DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention II and invention III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/28/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of invention I in the reply filed on 01/28/2026 is acknowledged.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s Amendment filed on 01/28/2026 regarding claims 1-15 is fully considered. Of the above claims, claims 8-15 have been canceled.
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) 1-3 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chida (US 2016/0263881 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chida teaches a device (print device 1; FIG. 1) comprising:
a substrate separator configured to receive a web of a printable substrate temporarily adhered to a liner and to separate the printable substrate from the liner (a trailing edge peeling part 50 that peels the trailing edge portion of the backing sheet 102; [0031]; Figs 1, 3-5);
a substrate process path configured to receive printable substrate separated from the liner by the substrate separator (the second adhesive roller 57 has a sufficient adhesive force for adhering to and lifting the print label 101 of the label medium 10; [0041]; FIG. 5A); and
a liner process path separate from the substrate process path and configured to receive the liner separated from the printable substrate by the substrate separator (the first adhesive roller 51 and the first drive mechanism of the trailing edge peeling part 50 constitute a first attracting part that attracts the backing sheet 102 of the separation label medium 10a; [0040]; FIG. 5A).
Further regarding claim 1, Chida fails to teach an incising assembly configured to receive the liner along the liner process path and to impart lines of weakness into the separated liner. However, Chida discloses a pressing member (72; FIG. 7A); a process to form a dotted-line fold on the backing sheet (102), and a process to form a fold with a perforated cut line on the backing sheet (102), and the like may [0084]) for the purpose of forming a folding line that can be easily folded. Therefore, Chida suggests an incising assembly configured to receive the liner along the liner process path and to impart lines of weakness into the separated liner.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chida to incorporate an incising assembly configured to receive the liner along the liner process path and to impart lines of weakness into the separated liner, as suggested by Chida, as noted above, for the purpose of forming a folding line that can be easily folded (Chida at least at para. [0084]).
Regarding claim 2, Chida teaches wherein the incising assembly is further configured to apply the lines of weakness to the liner so that when a tensile force is applied to a section of the liner after the lines of weakness are imparted, gaps form along the lines of weakness in the section of the liner, such that the section of the liner remains unitary while increasing in a length in a direction of the tensile force (when a tensile force is applied to the perforated sections of the backing sheet 102, the perforated cut lines separate apart forming gaps and thereby increasing the length of the backing sheet 102).
Regarding claim 3, it would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill that when the tensile force is applied, the perforated sections of the backing sheet 102 would expand and the factor of expansion, including in a range of 1.1 to 4, increases with the amount of tensile force.
Regarding claim 5, Chida teaches wherein the incising assembly is at least one selected from a group consisting of: a die and press, a rolling die and press, a punch, a slicer, a scorer, a perforator, and a laser cutter (pressing member 72; FIG. 7A; a process to form a dotted-line fold on the backing sheet 102, and a process to form a fold with a perforated cut line on the backing sheet 102, and the like may be adopted; [0084]).
Regarding claim 6, Chida teaches wherein the lines of weakness imparted by the incising assembly are at least one selected from a group consisting of: a score line, a perforated line, a fold, a punched hole, and a cut.
Regarding claim 7, Chida teaches wherein the device is a thermal printer and the printable substrate is a configured for printing by a thermal printhead of the thermal printer (the print part 3 is provided with a thermal head wherein multiple micro-heating elements are disposed in alignment, and the micro-heating elements are selectively allowed to radiate heat by electrification corresponding to the image data; [0030]).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chida (US 2016/0263881 A1) in view of McKenney et al. (US 2002/0117263 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Chida does not teach a reuptake mechanism, disposed downstream of the incising assembly along the liner process path, and configured to wind the incised liner about a roll or fold the incised liner into a fan-fold stack.
Further regarding claim 4, McKenney et al. teach a reuptake mechanism, disposed most downstream along a liner process path, and configured to wind the processed liner about a roll (take-up reel 13 takes up the backing strip 14; Figs 1-2) for the purpose of storing a continuous released liner.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate a reuptake mechanism, disposed downstream of the incising assembly along the liner process path, and configured to wind the incised liner about a roll or fold the incised liner into a fan-fold stack, as taught by McKenney et al., into Chida for the purpose of storing a continuous released liner.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENDRICK X LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-3798. The examiner can normally be reached MWFSa 10am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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11 February 2026
/KENDRICK X LIU/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853