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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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The Art Unit location of your application in the USPTO may have changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Art Unit 2682.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of U.S. Patent No. 12,346,615 respectively. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the limitations in 18/437,040 are included in Patent 12,346,615 B2 shown in the table below.
Both 18/437,040 and US 12,346,615 B2 are directed to Cloud Printing Services. One having ordinary skill in the art would find the limitation in 18/437,040 either anticipated, or obvious in view of 12,346,615.
This is a nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the patentably indistinct claims have not in fact been patented.
18/437,040
US 12,346,615 B2
1. A printing apparatus capable of, upon reception of a request for registering a printing apparatus, registering the printing apparatus, and, upon reception of an instruction for performing printing on the registered printing apparatus, performing communication via the Internet and a print service for providing the printing apparatus with a print job, the printing apparatus comprising: at least one first processor and at least one first memory coupled to the first processor and having stored thereon instructions, when executed by the first processor, cooperating to act as: a reception unit configured to receive storage information for storing icon image data of the printing apparatus from the print service; a storage unit configured to store the icon image data of the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and a notification unit configured to, when notifying the print service of capability information of the printing apparatus, notify the print service of the capability information including path information of the stored icon image data of the printing apparatus.
1. A printing apparatus configured to communicate with a print service via an Internet, the print service being configured to register the printing apparatus based on acceptance of a registration request for the printing apparatus and provide the printing apparatus with a print job based on acceptance of a print instruction for the registered printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory in communication with the at least one processor having instructions stored thereon, when executed by the at least one processor, configured to function as: a reception unit configured to receive storage information for storing icon image data on the printing apparatus from the print service; a storage unit configured to store the icon image data on the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and a notification unit configured to, in a case where the print service is notified of capability information about the printing apparatus, notify the print service of the capability information with path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included, wherein in a case where an event to store the icon image data occurs, the storage information is received and the icon image data on the printing apparatus is stored, and then the notification unit notifies the print service of the capability information with the path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included.
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives the storage information after issuing a storage information request from the printing apparatus, and wherein, in a case where the reception unit does not receive the storage information even after issuing the storage information request from the printing apparatus, the notification unit notifies the print service of the capability information not including the path information.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the reception unit receives the storage information but the storage unit fails in storing the icon image data of the printing apparatus, the notification unit notifies the print service of the capability information not including the path information.
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information of the printing apparatus notified of by the notification unit includes at least one piece of model information of the printing apparatus.
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) is used for the capability notification of the printing apparatus by the notification unit and the reception of the print job.
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) is used to make notification of the capability information about the printing apparatus by the notification unit and to receive the print job.
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, after the printing apparatus is registered, the printing apparatus transmits a capability notification request packet of the printing apparatus to request for the storage information.
7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage information is requested by transmitting a capability notification request packet of the printing apparatus after the printing apparatus is registered.
7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of icon image data items of the printing apparatus, and wherein the notification unit notifies the print service of the capability information including acquisition paths of the plurality of stored icon image data items.
8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information of the printing apparatus notified of by the notification unit is information to be supplied to a print application of a client terminal that transmits a print instruction to the printing apparatus, and wherein the print application displays a printing apparatus selection screen based on the supplied information.
8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information about the printing apparatus notified by the notification unit is information provided for a print application of a client terminal configured to transmit the print instruction to the printing apparatus, and the print application displays a printing apparatus selection screen based on the provided information.
9. A method for controlling a printing apparatus capable of, upon reception of a request for registering a printing apparatus, registering the printing apparatus, and, upon reception of an instruction for performing printing on the registered printing apparatus, performing communication via the Internet and a print service for providing the printing apparatus with a print job, the method comprising: receiving storage information for storing icon image data of the printing apparatus from the print service; storing the icon image data of the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and notifying, when notifying the print service of capability information of the printing apparatus, the print service of the capability information including path information for the stored icon image data of the printing apparatus.
9. A control method of a printing apparatus configured to communicate with a print service via an Internet, the print service being configured to register the printing apparatus based on acceptance of a registration request for the printing apparatus and provide the printing apparatus with a print job based on acceptance of a print instruction for the registered printing apparatus, the control method comprising: receiving storage information for storing icon image data on the printing apparatus from the print service; storing the icon image data on the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and in a case where the print service is notified of capability information about the printing apparatus, notifying the print service of the capability information with path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included, wherein in a case where an event to store the icon image data occurs, the storage information is received and the icon image data on the printing apparatus is stored, and then the notifying notifies the print service of the capability information with the path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a printing apparatus to execute a method for controlling the printing apparatus capable of, upon reception of a request for registering a printing apparatus, registering the printing apparatus, and, upon reception of an instruction for performing printing on the registered printing apparatus, performing communication via the Internet and a print service for providing the printing apparatus with a print job, the method comprising: receiving storage information for storing icon image data of the printing apparatus from the print service; storing the icon image data of the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and notifying, when notifying the print service of capability information of the printing apparatus, the print service of the capability information including path information for the stored icon image data of the printing apparatus.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a printing apparatus to perform a control method of the printing apparatus configured to communicate with a print service via an Internet, the print service being configured to register the printing apparatus based on acceptance of a registration request for the printing apparatus and provide the printing apparatus with a print job based on acceptance of a print instruction for the registered printing apparatus, the control method comprising: receiving storage information for storing icon image data on the printing apparatus from the print service; storing the icon image data on the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and in a case where the print service is notified of capability information about the printing apparatus, notifying the print service of the capability information with path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included, wherein in a case where an event to store the icon image data occurs, the storage information is received and the icon image data on the printing apparatus is stored, and then the notifying notifies the print service of the capability information with the path information about the stored icon image data on the printing apparatus included.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 4 and 7 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 closest reference of record is Sako et al (US 2022/0179603 A1).
Presuming the Double Patenting rejection is overcome; in the Applicant’s independent claims 1, 9, and 10 the reference of Sako does not teach: a reception unit configured to receive storage information for storing icon image data of the printing apparatus from the print service; a storage unit configured to store the icon image data of the printing apparatus based on the storage information; and a notification unit configured to, when notifying the print service of capability information of the printing apparatus, notify the print service of the capability information including path information of the stored icon image data of the printing apparatus.
Sako fails to directly anticipate or render the above underlined limitations obvious (to be used with other claimed limitations).
Relevant Prior Art
Naitoh US 2017/0269881 A1.
Abstract
An information processing system includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to analyze a print job taken out of a printer queue storing the print job for ordering an execution of printing; transmit the print job to an output device when an analysis of the print job indicates that the print job is a re-input job that is input to the printer queue again after being taken out of the printer queue; execute a predetermined processing when the analysis indicates that the print job is not the re-input job; embed re-input information indicating that the print job is the re-input job into the print job after the predetermined processing is executed; and return the print job having been edited to the printer queue.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TED W BARNES whose telephone number is (571) 270-1785. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri. 8:00-5:00.
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/TED W. BARNES/ Ph.D. Electrical Engineering
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2682
/TED W BARNES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682