second printhead to print with color ink onto the white ink. Hong teaches this (Hong, [0052], see fig. 1, Note that there are necessarily first and second printheads). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to apply the technique disclosed by Yasu to the textile printer disclosed by Hong because doing so would amount to applying a known technique to a known device in need of improvement.
Upon combination of the references, the resulting device would: perform color printing processing, after the first processing, of printing a color image by discharging the color inks from the second print head onto the base ink discharged on the print medium, and the second processing, when wet-on-wet printing when conveyance speed is high, total speed of image formation is low and more pretreatment liquid is applied, would also entail ejecting white, base ink onto the pretreatment agent and then ejecting color ink onto the white ink in a shorter time than the first printing method.
Regarding claim 2, Yasu in view of Hong teaches the printer according to claim 1, wherein in the determination processing, the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a process comprising:
determining that execution of the wet-on-wet printing is unable to be completed when printing with the ink is prohibited (Yasu, Note that this could simply mean that the ink tank is empty. That is, to say “printing with the ink is prohibited” can mean any number of things).
Regarding claim 3, Yasu in view of Hong teaches the printer according to claim 2, wherein in the second processing, the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a process comprising:
prohibiting execution of the first processing until printing with the ink becomes possible (Yasu, Note that “printing with the ink becomes possible” can mean any number of things. For purposes of this rejection, Examiner is taking the ink tank being empty to be a case where printing with the ink is impossible, and when the tank is refilled, printing with the ink becomes possible).
Regarding claim 4, Yasu in view of Hong teaches the printer according to claim 1, wherein in the determination processing, the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a process comprising:
determining that execution of the wet-on-wet printing using the first printing method is unable to be completed when an area of a region to be printed by the first processing is larger than a predetermined area (Yasu, [0214]).
Regarding claim 5, Yasu in view of Hong teaches the printer according to claim 4, wherein in the first processing, the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a process comprising:
performing printing onto the print medium at a first resolution; and
the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a differing process comprising:
performing the second processing, when the area of the region to be printed by the first processing is larger than a predetermined area and it has been determined by the determination processing that the print head is unable to discharge the ink within the predetermined time period and execution of the wet-on-wet printing using the first printing method is unable to be completed, the second processing being processing using the second printing method,
in the second processing, performing, when printing using the second printing method with the ink by discharging ink from the print head onto the pretreatment agent that has been applied to the print medium, lower resolution printing onto the print medium at a second resolution which is lower than the first resolution as the second printing method (Yasu, [0191]-[0193]).
Regarding claim 6, Yasu in view of Hong teaches the printer according to claim 4, wherein
the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory further cause the processor to perform a differing process comprising:
performing the second processing, when the area of the region to be printed by the first processing is larger than a predetermined area and it has been determined by the determination processing that the print head is unable to discharge the ink within the predetermined time period and execution of the wet-on-wet printing using the first printing method is unable to be completed, the second processing being processing using the second printing method,
in the second processing, discharging, when printing using the second printing method with the ink by discharging ink from the print head onto the pretreatment agent that has been applied to the print medium, the ink from the print head onto the pretreatment agent applied to the print medium while thinning out discharging of the ink from the print head as the second printing method (Yasu, Note that this has not been defined in any way. “Thinning out discharging of ink” is being taken to mean ejecting more ink and ejecting less ink in adjacent positions on the print medium).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot in light of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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.
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853