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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-16 and 18) in the reply filed on 05/29/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention. Since the restriction requirement properly made, the restriction requirement is now made final.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al., JP2007221275 in view of Manheim, US 2007/0199992.
Regarding claim 1, Kobayashi discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer of an information processing apparatus (para 0001; an image forming apparatus and method for reading and printing an image to which a two-dimensional code is attached) to execute:
reducing a size of content including a first object having a predetermined threshold being a lower limit value of size and a second object different from the first object (para 0029, 0031, 0041-0042, and 0052; a QR code D. (i.e., a first object) is attached in addition to the image G (i.e., a second object) of the document M, and the QR code D. is read together with the document image G and printed on the sheet P. In the case of a reduction instruction to be reduced to a size such that the QR code D. cannot be read, the amount of data of each piece of information of the QR code D. is determined, and when the amount of data is less than a certain amount, as shown in FIG. 3, the original two-dimensional code D is converted into a mini QR code d. which is reduced in size by the image conversion unit 306, and then printed on the sheet P by the image forming unit 304; It should be noted that the data amount of the information included in the QR code may be determined, and in a case where the amount is less than the predetermined amount, the above-described conversion processing to the mini QR code); and
placing the first object so that the first object does not overlap the second object in a case where the first object having reached the predetermined threshold (fig. 6; para 0045 and 0049; the QR code…can be automatically arranged and printed in the margin portion Pa of the sheet P; the conversion processing of (3) may be performed in a case where the amount is equal to or more than the predetermined amount).
Kobayashi discloses claim 1 as enumerated above, but Kobayashi does not explicitly disclose the second object overlap each other as claimed.
However, Manheim discloses a barcode may obscure a portion of a document element by overlapping a portion of a document element or, if the quiet zone is not sufficiently wide (or nonexistent) a portion of the document element may be obscured by the barcode being so close to the document element that it is difficult to discern the edge of the barcode from the edge of the document element (para 0046-0047).
Therefore, taking the combined disclosures of Kobayashi and Manheim as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a barcode may obscure a portion of a document element by overlapping a portion of a document element or, if the quiet zone is not sufficiently wide (or nonexistent) a portion of the document element may be obscured by the barcode being so close to the document element that it is difficult to discern the edge of the barcode from the edge of the document element as taught by Manheim into the invention of Kobayashi for the benefit of not interfering with (e.g., in a location that does not overlap with) any document elements (Manheim: para 0047).
Regarding claim 2, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein the predetermined threshold being the lower limit value of size of the first object is a value greater than a lower limit value for the second object (para 0029, 0031, 0041-0042, and 0052).
Regarding claim 3, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein the first object is a two-dimensional barcode (para 0003).
Regarding claim 4, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi and Manheim in the combination further disclose the program further causing the computer to execute displaying a screen indicating that content including the first object placed at an inappropriate position is displayed (Kobayashi: fig. 6; para 0042 and 0057) in a case where the first object and the second object overlap each other by execution of the reducing (Manheim: para 0046-0047).
Regarding claim 5, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein the size of the content is a sheet size in a case where the content is printed and is a size set for the content by the program (para 0041-0042).
Regarding claim 6, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose the program further causing the computer to execute receiving a change in the sheet size, wherein the reducing and the placing the first object are executed by receiving an operation of changing the sheet size set for the content from a large size to a small size (para 0041-0042).
Regarding claim 7, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein the second object is a text object or an image object (para 0029, 0031, and 0041).
Regarding claim 8, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, Manheim in the combination further disclose wherein, in a case where a subject of the image object overlaps the first object, in the placing the first object, the first object is placed so that the first object does not overlap the second object (para 0046-0047).
Regarding claim 9, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Manheim in the combination further disclose the program further causing the computer to execute placing the first object and the second object so that the first object and the second object overlap each other (para 0046-0047) in a case where the second object is a shape object (para 0036 and 0071).
Regarding claim 10, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein the content is displayed on a display unit of the information processing apparatus (fig. 1, element 311; para 0028).
Regarding claim 11, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose the program further causing the computer to execute transmitting, to a printing device, a print instruction to print the displayed content (para 0028-0029 and 0038).
Regarding claim 12, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein a setting screen in which a type of the second object on which the placing the first object is performed is set is displayed on a display unit of the information processing apparatus (para 0028-0029).
Regarding claim 13, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi and Manheim in the combination further disclose the program further causing the computer to execute determining whether the first object and the second object overlap each other (Manheim: para 0046-0047) by execution of the reducing (Kobayashi: para 0029, 0031, 0041-0042, and 0052), wherein, in a case where the first object and the second object are determined to overlap each other by execution of the reducing in the determining, the placing the first object is executed so that the first object and the second object do not overlap each other (Manheim: para 0046-0047).
Regarding claim 14, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, Kobayashi and Manheim in the combination further disclose wherein, in a case where a plurality of second objects overlaps the first object (Manheim: para 0046-0047) by execution of the reducing (Kobayashi: para 0029, 0031, 0041-0042, and 0052), the placing the first object places the first object based on importance of visibility of the second objects so that the first object does not overlap at least a second object with high importance of visibility (Manheim: para 0046-0047 and 0049).
Regarding claim 15, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, Manheim in the combination further disclose wherein an object with low importance of visibility is a shape object (para 0036 and 0071).
Regarding claim 16, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, Kobayashi in the combination further disclose wherein an object with low importance of visibility is an image object containing a subject that does not overlap (figs. 2-3; para 0041-0042).
Regarding claim 18, this claim recites substantially the same limitations that are performed by claim 1 above, and it is rejected for the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Turcotte et al., US 2013/0055055 discloses systems and methods for layout of graphic objects such as photographic images and graphical elements, for electronic display, print or other output.
Narazaki, US 2006/0126113 discloses a printing apparatus reads out and prints image data from a specified image file stored in a predetermined format, including image data captured by digital cameras which has additional predetermined information.
Deacon et al., US 10,936,837 discloses embodiments herein describe a 2D barcode that overlays text or graphics (e.g., another barcode) while permitting the underlying text or barcode to be read by a user or a barcode scanner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VAN D HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)270-1937. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-6PM.
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/VAN D HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2665
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