DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the respective scan” lacks antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawaguchi (2006/0098073) in view of Sudo et al. (2015/0258785).
Regarding claims 18 and 19, Kawaguchi teaches the inkjet printing apparatus and method comprising the detecting step, the controlling step, the storing step and the shifting step (Kawaguchi, [0062]-[0067], Abstract, see figs. 5, 6 and 8, Note that, when the trailing edge of the sheet is detected, data for used nozzles shown in Figure 6B shifts to nozzles in the downstream direction as shown in Figure 6C. Note that despite express mention of masks, masks are necessarily stored for image data. Note that multi-pass scanning is performed in between conveyances of the print media).
Kawaguchi does not teach an obtaining step or a correcting step. Sudo teaches this (Sudo, [0040]-[0043], [0107], fig. 9, steps 102, 110, Note that omission nozzles are obtained by an obtaining unit, and image data is correspondingly corrected). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to apply the image data correction technique disclosed by Sudo to the device of Kawaguchi because doing so would allow for correction of image data to reduce the effects of defective nozzles on the printed product.
Note also that Sudo teaches multipass printing wherein the conveyance amount is less than the length of the nozzle arrays, binarization of the image data, storing masks corresponding to the binarized data, performing complementary processing, dividing each region and corresponding image data into data corresponding to a number of scans and correcting the mask data.
Upon combination of the references, mask data before the shift would be corrected in the scans before the shift, and mask data after the shift would be corrected in the scans after the shift.
The claims have been amended to reflect the same region being a predetermined unit region corresponding to the plurality of scans as a band area of the print medium. Note that Kawaguchi’s printhead prints in bands across medium P, the bands corresponding to a predetermined unit region, the bands being created by scans of the multi-pass printer (Kawaguchi, [0062], see figs. 5, 6, see also Sudo, fig. 4).
Regarding claim 14, Kawaguchi in view of Sudo teaches wherein the predetermined region is a band region (Kawaguchi, see figs. 5, 6).
Regarding claim 15, Kawaguchi in view of Sudo teaches wherein the mask data includes a plurality of mask patterns each of which corresponds to a respective scan of the plurality of scans (Sudo, see fig. 4).
Regarding claim 16, Kawaguchi in view of Sudo teaches wherein each of the plurality of mask patterns indicates a nozzle to eject the ink to a region of the print medium corresponding to the scan (Sudo, see fig. 4).
Regarding claim 17, Kawaguchi in view of Sudo teaches wherein each of the plurality of mask patterns differs from each other (Sudo, see fig. 4).
Regarding claim 20, Kawaguchi in view of Sudo teaches wherein the band area is an area printable by 6 or 12 nozzles (Note that any number of Kawaguchi’s nozzles, including 6 or 12, can be said to print bands in a predetermined unit region corresponding to a plurality of scans).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 14-20 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