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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4, 6-11, 13-17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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) 1-4, 6-11, 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kashiwagi (JP2022132991) in view of Li et al. (US2018/0028157) and Sasa (JP3788586).
To claim 1, Kashiwagi teach an inspection system that inspects an inspection image generated by reading a print product (paragraph 0012, printed sheet), based on a reference image, the inspection system comprising:
an alignment unit configured to perform geometric alignment between the reference image and the inspection image in geometric alignment based on non-rigid deformation (paragraph 0003, obvious for print product such as paper that is non-rigid), the range of interest being an image area range used as a calculation target range in updating positions of a plurality of control points (obvious because area range is essential in alignment of control point positions); and an inspection unit configured to inspect the reference image and the inspection image based on the geometric alignment performed by the alignment unit (paragraphs 0018-0020).
But, Kashiwagi do not expressly disclose sequentially using a plurality of ranges of interest that are different in size.
However, Kashiwagi does teach using previous alignment parameters (paragraph 0037).
In furthering said obviousness, Li teach performing geometric alignment between the reference image (41 of Fig. 14) and the inspection image (42 of Fig. 14) in geometric alignment based on non-rigid deformation, the range of interest being an image area range (41 of Fig. 14, characteristic region) used as a calculation target range in updating positions of a plurality of control points (Figs. 13-15, paragraphs 0091-0102), which would have been obviously recognized by one ordinary skill in the art as an implementation preference for alignment.
Sasa teach inspecting an inspection image with a reference image (paragraph 0009), wherein alignment between the reference image and the inspection image by sequentially using a plurality of ranges of interest that are different in size (paragraphs 0011-0012, 0025, 0050).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Li and Sasa into the system of Kashiwagi, in order to further implementation of image alignment by design preference.
To claim 8, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach a method for controlling an inspection system that inspects an inspection image using a reference image (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 15, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling an inspection system that inspects an inspection image using a reference image (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claims 2 and 9, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claims 1 and 8.
Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach wherein the plurality of ranges of interest include a first range of interest with a first size and a second range of interest with a second size smaller than the first size, and wherein the alignment unit performs first geometric alignment by updating positions of control points using the first range of interest, and further performs second geometric alignment by updating positions of control points using the second range of interest after the first alignment (Sasa, paragraph 0050, different density range from minimum to maximum, wherein alignment would be obvious for preferential range selection).
To claims 3 and 10, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claims 2 and 9.
Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach wherein the alignment unit performs the first geometric alignment by updating the positions of the control points using pixels in the first range of interest, and performs the second geometric alignment by updating the positions of the control points using pixels in the second range of interest after the first geometric alignment (Kashiwagi, paragraphs 0033, 0036-0039).
To claims 4 and 11, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claims 3 and 10.
Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach wherein the control points are arranged in a grid form on the reference image and the inspection image, and wherein a geometric positional shift between the reference image and the inspection image is reduced by updating the positions of the control points are updated based on a non-rigid deformation rule (Kashiwagi, paragraphs 0004-0005, 0010, control points are updated due to uneven transport or paper stretching is non-rigid deformation, wherein updating is to minimize shift).
To claims 6 and 13, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claims 1 and 8.
Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach further comprising a setting unit configured to set, as a range of interest, an image range that is a calculation target range in updating positions of a plurality of control points, the range of interest being included in the plurality of ranges of interest, wherein the alignment unit further performs, in the geometric alignment based on the non-rigid deformation: (1) updating the positions of the plurality of control points based on image information in the range of interest, and (2) reducing the range of interest as the image area range while maintaining the plurality of control points whose positions are updated, and wherein the inspection system further comprises an aligned image generation unit configured to generate an aligned scanned image based on control points whose positions are updated by the alignment unit repeating (1) the updating and (2) the reducing (Kashiwagi, paragraphs 0033, 0036-0037, 0057; paragraphs 0022, 0031, repeat the same process).
To claims 7 and 14, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claims 6 and 13.
Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach wherein (1) the updating and (2) the reducing are repeated by the alignment unit, for the geometric alignment based on the non-rigid deformation, a number of times specified in advance by a user (Kashiwagi, paragraphs 0021, 0055, 0058, setting selection by user).
Claim(s) 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kashiwagi (JP2022132991) in view of Li et al. (US2018/0028157), Sasa (JP3788586) and Sasaki et al. (US2006/0188144)
To claim 16, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claim 1.
But, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa do not expressly disclose wherein the alignment unit sets the range of interest based on a parameter (nh) representing a number of control points referenced to calculate each pixel position of an aligned image, and sequentially using the plurality of ranges of interest includes narrowing the range of interest stepwise by gradually decreasing the parameter nh.
Sasaki teach performing geometric alignment between the reference image and the inspection image (abstract, paragraphs 0262-0263), wherein the alignment unit sets the range of interest based on a parameter representing a number of control points referenced to calculate each pixel position of an aligned image, and using the plurality of ranges of interest includes narrowing the range of interest stepwise by gradually decreasing the parameter (paragraphs 0269, 0275, 0286-0287, 0305, gradually reduces number of control points… the area within which a control point can be shifted is also gradually narrowed), which would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate into the system of Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa, in order to perform shape fitting process.
To claim 17, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa teach claim 6.
But, Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa do not expressly disclose wherein the alignment unit determines whether to narrow the range of interest and continue the updating based on whether a total value or maximum value of updating amount of the plurality of control points is equal to or greater than a threshold, and the range of interest is narrowed upon determining that the updating is continued.
Sasaki teach disclose wherein the alignment unit determines whether to narrow the range of interest and continue the updating based on whether a total value or maximum value of updating amount of the plurality of control points is equal to or greater than a threshold (, and the range of interest is narrowed upon determining that the updating is continued (paragraphs 0269, 0275, 0286-0287, 0305, gradually reduces number of control points… the area within which a control point can be shifted is also gradually narrowed; Figs. 13, 18, 20; paragraphs 0206, 209, 0215, 0272, shows an assessment function checking whether shape fitting processing should be continue), which would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate into the system of Kashiwagi, Li and Sasa, in order to perform shape fitting process with assessment.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHIYU LU whose telephone number is (571)272-2837. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays: 8:30AM - 5:00PM.
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ZHIYU . LU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2669
/ZHIYU LU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2665 April 18, 2026
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