DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the claim amendment and remarks filed on 06/11/2026. Claims 1 and 3-13 are amended and claim 2 is cancelled. Claims 1 and 3-13 are currently pending in this application.
The examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for all the claim amendment(s) by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the examiner in prosecuting this application.
All previously outstanding objections and/or rejections to the Applicant's disclosure and/or claims not contained in this office action have been respectfully withdrawn by the examiner hereto.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ishikura et al. (USPN: 2017/0111235), hereafter Ishikura.
As per claim 1, Ishikura teaches an information processing system (i.e. the device management system; see at least the abstract and Fig. 1) comprising: a processor configured to, if a second device different from a first device is installed as a substitute for the first device that is originally scheduled to be installed, change a reference destination of a reference setting that is from among settings to be set in a third device originally scheduled to cooperate with the first device and that is originally set by referencing the first device, from a setting of the first device to a setting of the second device (i.e. when the device 30 is removed and replaced with another device, the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claim 3, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to: acquire from the second device the setting of the second device corresponding to the reference setting; and change, in the third device, the reference setting based on the setting of the second device corresponding to the reference setting (i.e. the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claim 4, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to, after registering in the first device a setting pre-produced for the first device if the first device is installed after an installation of the second device, change a setting set for an item common to the first device and the second device in the first device based on a setting of the item in the second device (Note: every time when a device is added, removed or replaced, the various setting information in the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claim 5, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to, if the first device is installed after an installation of the second device, acquire from the second device a setting set for an item common to the first device and the second device; and after changing a setting set for the item in a setting pre-produced for the first device based on the setting set for the item in the second device, register the setting pre-produced for the first device in the first device (Note: every time when a device is added, removed or replaced, the various setting information in the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claims 6 and 7, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to, if the first device is installed after the installation of the second device, change, in the third device, the reference setting based on a setting of the first device corresponding to the reference setting (Note: every time when a device is added, removed or replaced, the various setting information in the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claims 8 and 9, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to, if the first device is installed after the installation of the second device, change, in the third device, a reference destination of the reference setting from the setting of the second device to the setting of the first device (Note: every time when a device is added, removed or replaced, the various setting information in the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claims 10 and 11, Ishikura further teaches the processor is further configured to: if the first device is installed after the installation of the second device, acquire from the first device the setting of the first device corresponding to the reference setting; and change, in the third device, the reference setting based on the setting of the first device corresponding to the reference setting (Note: every time when a device is added, removed or replaced, the various setting information in the device state management unit 2013, the device mapping unit 2034 and the device information management unit 2023 in the server apparatus 20 are updated reflecting the change; see at least [0008] and [0109]-[0111]).
As per claims 12-13, see the rejection of claims 1 above. Ishikura teaches that the invention can be implemented in system and/or method and/or non-transitory computer readable medium (see the title and [0193] and [0199]).
Conclusion
Claims 1 and 3-13 are rejected.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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/Hetul Patel/
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3992
Prosecution Insights