DETAILED ACTION
Claim 3, 12 and 19 have been cancelled.
Claims 1, 2, 4-10, 14-18 and 20 are currently pending.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/12/25 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/12/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues on page 9 of the response in essence that: The Office Action concedes that Tosa and Kobayashi do not teach the feature of applying a rear scaling factor for a rear surface to a print job using the paper media.
The Examiner disagrees with the Applicant’s statement. Tosa discloses that the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109) (paragraph 82). The second surface refers to the back surface of the printing medium (paragraph 5).
The Applicant argues on page 10 of the response in essence that: Chiwata fails to disclose or suggest applying a selected rear scaling factor derived or interpolated from a first rear scaling factor and a second rear scaling factor derived from differing amounts of ink coverage. Instead, the cited reference uses a prediction table to determine the paper size variation amount B. Chiwata does not disclose or suggest applying a selected rear scaling factor that is not a fixed amount, such as those in the prediction table. Chiwata may not account for varying amounts of ink coverage that is applied to the front surface of a target sheet.
Tosa discloses that the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the average value of −0.1214 to correct the magnification in the sub-scanning direction of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (paragraph 71). Because the average value of the ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium is used to determine the magnification of the rear surface of the subsequent print sheet, the selected rear scaling factor is derived from the first and second scaling factors.
The Applicant argues on pages 10-11 of the response in essence that: Tosa does not disclose or suggest detecting that the sheet dimension does not meet a requirement for the first scaling factor for the specified amount of ink coverage for the first scaling factor having the first value. Tosa does not base whether the difference is within a predetermined range based on the first scaling factor for a specified amount of ink coverage. Instead, Tosa bases its difference on values for a calculated value and a value read from the NVRAM. Thus, Tosa fails to disclose or suggest these limitation of claim 15.
Tosa discloses that in a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium (paragraph 107). Tosa further discloses that that the magnification correcting unit 130 then determines whether or not the difference calculated at Step S107 is within a predetermined range (for example, ±0.05) (Step S108) (paragraph 82). Thus, the measured sheet dimension is contracted or expanded due the amount of ink coverage.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4-10, 14-17 and 20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites “applying a first amount of ink coverage onto a first target sheet for a paper media” and “measuring dimensions of a front surface of the first target sheet of the paper media using an inline sensor of a printing device”. The Applicant’s specification describes the recited limitations as steps 810 and 806 respectively in figure 8. Because the flowchart of figure 8 performs measuring dimensions of a front surface of the first target sheet before applying a first amount of ink, the Applicant’s specification does not describe “measuring dimensions of a front surface of the first target sheet” as recited by claim 1. The Applicant’s specification likewise does not provide support for “applying a second amount of ink coverage onto a second target sheet for the paper media, wherein the second amount of ink coverage is greater than the first amount of ink coverage” and “measuring dimensions of a second rear surface of the second target sheet according to the second amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor”. Claim 20 has similar limitations and are rejected for similar reasons.
Claim 15 recites “measuring the sheet dimensions for the sheet having the specified amount of ink coverage”. As discussed above, the Applicant’s specification does not provide support for the recited limitation because the flowchart of figure 8 performs measuring in step 806 before ink is applied in step 810.
Claims 7 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the print job" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "a second amount of ink coverage" in line 17. It is unclear whether this recitation refers to the earlier recitation of “a second amount of ink coverage” in line 13.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4-10, 14, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tosa et al. US Publication 2015/0371119 (hereafter “Tosa”), Kobayashi Publication 2020/0264546 (hereafter “Kobayashi”) and Chiwata US Publication 2011/0134178 (hereafter “Chiwata”).
Referring to claim 1, Tosa discloses a method for performing printing operations, the method comprising:
applying a first amount of ink coverage onto a first target sheet for a paper media (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium);
measuring dimensions of a front surface of the first target sheet of the paper media using an inline sensor of a printing device (paragraph 78, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101));
measuring dimensions of a first rear surface of the first target sheet according to the first amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 78, the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102));
measuring dimensions of the rear surface of the first target sheet according to a second amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 69, Next, when the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction of the second printing medium is calculated to be −0.1634, the magnification correcting unit 130 determines whether or not a difference between the value of −0.1634 as the individual ratio of expansion or contraction and the value of −0.0962 that has been held by the NVRAM 104 until the value of −0.1634 is calculated is within the predetermined range);
determining a first rear scaling factor for the first rear surface of the first target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the first rear surface of the first target sheet (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103));
applying a second amount of ink coverage onto a second target sheet for the paper media (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated)
measuring dimensions of a second rear surface of the second target sheet according to the second amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 69, Next, when the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction of the second printing medium is calculated to be −0.1634, the magnification correcting unit 130 determines whether or not a difference between the value of −0.1634 as the individual ratio of expansion or contraction and the value of −0.0962 that has been held by the NVRAM 104 until the value of −0.1634 is calculated is within the predetermined range);
determining a second rear scaling factor for the second rear surface of the second target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the second rear surface of the second target sheet having the second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103));
applying a selected rear scaling factor derived from the first scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor for the rear surface of the first target sheet to a subsequent print job at the printing device using the paper media (paragraph 71, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the average value of −0.1214 to correct the magnification in the sub-scanning direction of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium), wherein the selected rear scaling factor corresponds to a specified amount of ink coverage for the subsequent print job (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium).
Tosa does not disclose expressly determining and applying a first scaling factor to the front surface of the first target sheet.
Kobayashi discloses determining a front scaling factor for the front surface of the first target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the front surface of the first target sheet (paragraph 73, The deformation amount calculation unit 81 of the first embodiment compares an initial shape of the sheet M with the first shape read in step S702 to calculate a first-half magnification as an amount of deformation);
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface of the first target sheet to a subsequent print job at the printing device using the paper media (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine and apply a scaling factor to an image printed on the front of a sheet. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that the image printed on the front of a sheet is printed correctly.
Tosa discloses printing with ink, but does not disclose any specifics relating to amount of ink printing.
Chiwata discloses applying a first amount of ink coverage onto a first target sheet for a paper media (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the front-side printing by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like));
measuring dimensions of a first rear surface of the first target sheet according to a first amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 127, In the first to third embodiments, the paper size variation amount prediction (step S4) calculates the paper size variation amounts A and B in order to correct relative dimensional error of the images between the front and rear sides, whereas in the fourth embodiment, this step also calculates the paper size variation amount C in order to correct absolute dimensional error of the images as well);
determining a first rear scaling factor for the first rear surface of the first target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the first rear surface of the first target sheet having the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation);
applying a second amount of ink coverage onto a second target sheet for the paper media (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the rear-side printing (i.e., double-side printing) by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like)), wherein the second amount of ink coverage is greater than the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 120, a non-uniform size variation corresponding to the image pattern (the distribution of the ink volume) also occurs in addition to the size variation that is uniform throughout the sheet of the paper);
measuring dimensions of a second rear surface of the second target sheet according to the second amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 127, In the first to third embodiments, the paper size variation amount prediction (step S4) calculates the paper size variation amounts A and B in order to correct relative dimensional error of the images between the front and rear sides, whereas in the fourth embodiment, this step also calculates the paper size variation amount C in order to correct absolute dimensional error of the images as well);
determining a second rear scaling factor for the second rear surface of the second target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the second rear surface of the second target sheet having the second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation) (paragraph 93, The paper size variation amount B is principally dependent on the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing. The paper size variation amount prediction unit 16 calculates the paper size variation amount B on the basis of the paper size variation parameters which indicate the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing, and the paper size variation amount prediction table); and
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface of the first target sheet and a selected rear scaling factor from the first rear scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor for the rear surface of the first target sheet to a subsequent print job at the printing device using the paper media, wherein the selected rear scaling factor corresponds to a specified amount of ink coverage for the subsequent print job (paragraph 122, The paper size variation amount B prediction table according to the present embodiment indicates the correspondence between the paper type and the pre-coating conditions (treatment liquid deposition volume, the amount of drying of the treatment liquid, and the like), and the paper size variation rate. If the treatment liquid deposition volume (pre-coating liquid volume) and the amount of drying of the treatment liquid (pre-coat drying amount) are altered in accordance with the print mode, then table information corresponding to each print mode is used [the paper size variation B is selected which is used to select the rear-side correction amount]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine different scaling factors based on different amounts of ink coverage. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that images of different ink volumes are printed correctly. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kobayashi and Chiwata with Tosa to obtain the invention as specified in claim 1.
Referring to claim 2, Tosa discloses storing the selected rear scaling factor for the paper media paper media (paragraph 83, Thereafter, the storage control unit 120 stores the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 in the NVRAM 104 (Step S111)).
Kobayashi discloses storing the front scaling factor and the second scaling factor for the paper media paper media (paragraph 73, The deformation amount calculation unit 81 then stores, in the RAM 20, the first-half magnification (=90%) thus calculated)
Referring to claim 4, Tosa discloses performing printing operations for a third target sheet media (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated).
Referring to claim 5, Tosa discloses applying a third amount of ink coverage onto the third target sheet and measuring dimensions of the second target sheet of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 78, the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102).
Referring to claim 6, Tosa discloses determining a third scaling factor for the paper media based on the measured dimensions of the third target sheet (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated).
Referring to claim 7, Tosa discloses printing a sheet of the print job using the selected rear scaling factor for a rear surface of the sheet (paragraph 82, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109)).
Kobayashi discloses printing a sheet of the print job using the front scaling factor for a front surface of the sheet and the second scaling factor for a rear surface of the sheet (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
Referring to claim 8, Tosa discloses determining a final scaling factor based on the printed sheet to adjust inline finishing (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated [determining the magnification of the last sheet to be printed is a final scaling factor])).
Referring to claim 9, Tosa discloses processing the print job using a raster image processor (RIP) that applies the selected rear scaling factor (paragraph 82, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109)).
Kobayashi discloses processing the print job using a raster image processor (RIP) that applies the front scaling factor (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
Referring to claim 10, Tosa discloses receiving a subsequent sheet to be printed for a print job using the paper media (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated);
applying the selected rear scaling factor to the rear surface of the subsequent sheet (paragraph 82, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109));
printing the subsequent sheet;
measuring dimensions of the front surface of the subsequent sheet (paragraph 78, First, based on the information fetched from each of the medium sensor 21, the encoder 22, and the CIS 23, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101));
measuring dimensions of the rear surface of the subsequent sheet (paragraph 78, the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102); and
Kobayashi discloses applying the front scaling factor to the front surface of the subsequent sheet and the second scaling factor to the rear surface of the subsequent sheet (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2);
updating the front scaling factor based on the measured dimensions of the front surface of the subsequent sheet or the selected rear scaling factor based on the measured dimensions of the rear surface of the subsequent sheet (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
Referring to claim 14, Tosa discloses applying the updated selected rear scaling factor to the rear surface of the subsequent printed sheet (paragraph 82, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109))
Kobayashi discloses applying the updated front scaling factor to the front surface of the subsequent printed sheet (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
Referring to claim 18, Tosa discloses a method for managing printing operations of a print job, the method comprising:
measuring dimensions of a front surface of a first target sheet of a paper media using an inline sensor of a printing device (paragraph 78, the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102));
printing the first target sheet having a second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium);
determining a first rear scaling factor based on measured dimensions for a rear surface of the first target sheet having the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 105, In step S705 according to the third embodiment, the deformation amount calculation unit 81 calculates, for each edge of the sheet M, an overall magnification and a latter-half magnification. The overall magnification is a magnification of the second shape to an initial shape of the sheet M. The latter-half magnification is a magnification of the second shape to the first shape of the sheet M);
printing the first target sheet having a second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated);
determining a second rear scaling factor based on measured dimensions for a second rear surface of the first target sheet having the second amount of ink coverage, wherein the second rear scaling factor differs from the first rear scaling factor coverage (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103));
storing the first rear scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor (paragraph 83, Thereafter, the storage control unit 120 stores the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 in the NVRAM 104 (Step S111)); and
applying an interpolated rear scaling factor for the rear surface of the printed sheet based on a specified ink coverage for a front surface of the subsequently printed sheet and the first rear scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor (paragraph 71, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the average value of −0.1214 to correct the magnification in the sub-scanning direction of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium) (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium).
Tosa does not disclose expressly determining and applying a first scaling factor to the front surface of the first target sheet.
Kobayashi discloses determining a front scaling factor for the front surface of the first target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the front surface of the first target sheet (paragraph 73, The deformation amount calculation unit 81 of the first embodiment compares an initial shape of the sheet M with the first shape read in step S702 to calculate a first-half magnification as an amount of deformation);
printing the first target sheet having a first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 113, In the embodiments described above, the image forming device 120 forms an image by electrophotography. Alternatively, however, the image forming device 120 may employ an inkjet printing system to form an image);
storing the front scaling factor (paragraph 73, The deformation amount calculation unit 81 then stores, in the RAM 20, the first-half magnification (=90%) thus calculated),
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface of a printed sheet (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine and apply a scaling factor to an image printed on the front of a sheet. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that the image printed on the front of a sheet is printed correctly.
Tosa discloses printing with ink, but does not disclose any specifics relating to amount of ink printing.
Chiwata discloses printing the first target sheet having a first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the front-side printing by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like));
determining a first rear scaling factor based on measured dimensions for a first rear surface of the first target sheet having the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation);
printing the first target sheet having a second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the rear-side printing (i.e., double-side printing) by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like)), wherein the second amount of ink coverage is greater than the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 120, a non-uniform size variation corresponding to the image pattern (the distribution of the ink volume) also occurs in addition to the size variation that is uniform throughout the sheet of the paper);
determining a second rear scaling factor for a second rear surface of the second target sheet based on the measured dimensions of the second rear surface of the second target sheet having the second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation) (paragraph 93, The paper size variation amount B is principally dependent on the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing. The paper size variation amount prediction unit 16 calculates the paper size variation amount B on the basis of the paper size variation parameters which indicate the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing, and the paper size variation amount prediction table); and
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface of a subsequently printed sheet of the paper media and a rear scaling factor for the rear surface of the printed sheet based on a specified ink coverage for a front surface of the subsequently printed sheet and the first rear scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor (paragraph 122, The paper size variation amount B prediction table according to the present embodiment indicates the correspondence between the paper type and the pre-coating conditions (treatment liquid deposition volume, the amount of drying of the treatment liquid, and the like), and the paper size variation rate. If the treatment liquid deposition volume (pre-coating liquid volume) and the amount of drying of the treatment liquid (pre-coat drying amount) are altered in accordance with the print mode, then table information corresponding to each print mode is used [the paper size variation B is selected which is used to select the rear-side correction amount]).
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine different scaling factors based on different amounts of ink coverage. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that images of different ink volumes are printed correctly. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kobayashi and Chiwata with Tosa to obtain the invention as specified in claim 18.
Referring to claim 20, Tosa discloses a method for managing printing operations, the method comprising:
applying a first amount of ink coverage onto a first target sheet (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium);
printing at least one sheet of a print job at a printing device (paragraph 78, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101));
measuring dimensions of a front surface of a first target sheet of the at least one sheet (paragraph 78, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101));
measuring dimensions of a first rear surface of the first target sheet of the at least one sheet according to the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 78, the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102));
determining a first rear scaling factor for the first rear surface of the first target sheet of the at least one sheet based on the measured dimensions of the first rear surface having the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103)); and
applying a second amount of ink coverage onto a second target sheet of the at least one sheet (paragraph 59, Thereafter, every time the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction is obtained for each of subsequent printing media, the same processing will be repeated)
measuring dimensions of a second rear surface of the second target sheet of the at least one sheet according to a second amount of ink coverage of the paper media using the inline sensor (paragraph 69, Next, when the individual ratio of expansion or contraction in the sub-scanning direction of the second printing medium is calculated to be −0.1634, the magnification correcting unit 130 determines whether or not a difference between the value of −0.1634 as the individual ratio of expansion or contraction and the value of −0.0962 that has been held by the NVRAM 104 until the value of −0.1634 is calculated is within the predetermined range);
determining a second rear scaling factor for the second rear surface of the second target sheet of the at least one sheet based on the measured dimensions of the second rear surface of the second target sheet having the second amount of ink coverage, wherein the second rear scaling factor differs from the first rear scaling factor (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103));
applying a selected rear scaling factor interpolated from the first scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor for the rear surface of the first target sheet to a subsequent print job at the printing device (paragraph 71, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the average value of −0.1214 to correct the magnification in the sub-scanning direction of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium), wherein the selected rear scaling factor corresponds to a specified amount of ink coverage for the subsequent print job (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium).
Tosa does not disclose expressly determining and applying a first scaling factor to the front surface of the first target sheet.
Kobayashi discloses measuring dimensions of a front surface of a first target sheet of the at least one sheet (paragraph 64, That is, in step S702, the controller 80 causes the reading device 130 to read, as the first shape, the outer shape of the sheet M bearing only the fixed front image A. The controller 80 then causes the RAM 20 to store information indicating the first shape read by the reading device 130 (e.g., coordinates of the vertices P1 to P4 described later));
determining a front scaling factor for the front surface of the first target sheet of the at least one sheet based on the measured dimensions of the front surface (paragraph 73, The deformation amount calculation unit 81 of the first embodiment compares an initial shape of the sheet M with the first shape read in step S702 to calculate a first-half magnification as an amount of deformation);
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface of a subsequent copy of the print job at the printing device (paragraph 106, Specifically, the image correction unit 82 scales a front image A1 by a reciprocal 121%) of the overall magnification to generate a front image A2; whereas the image correction unit 82 scales a back image B1 by a reciprocal 111%) of the latter-half magnification to generate a back image B2).
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine and apply a scaling factor to an image printed on the front of a sheet. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that the image printed on the front of a sheet is printed correctly.
Tosa discloses printing with ink, but does not disclose any specifics relating to amount of ink printing.
Chiwata discloses applying a first amount of ink coverage onto a first target sheet (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the front-side printing by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like));
measuring dimensions of a first rear surface of the first target sheet of the at least one sheet according to a first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 127, In the first to third embodiments, the paper size variation amount prediction (step S4) calculates the paper size variation amounts A and B in order to correct relative dimensional error of the images between the front and rear sides, whereas in the fourth embodiment, this step also calculates the paper size variation amount C in order to correct absolute dimensional error of the images as well);
determining a first rear scaling factor for the first rear surface of the first target sheet of the at least one sheet based on the measured dimensions of the first rear surface having the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation);
applying a second amount of ink coverage onto a second target sheet of the at least one sheet (paragraph 99, The print controller 22 carries out the rear-side printing (i.e., double-side printing) by controlling the respective sections shown in FIG. 1 (the paper supply unit 112, the treatment liquid deposition unit 114, the image formation unit 116, the drying unit 118, the fixing unit 120, the paper output unit 122, and the like)), wherein the second amount of ink coverage is greater than the first amount of ink coverage (paragraph 120, a non-uniform size variation corresponding to the image pattern (the distribution of the ink volume) also occurs in addition to the size variation that is uniform throughout the sheet of the paper);
measuring dimensions of the second rear surface of the second target sheet of the at least one sheet according to a second amount of ink coverage (paragraph 127, In the first to third embodiments, the paper size variation amount prediction (step S4) calculates the paper size variation amounts A and B in order to correct relative dimensional error of the images between the front and rear sides, whereas in the fourth embodiment, this step also calculates the paper size variation amount C in order to correct absolute dimensional error of the images as well);
determining a second rear scaling factor for the second rear surface of the second target sheet of the at least one sheet based on the measured dimensions of the second rear surface having the second amount of ink coverage, wherein the second rear scaling factor differs from the first rear scaling factor (paragraph 123, In step S6, the image correction amount calculation unit 18 calculates an image correction amount on the basis of the calculated amounts of paper size variation) (paragraph 93, The paper size variation amount B is principally dependent on the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing. The paper size variation amount prediction unit 16 calculates the paper size variation amount B on the basis of the paper size variation parameters which indicate the pre-coating conditions of the rear-side printing, and the paper size variation amount prediction table); and
applying the front scaling factor for the front surface and a selected rear scaling factor from the first rear scaling factor and the second rear scaling factor for the rear surface of a subsequent copy of the print job at the printing device, wherein the selected rear scaling factor corresponds to a specified amount of ink coverage for the subsequent print job (paragraph 122, The paper size variation amount B prediction table according to the present embodiment indicates the correspondence between the paper type and the pre-coating conditions (treatment liquid deposition volume, the amount of drying of the treatment liquid, and the like), and the paper size variation rate. If the treatment liquid deposition volume (pre-coating liquid volume) and the amount of drying of the treatment liquid (pre-coat drying amount) are altered in accordance with the print mode, then table information corresponding to each print mode is used [the paper size variation B is selected which is used to select the rear-side correction amount]),
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine different scaling factors based on different amounts of ink coverage. The motivation for doing so would have been to ensure that images of different ink volumes are printed correctly. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kobayashi and Chiwata with Tosa to obtain the invention as specified in claim 20.
Claims 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tosa et al. US Publication 2015/0371119 and Wong US Publication 2019/0286387 (hereafter “Wong”).
Referring to claim 15, Tosa discloses a method for performing printing operations at a printing device, the method comprising:
processing a print job at a digital front end (DFE) for the printing device by applying a first scaling factor having a first value (paragraph 48, The magnification correcting unit 130 corrects the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium at the point corresponding to whether or not a difference between the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction newly calculated by the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 and the value that has been held by the NVRAM 104 until the new value is calculated is within a predetermined range), based on a specified amount of ink coverage for the print job (paragraph 107, The present invention can also be effectively applied to another type of image forming apparatus such as an image forming apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet system. In a case of the image forming apparatus using the inkjet system, the printing medium may be contracted or expanded due to an effect of ink adhering to the first surface of the printing medium);
monitoring a sheet dimension for a sheet within the print job (paragraph 78, First, based on the information fetched from each of the medium sensor 21, the encoder 22, and the CIS 23, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101), and the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102));
detecting that the sheet dimension does not meet a requirement for the first scaling factor for the specified amount of ink coverage for the first scaling factor having the first value (paragraph 82, The magnification correcting unit 130 then determines whether or not the difference calculated at Step S107 is within a predetermined range (for example, ±0.05) (Step S108));
measuring the sheet dimension for the sheet having the specified amount of ink coverage (paragraph 78, First, based on the information fetched from each of the medium sensor 21, the encoder 22, and the CIS 23, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101), and the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102));
determining the first scaling factor having a second value based on the measured sheet dimension of the sheet (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103));
updating the first scaling factor with the second value (paragraph 83, Thereafter, the storage control unit 120 stores the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 in the NVRAM 104 (Step S111), and a series of processing is ended);
applying the first scaling factor having the second value at the DFE for processing the print job having the specified amount of ink coverage (paragraph 82, the magnification correcting unit 130 uses the value of the ratio of expansion or contraction calculated at Step S105 to correct the magnification of the image to be printed on the second surface of the printing medium (Step S109)).
Tosa does not disclose expressly pausing the print job before resuming.
Wong discloses pausing processing of the print job because the requirement is not met (paragraph 20, An initial portion of the print file, such as a first page, is printed at block 312 and printing of subsequent pages suspended at block 316);
measuring the sheet dimension for the sheet (paragraph 20, The electronic scan file from the printed first page is analyzed relative to the image quality metrics at block 328);
resuming processing of the print job (paragraph 21, If the image is acceptable to the user as determined at block 352, the process proceeds to block 336 to complete the print).
At the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to pause the print job before resuming. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce waste by allowing a user to review the image quality of a print job before reprinting. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Wong with Tosa to obtain the invention as specified in claim 15.
Referring to claim 16, Tosa discloses measuring the sheet dimension using an inline sensor within the printing device (paragraph 78, First, based on the information fetched from each of the medium sensor 21, the encoder 22, and the CIS 23, the size of the first surface is detected at the time of printing the first surface of the printing medium (Step S101), and the size of the second surface is then detected at the time of printing the second surface of the printing medium (Step S102)).
Referring to claim 17, Tosa discloses determining the first scaling factor based on the measured dimensions of an initial sheet of the print job (paragraph 79, Next, the expansion/contraction ratio calculation unit 110 calculates the individual ratio of expansion or contraction of the printing medium based on the size of the first surface detected at Step S101 and the size of the second surface detected at Step S102 (Step S103)).
Conclusion
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/PETER K HUNTSINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682