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
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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Pub. 2019/0354047 (“Uchiyama”).
Claim 1
Uchiyama discloses a thermal history estimation apparatus comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires color information on a sheet plane heated by a heating apparatus (first acquisition unit 120); and a first estimation unit that estimates information on variation in thermal history on the sheet plane based on the acquired color information (paragraph [0071], prediction model; controller 113).
Claim 2
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit acquires the color information on the entire sheet plane (paragraph [0076], color bitmap).
Claim 3
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first estimation unit estimates information on variation in thermal history on the sheet plane based on the acquired color information and information on a heating time set in the heating apparatus that heats the sheet (paragraphs [0071-0074]).
Claim 4
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first estimation unit estimates a heating temperature as the thermal history assuming that the heating temperature is constant during a heating time (paragraphs [0071-0074])
Claim 5
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a laminated body comprising at least a first layer and a second layer (Fig. 3A), the first acquisition unit acquires color information of the second layer as the color information on the sheet plane (first acquisition unit 120), and the first estimation unit estimates information on thermal history of the first layer based on the acquired color information of the second layer (paragraph [0071], prediction model; controller 113).
Claim 6
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a composition unit that provides a plurality of first images representing small regions of the sheet and composes the plurality of first images to obtain a second image representing a large region of the sheet (paragraphs [0071-0074]), wherein the first acquisition unit acquires the color information of the sheet based on the second image (paragraph [0075]).
Claim 7
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit further comprises a composition unit that acquires a plurality of items of color information of small regions of the sheet and composes the plurality of items of color information of the small regions to obtain color information of a large region of the sheet (paragraph [0074], thermal history calculating regions).
Claim 8
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display control unit that controls displaying of the information on variation in thermal history using a heat map corresponding to the sheet plane (paragraph [0042], personal computer display).
Claim 9
Uchiyama discloses the thermal history estimation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a learning unit that creates a model based on learning data, wherein the learning data includes the color information of the heated sheet and information on a heating condition thereof, and the first estimation unit estimates information on variation in thermal history on the sheet plane using the model based on the acquired color information (paragraph [0071]).
Claim 10
Uchiyama discloses a heat treated sheet evaluation apparatus comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires color information on a sheet plane heated by a heating apparatus (first acquisition unit 120); and a second estimation unit that estimates information on characteristic variation on the sheet plane based on the acquired color information (paragraph [0071], prediction model; controller 113).
Claim 11
Uchiyama discloses the heat treated sheet evaluation apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a feedback control unit that performs feedback control of the heating apparatus based on the information on characteristic variation and information on a target characteristic (Fig. 6, paragraphs [0076-0080]).
Claim 12
Uchiyama discloses the heat treated sheet evaluation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second estimation unit estimates information on thermal history of the sheet based on the acquired color information, and estimates the information on characteristic variation on the sheet plane based on the information on thermal history (paragraphs [0071-0074]).
Claim 13
Uchiyama discloses a heating apparatus evaluation apparatus comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires color information on a sheet plane heated by a heating apparatus (first acquisition unit 120); and a third estimation unit that estimates information on characteristic variation on a plane of a heating part of the heating apparatus based on the acquired color information (paragraph [0071], prediction model; controller 113).
Claim 14
Uchiyama discloses the heating apparatus evaluation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the third estimation unit estimates information on thermal history on the sheet based on the acquired color information, and estimates the information on characteristic variation on the plane of the heating part of the heating apparatus based on the information on thermal history (paragraphs [0071-0074]).
Claim 15
Uchiyama discloses the heating apparatus evaluation apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a feedback control unit that performs feedback control of the heating apparatus based on the information on characteristic variation on the plane of the heating part and characteristic information on a target plane of the heating part (Fig. 6, paragraphs [0076-0080]).
Claim 16
Uchiyama discloses a heating apparatus monitoring apparatus comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires color information on a sheet plane heated by a heating apparatus (first acquisition unit 120); and a monitoring unit that controls a heating condition of the heating apparatus or detects abnormalities in an operating state of the heating apparatus based on the acquired color information (controller 113, paragraph [0042], abnormal heating).
Claim 17
Uchiyama discloses the heating apparatus monitoring apparatus according to claim 16, comprising: a stop unit that stops operation of the heating apparatus in response to detecting a specific one of the abnormalities (safety element 212).
Claim 18
Uchiyama discloses the heating apparatus monitoring apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the heating apparatus individually controls outputs of two or more heat sources (controllers 113 and 400), and the monitoring unit controls heating conditions of the two or more heat sources based on the acquired color information (paragraph [0045, 0052-0053]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICA S Y LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7911. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4, TW M,W.
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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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/ERICA S LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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