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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 5 identifies the unique distinct feature of storing information pertaining to multiple sessions with one device wherein the identification information for the device is stored in association with the session along with additional identification information pertaining to the session itself. This allows for determination of which session needs to be enabled.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 10, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tani (US 2024/0295998) in view of Takahashi (US 2011/0099272).
Regarding Claim 1, Tani teaches a server (Element 301, wherein there is a management server) comprising:
a communication interface (Element 311) connectable to: a device (Element 1) including a device memory in which configuration information on the device is stored (Paragraph 488, wherein configuration of the device is stored); and a terminal device (Element 401), the server being communicable with the device and the terminal device via the communication interface (Paragraph 111, wherein the server communicates with the terminal and image-forming apparatus); and
a controller (Element 314) configured to perform:
(a) establishing, in response to a specific process request transmitted from the device, a communication session with the device through the communication interface (Paragraph 182, wherein a session is established); and
(b) executing a specific process related to the configuration information on the device using the communication session established in (a) (Paragraph 166, wherein the process of performing an operation on the image-forming apparatus is given), the executing in (b) comprising:
(b-1) receiving an acquisition instruction from the terminal device, the acquisition instruction instructing to acquire the configuration information (Paragraph 168, wherein the status of the image-forming apparatus is needed);
(b-3) receiving the configuration information from the device using the communication session (Paragraph 169, wherein information is sent to the server);
(b-4) transmitting, in response to receiving the configuration information in (b-3), information based on the configuration information to the terminal device (Paragraph 336, wherein information is sent to the terminal based on the request).
Tani does not teach (b-2) transmitting, in response to receiving the acquisition instruction in (b-1), a transmission request to the device using the communication session, the transmission request requesting to transmit the configuration information;
(b-5) receiving a modification instruction from the terminal device, the modification instruction instructing to modify the configuration information; and
(b-6) transmitting, in response to receiving the modification instruction in (b-5), a modification request to the device using the communication session, the modification request requesting to modify the configuration information.
Takahashi does teach (b-2) transmitting, in response to receiving the acquisition instruction in (b-1), a transmission request to the device using the communication session, the transmission request requesting to transmit the configuration information (Paragraph 88, wherein a server can request the status information);
(b-5) receiving a modification instruction from the terminal device, the modification instruction instructing to modify the configuration information (Paragraph 141, wherein settings can be changed by the user); and
(b-6) transmitting, in response to receiving the modification instruction in (b-5), a modification request to the device using the communication session, the modification request requesting to modify the configuration information (Paragraph 141, wherein the updated settings are transmitted).
Tani and Takahashi are combinable because they both deal with processing status of image-forming apparatuses.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Tani with the teachings of Takahashi for the purpose of ensuring proper connections with a device to perform necessary updates (Takahashi: Paragraph 142).
Regarding Claim 2, Tani further teaches wherein the controller is configured to further perform:
(c) transmitting a response request to the device using the communication session established in (a), the response request requesting to transmit a response using the communication session (Paragraph 182, wherein the session is maintained accordingly),
wherein the controller repeatedly performs the transmitting in (c) until one of the receiving in (b-1) and the receiving in (b-5) is performed (Paragraph 182, wherein information is updated periodically to determine next steps as necessary).
Regarding Claim 3, Tani further teaches a server memory (Element 312),
wherein the controller is configured to further perform:
(d) storing, in the server memory, session information related to the communication session in association with first identification information, the first identification information identifying the specific process (Paragraph 187, wherein information is stored),
wherein in the receiving in (b-1), the controller receives the acquisition instruction including the first identification information (Paragraph 187, wherein information about the device is known),
wherein in the transmitting in (b-2), the controller identifies the communication session associated with the first identification information included in the acquisition instruction received in (b-1) and transmits the transmission request using the identified communication session (Paragraph 187, wherein the session is based on the device information).
Tani does not teach wherein in the receiving in (b-5), the controller receives the modification instruction including the first identification information, and
wherein in the transmitting in (b-6), the controller identifies the communication session associated with the first identification information included in the modification instruction received in (b-5) and transmits the modification request using the identified communication session.
Takahashi does teach wherein in the receiving in (b-5), the controller receives the modification instruction including the first identification information (Paragraph 141, wherein the updated settings are made), and
wherein in the transmitting in (b-6), the controller identifies the communication session associated with the first identification information included in the modification instruction received in (b-5) and transmits the modification request using the identified communication session (Paragraph 141, wherein the updated settings are transmitted based on communication with the device. This would correspond to the session of Tani).
Tani and Takahashi are combinable because they both deal with processing status of image-forming apparatuses.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Tani with the teachings of Takahashi for the purpose of ensuring proper connections with a device to perform necessary updates (Takahashi: Paragraph 142).
Regarding Claim 4, Tani further teaches wherein the controller is configured to further perform:
(e) issuing, prior to performing the establishing in (a), second identification information used for the specific process, and storing, in the server memory, the issued second identification information in association with the first identification information corresponding to the specific process (Paragraph 333, wherein the pack is identified through a code, identification); and
(f) receiving, from the device, the second identification information inputted into the device by a user of the device (Paragraph 346, wherein the code can be obtained in the user environment), and
wherein the controller performs the storing in (d) in response to receiving the second identification information in (f), and in the storing in (d), the controller stores, in the server memory, the session information related to the communication session with the device serving as a source of the received second identification information in association with the received second identification, thereby associating the session information with the first identification information stored in association with the received second identification information (Paragraphs 346 and 187, wherein the session information is established based on what needs to be communicated).
Regarding Claim 10, Tani teaches a system (Element 301, wherein there is a management server) comprising:
a device (Element 1) comprising:
a device memory in which configuration information on the device is stored (Paragraph 488, wherein configuration of the device is stored); and
a device controller (Element 90);
a terminal device (Element 401) comprising:
a terminal controller (Element 416); and
a server comprising:
a communication interface (Element 311) connectable to the device and the terminal device, the server being communicable with the device and the terminal device via the communication interface (Paragraph 111, wherein the server communicates with the terminal and image-forming apparatus); and
a server controller (Element 314),
wherein the device controller is configured to perform:
(a) transmitting a specific process request to the server (Paragraph 168, wherein a request for status information to the server is sent about the image-forming apparatus),
wherein the server controller is configured to perform:
(b) establishing, in response to the specific process request transmitted from the device in (a), a communication session with the device through the communication interface (Paragraph 182, wherein a session is established); and
(c) executing a specific process related to the configuration information on the device using the communication session established in (b) (Paragraph 166, wherein the process of performing an operation on the image-forming apparatus is given),
wherein the terminal controller is configured to perform:
(d) transmitting an acquisition instruction to the server, the acquisition instruction instructing to acquire the configuration information (Paragraph 336, wherein information is sent to the terminal based on the request); and
wherein the executing in (c) comprising:
(c-1) receiving the acquisition instruction transmitted from the terminal device in (d) (Paragraph 191, wherein request can be made from the terminal);
(c-3) receiving the configuration information from the device using the communication session (Paragraph 336, wherein information is sent to the terminal based on the request);
(c-4) transmitting, in response to receiving the configuration information in (c-3), information based on the configuration information to the terminal device (Paragraph 336, wherein information is sent to the terminal based on the request).
Tani does not teach (e) transmitting a modification instruction to the server, the modification instruction instructing to modify the configuration information,
(c-2) transmitting, in response to receiving the acquisition instruction in (c-1), a transmission request to the device using the communication session, the transmission request requesting to transmit the configuration information;
(c-5) receiving the modification instruction transmitted from the terminal device in (e); and
(c-6) transmitting, in response to receiving the modification instruction in (c-5), a modification request to the device using the communication session, the modification request requesting to modify the configuration information.
Takahashi does teach (e) transmitting a modification instruction to the server, the modification instruction instructing to modify the configuration information (Paragraph 141, wherein settings can be changed by the user),
(c-2) transmitting, in response to receiving the acquisition instruction in (c-1), a transmission request to the device using the communication session, the transmission request requesting to transmit the configuration information (Paragraph 88, wherein a server can request the status information);
(c-5) receiving the modification instruction transmitted from the terminal device in (e) (Paragraph 141, wherein settings can be changed by the user); and
(c-6) transmitting, in response to receiving the modification instruction in (c-5), a modification request to the device using the communication session, the modification request requesting to modify the configuration information (Paragraph 141, wherein the updated settings are transmitted).
Tani and Takahashi are combinable because they both deal with processing status of image-forming apparatuses.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Tani with the teachings of Takahashi for the purpose of ensuring proper connections with a device to perform necessary updates (Takahashi: Paragraph 142).
Regarding Claim 11, the limitations are similar to those treated in and are met by the references as discussed in claim 1 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS PACHOL whose telephone number is (571)270-3433. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 8-4.
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/NICHOLAS PACHOL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2699