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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1, 2, 4-6, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0334953 A1 to Seki.
Regarding claim 1, Seki discloses an inspection apparatus configured to inspect a print product obtained by an image forming apparatus performing print on a recording sheet (Para [0013, wherein an inspection method, a program, an inspection device, and a printing device capable of realizing a uniform inspection in a defect inspection of a printed article using a special substrate.), the inspection apparatus comprising: one or more controllers having one or more processors and one or more memories (Para [0251], wherein various processors can be applied to the hardware of various processing units of the ink jet printing device 100 shown in FIG. 8. A central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU) can be applied to various processors. The CPU is a general-purpose processor that executes a program and functions as various processing units.), the one or more controllers being configured to: acquire an image and information about a non-print region as a region in which no image is printed on the recording sheet by the image forming apparatus (Para [0092], wherein the mask information generation unit 26 uses the information on the print position of the background in the original image data 40, as the image and information, to generate mask information 44 for specifying the position of the non-printing region in the imaging data); register an image having been processed based on the information about the non-print region, as a correct answer image (Para [0084], wherein the inspection device 10 can comprise an image data storage unit that stores the original image data 40 acquired by using the image data acquisition unit 20, as the registering the image with the correct answer); and inspect, in response to acquiring a scan image obtained by scanning the print product with an image printed on the recording sheet (Para [0097], wherein the inspection level set unit 28 divides, in the imaging data 48, the background region and the non-printing region based on the imaging data 48 and the mask information 44), the scan image based on the correct answer image (Para [0097], wherein the inspection level set unit 28 sets an inspection level 46 in each region).
Regarding claim 2, Seki discloses wherein the one or more controllers are configured so that, in the registration, the image having been subjected to processing for adding white pixels based on the information about the non-print region is registered as the correct answer image (Para [0093], wherein the mask information generation unit 26 generates a mask image as mask information 44, which is divided into the background region on which a white ink is printed and the non-printing region on which a white ink is not printed based on the white plate information. As an example of the mask image, there is an example in which a pixel value in the non-printing region is replaced with a fixed value, as inherently replaced by white pixel).
Regarding claim 4, Seki does not specifically disclose wherein the information about the non-print region corresponds to a size of the recording sheet (Para [0093], wherein the mask information generation unit 26 enlarges or reduces the white plate information to a size that matches the imaging data 48, and aligns a reference position of the white plate with a reference position of the imaging data 48.)
Regarding claim 5, Seki discloses wherein the one or more controllers are configured so that, in the inspection, the scan image is inspected based on a comparison between the scan image and the correct answer image (Para [0110], wherein in the mask information generation step S16, the mask information generation unit 26 uses the information on the print position of the background in the original image data 40, as comparing the position of the answer corrected image, to generate mask information 44 for specifying the position of the non-printing region in the imaging data 48, as the scan image).
Regarding claim 6, Seki discloses wherein the image is bitmap image data (Para [0163], wherein the original image data 40 may be a bitmap image obtained by performing raster image processing on the input image data of the printing device.).
Regarding claim 11, Please refer to the corresponding apparatus claim 1 above for further teachings.
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seki in view of US 2021/0264581 A1 to Ishii et al (hereinafter ‘Ishii’).
Regarding claim 3, Seki does not specifically disclose wherein the one or more controllers are configured so that, in the processing for adding white pixels, white pixels are added for even distances in the vertical and horizontal directions. Ishi discloses even distances in the vertical and horizontal directions (Para [0138], wherein in step S1320, a region determination unit 202 performs region determination on the target image. In this embodiment, the region determination unit 202 extracts a picture region, a peripheral region, as non-print region, and a preprint region from the target image. The region determination unit 202 can extract the picture region, the peripheral region, and the preprint region by referring to a region map image. The region map image is used to discriminate a preprint region and can be created in advance by the user. The region map image is an image having the same vertical and horizontal widths as those of a processed image, as its size, and a different pixel value is stored for each region. . . Needless to say, the pixel value of the pixel of each region is not limited to this value. In this case, the region determination unit 202 may extract a print medium region from the target image similarly to the second embodiment, and extract the picture region, the peripheral region, and the preprint region from the print medium region based on the region map image). Seki and Ishii are combinable because they both disclose inspection of printed sheet. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art to combine the adding white pixels, white pixels are added for even distances in the vertical and horizontal directions of Ishii’s apparatus with Seki’s in order for the inspection processing unit 205 can calculate a difference value for each pixel (Para [0132]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 and 12 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: the prior art or the prior art of record specifically, Seki and Ishii, does not disclose:
. . . . wherein the one or more controllers are configured to: receive a first image generated by the image processing apparatus; and generate a second image from the first image based on size information for the print product printed by the image forming apparatus, and wherein, in the registration, the second image is registered as the correct answer image, in claims 7 and 12 combined with other features and elements of the claims;
Claims 8-10 depend from an allowable base claim and are thus allowable themselves.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERVIN K NAKHJAVAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5731. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-12:00 PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Lefkowitz can be reached at (571)272-3638. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHERVIN K NAKHJAVAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2672