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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
6. Claims 1-5, 12-14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2023/0121550 A1 (hereinafter “Komazawa”)
Regarding claim 1, Komazawa discloses an inspection system (inspection device 40 verifies print result of printed matter (paragraph [0034])) comprising:
- a display configured to display a setting screen for setting content of image inspection (UI screen 60 is a setting screen for performing inspection accuracy setting (paragraph [0092]));
- an input device configured to set an area in which an image to be formed is changed for each sheet as a variable area in the setting screen (columns of variable data 51a-51c are dragged to be positioned on imposition template 50 (paragraph [0066]-[0067])); and
- a processor configured to execute the image inspection according to a condition set in the setting screen (inspection accuracy 62 corresponding to each variable data in column 61 is selected by user (paragraph [0094]; Fig. 5A)),
- wherein the processor presents a candidate area in which the image inspection is to be performed as the variable area in the setting screen, before the variable area is set by the input device (positions of columns 51a-51c (paragraph [0068]) correspond to candidate areas of an imposition template 50 (Fig. 3), which is used for setting the variable area on printed matter (paragraph [0107]; Figs. 6A-6C)).
Regarding claim 2, Komazawa further comprises:
- a reading unit configured to read an image formed on a sheet (print matter scan control unit 17 controls a scan function for optically reading an image of printed matter (paragraph [0078])).
Regarding claim 3, Komazawa discloses wherein
- the processor is further configured to present a candidate area according to a reference image (inspection instruction information acquisition unit 41 acquires inspection instruction information output from output unit 25 of server device 20, including inspection target area and inspection accuracy (paragraph [0081]); print data acquisition unit 42 acquires print data output from the output unit of the server device (paragraph [0082]), and inspection unit 44 compares area specified in the inspection target area in the scan data acquired by scan data acquisition unit 43 with the print data output from output unit of server device (paragraph [0083]-[0084]), the print data output from the output unit of server device corresponds to the reference image).
Regarding claim 4, Komazawa discloses wherein
- the processor is further configured to present a candidate area according to a read image obtained by the reading unit (area specified in the inspection target area in the scan data acquired by scan data acquisition unit 43 (paragraph [0084])).
Regarding claim 5, Komazawa discloses wherein
- the processor is further configured to present a candidate area according to print data (inspection target area and print data acquired from the output unit of server device (paragraph [0081]-[0082])).
Regarding claim 12, Komazawa discloses wherein
- the setting screen displays a plurality of candidate areas extracted by the processor (UI screen displays a list of columns 61a-61f corresponding to candidate areas set to undergo inspection processing (Fig. 5A)), and
- the input device detects a collective selection instruction for collectively selecting the plurality of candidate areas displayed in the setting screen (UI screen includes a check box 63 to “set inspection accuracy for each column” (paragraph [0097]); if the box is not checked, then one inspection accuracy is set for all columns (paragraph [0098])).
Regarding claim 13, Komazawa discloses wherein
- the input device detects a reflection instruction for reflecting an inspection setting common to the plurality of candidate areas selected by the collective selection instruction (if the box is not checked, then one inspection accuracy is set for all columns (paragraph [0098]), the non-checking of the box corresponds to a reflection instruction for providing a common inspection accuracy setting for each column displayed on the UI screen).
Regarding claim 14, Komazawa further comprises:
- a reception circuit configured to receive arrangement information indicating a position at which the image is arranged from an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the inspection system (inspection instruction information acquisition unit 41 acquires inspection instruction information output from output unit 25 of server device 20, including inspection target area and inspection accuracy (paragraph [0081])),
- wherein the processor extracts at least one candidate area based on the arrangement information of the image (inspection unit 44 compares area specified in the inspection target area in the scan data acquired by scan data acquisition unit 43 with the print data output from output unit of server device (paragraph [0083]-[0084]), and thus the specified inspection target area is singled out (extracted) for comparison).
Regarding claim 20, Komazawa discloses an image forming apparatus (printing system 100 (Fig. 1)) comprising:
- an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet (printing device 10 performs printing on paper (paragraph [0023]));
- an image reader configured to read the image formed on the sheet (print matter scan control unit 17 controls a scan function for optically reading an image of printed matter (paragraph [0078]));
- an inspection system (inspection device 40 verifies print result of printed matter (paragraph [0034])) including:
- a display configured to display a setting screen for setting content of image inspection (UI screen 60 is a setting screen for performing inspection accuracy setting (paragraph [0092]));
- an input device configured to set an area in which an image to be formed is changed for each sheet as a variable area in the setting screen (columns of variable data 51a-51c are dragged to be positioned on imposition template 50 (paragraph [0066]-[0067])); and
- a processor configured to execute the image inspection according to a condition set in the setting screen (inspection accuracy 62 corresponding to each variable data in column 61 is selected by user (paragraph [0094]; Fig. 5A)),
- wherein the processor presents a candidate area in which the image inspection is to be performed as the variable area in the setting screen, before the variable area is set by the input device (positions of columns 51a-51c (paragraph [0068]) correspond to candidate areas of in imposition template 50 (Fig. 3), which is used for setting the variable area on printed matter (paragraph [0107]; Figs. 6A-6C)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claims 18 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazawa.
Regarding claim 18, Komazawa discloses notifying an inspection result of the image inspection (inspection result transmission unit 45 transmits either information on passing or non-passing the inspection to the printing device 10 as informatio4n indicating the inspection result by the inspection unit (paragraph [0087])). While Komazawa does not expressly disclose displaying the inspection result, it is well known in the art to display results of a process on a screen. Providing display of such a notification in Komazawa, before the effective filing date would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, so as to visually alert a user of an inspection result.
Regarding claim 21, Komazawa further comprises:
a first stacking tray on which a sheet that has passed the image inspection is stacked, and a second stacking tray on which a sheet that has not passed the image inspection is stacked (paper discharge control unit 19 of the printing device sorts and discharges the inspected printed matter to either the discharge tray 13A or the discharge tray 13B (paragraph [0087])); and
Komazawa does not expressly disclose a flapper configured to sort the sheet to the first stacking tray or the second stacking tray based on a result of the image inspection. However, a flapper is normally provided in a conventional printing apparatus as a means for conveying printing sheets toward one of a plurality of discharge trays. Providing a flapper in Komazawa, before the effective filing date would have been obvious, so as to direct the sheets to the proper stacking tray.
9. Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2023/0070196 A1 (hereinafter “Misawa”).
Regarding claim 6, Komazawa does not expressly disclose wherein the processor is further configured to execute character recognition on the image printed in the variable area and extract a variable area for which the character recognition has been successful as the candidate area. However, this limitation is disclosed in Misawa (character inspection area 908 may be selected as a data inspection area (paragraph [0087]) for performing character recognition (paragraph [0090], [0112])). Executing character recognition on an image printed in the variable area, where a character string obtained by optical character recognition is collated with correct data, is well known in the art (paragraph [0003]). Providing character recognition on an image printed in the variable area allows for character strings to be inspected against correct data, thereby providing greater versatility in the inspection of printed images. Therefore, providing character recognition on an image printed in the variable area, such as taught by Misawa, would have been an obvious modification of the teaching of Komazawa to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 7, Komazawa does not expressly disclose wherein the processor is further configured to execute barcode recognition on the image printed in the variable area and extract a variable area for which the barcode recognition has been successful as the candidate area. However, this limitation is disclosed in Misawa (barcode inspection area 917 may be selected as a data inspection area for performing barcode recognition (paragraph [0087], [0112])). As with providing character recognition on an image printed in the variable area allows for character strings to be inspected against correct data, providing barcode recognition on an image printed in the variable area allows for barcodes to be inspected against correct data, thereby providing greater versatility in the inspection of printed images. Therefore, providing barcode recognition on an image printed in the variable area, such as taught by Misawa, before the effective filing date would have been an obvious modification of the teaching of Komazawa to one of ordinary skill in the art.
10. Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of European Patent Application Publication EP 4 141 817 A1 (hereinafter “Nakamura”)
Regarding claim 8, Komazawa does not expressly disclose wherein the display is configured to display, in the setting screen, a pull-down menu including a list of a plurality of candidate areas extracted by the processor, and the input device is configured to accept selection of the candidate area through the pull-down menu.
However, these limitations are disclosed in Nakamura (user selects an inspection area type from displayed pull-down menu (paragraph [0042])); from the pull-down menu, user selects an area to be specified as an inspection area in the preview display with a mouse drag operation, image forming apparatus 0101 receives an inspection area arrangement operation (paragraph [0042])).
Use of a pull-down menu for selecting different items is a well-known alternative to the selection from a list of different areas shown on a display as taught by Komazawa, and achieves the same purpose of entering inspection settings for each selected area. Therefore, the use of a pull-down menu as taught by Nakamura would have been an obvious modification of the teaching in Komazawa to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 9, neither Komazawa nor Nakamura expressly disclose the display displaying the candidate area selected through the pull-down menu in an emphasized manner. However, providing some type of emphasis (such as framing or highlighting, to an area being processed on a display is well known in the art. Displaying the candidate area in an emphasized manner in the combined teachings of Komazawa and Nakamura, before the effective filing date would have been obvious, so as to enable a user to easily identify which areas are being singled out for specific inspection processing.
11. Claims 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2020/0019353 A1 (Okajima)
Regarding claim 16, Komazawa does not expressly disclose wherein the processor is configured to extract at least one candidate area by analyzing variable data described in Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML). However, Okajima, which discloses inspection of image data of multiple print pages, including a common area and a variable area (Abstract), discloses PPML as a known format of print data including variable data (paragraph [0069]). In combination with Komazawa, which discloses the inspection of variable data areas of print data, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the teaching of Komazawa may be applied to different formats of print data, including PPML. Thus, extracting at least one candidate area by analyzing variable data described in PPML, would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, in view of Okajima.
Regarding claim 17, Okajima discloses wherein
- the variable data includes a master component defining a first image which is in common for a plurality of sheets and its print coordinates and a variable component defining a second image to be printed in the variable area and its print coordinates (in general, print data consisting of a common portion and a variable portion can be created, and formats such as PPML are known as formats of print data including variable data (paragraph [0069])), and
the processor is configured to extract the at least one candidate area by analyzing the variable component (when a designated pixel is regarded as a variable image, quality inspection apparatus 50 compares the area including the designated pixel with the corresponding area in a correct image (inspection image) to extract a difference, thereby inspecting the quality of the image in the area (paragraph [0092])).
12. Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazawa as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2021/0216261 A1 (hereinafter “Kobashi”)
Regarding claim 19, Komazawa does not expressly disclose wherein the display is configured to display a read image obtained from a sheet determined as failed by the processor among a plurality of sheets and an inspection area that caused the failure in a superimposed manner. However, this limitation is disclosed in Kobashi (printed image is displayed on screen 1309, with indicators 1316 and 1317 indicating failure items detected through the inspection process (paragraph [0077], Fig. 13B). Displaying printed image with indicators superimposed provides more information to a user for spotting errors and their locations, as opposed to just knowing that the errors exist. Therefore, providing such display as taught by Kobashi before the effective filing date would have been an obvious modification of the teaching of Komazawa to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
13. Claims 10, 11 and 15 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.
14. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 10, the cited prior art fails to disclose or suggest Applicant’s inspection system according to claim 1, wherein
- the setting screen includes an information display area for displaying identification information of one candidate area selected from among a plurality of candidate areas extracted by the processor, and
- the input device detects an instruction for switching the one candidate area whose identification information is displayed in the information display area among the plurality of candidate areas.
Claim 11 depends from claim 10.
Regarding claim 15, the cited prior art fails to disclose or suggest Applicant’s inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:
- classify an information attribute of the image into either text, barcode, or image based on an analysis result of the image; and
- adjust the number or content of inspection parameters that a user can set for the candidate area according to a classification result of the classification.
15. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS D LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-7436. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30AM-5:00PM.
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/THOMAS D LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683