Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
The claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claims 15-20
recite The computer-readable storage medium that is not limited to just statutory
subject matter as outlined in the Specification; therefore, the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Examiner suggests inserting "non-
transitory" prior to computer-readable recording medium to exclude any non-
statutory subject matter.
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 1-4, 7-11, 14-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki (US 20220382202 IDS) in view of Ueda et al. (US 20080174834 IDS).
Regarding claim 8, Iwasaki teaches an image forming device, comprising: a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory (fig. 2), and when the computer program is executed, the processor is configured to: acquire a job to be processed (p0021: receives a print job); insert a first image into part of or each of intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed, and/or, insert the first image before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed (fig. 7D), wherein the first image is configured to trigger color correction (p0070: the image density is corrected between the 200th page and the 201); obtain a detection result of a transfer image formed by the first image on an image carrier (p0054:The CPU 222 obtains a variation amount of the detected image density with respect to a target image density, and adjusts the image forming conditions based on the variation amount); determine whether the detection result meets a condition for triggering color correction (p0054: adjusts the image forming conditions based on the variation amount); and when the detection result meets the condition for triggering color correction, perform color correction (p0057:the CPU 222 detects the color misregistration based on the reading results obtained by the CIS 321 (or the CIS 322).
Iwasaki does not explicitly disclose color correction.
Ueda teaches color correction (p0006: color misalignment correction mode, a color misalignment detection mark).
Iwasaki and Ueda are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Iwasaki with the teaching of Ueda for purpose of color misalignment correction (p0005).
Regarding claim 1, The structural elements of apparatus claim 8 perform all of the steps of method claim 1. Thus, claim 1 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 8.
Claim 15 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 8 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Regarding claim 9, Iwasaki in view of Ueda teaches dividing a complete correction trigger image into a plurality of sub-images (Ueda: fig. 4: and p0074:FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings showing forming examples of the pre-mark CP), wherein along a transfer direction of an imaging medium, a height of a sub-image of the plurality of sub-images is less than the intervals between adjacent job pages; and inserting the sub-image into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed (Ueda:fig. 4a 4b), wherein the sub-image is used as the first image (Ueda:p0167); or inserting the complete correction trigger image, as a job page, between part of or each of adjacent job pages of the job to be processed, wherein the complete correction trigger image is used as the first image (Ueda:p0067:outputs the image detection signal S22 to the A-D converter 13B..The color misalignment amount in this case is a control amount when the color misalignment amount is corrected by the statistical metho)); or dividing the complete correction trigger image into the plurality of sub-images), wherein along the transfer direction of the imaging medium, the height of the sub-image is less than the intervals between adjacent job pages (Ueda:fig. 4); and inserting the sub-image before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed, wherein the sub-image is used as the first image (Ueda:p0169-170); or inserting the complete correction trigger image, as a job page, before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed, wherein the complete correction trigger image is used as the first image (Ueda:p0170:The image forming apparatus 80, on the basis of the instruction of the color misalignment correction mode, interrupts the job and executes the regular color registration correction process).
The rational applied to the rejection of claim 8 has been incorporated herein.
Regarding claim 2, The structural elements of apparatus claim 9 perform all of the steps of method claim 2. Thus, claim 2 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 9.
Claim 16 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 8 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Regarding claim 10, Iwasaki in view of Ueda teaches the device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for: determining whether a color registration offset value, or a color block density error value of the transfer image formed by the first image on the image carrier, meets the condition for triggering color correction (p0138: from the image detection data Dp1 and Dp2, the misalignment amount of each error factor (main scanning, total magnification, partial lateral magnification, skew) is calculated, and from the misalignment amounts calculated here, the correction amounts of the error factors are obtained).
The rational applied to the rejection of claim 8 has been incorporated herein,
Regarding claim 3, The structural elements of apparatus claim 10 perform all of the steps of method claim 3. Thus, claim 3 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 10.
Claim 17 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 10 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Regarding claim 11, Iwasaki teaches the device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for: determining whether the condition for triggering color correction is met (p0004), based on the detection result of part of or each of the first images, inserted into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed and/or inserted before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed (p0004:the image forming apparatus creates a chart for adjustment each time printing has been performed on a fixed number of sheets of recording media, and corrects image forming conditions based on a difference between a reading result of the tone pattern read from the chart for adjustment and the target tone).
Regarding claim 4, The structural elements of apparatus claim 11 perform all of the steps of method claim 4. Thus, claim 4 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 11.
Claim 18 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 11 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Regarding claim 14, Iwasaki in view of Ueda teaches the device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for: suspending printing of remaining job pages of the job to be processed to perform color correction; or after the printing of the job to be processed is completed, performing color correction; or determining whether to perform color correction immediately, based on a quantity of remaining job pages to be processed corresponding to the job to be processed Ueda[AltContent: ]p0170:The image forming apparatus 80, on the basis of the instruction of the color misalignment correction mode, interrupts the job and executes the regular color registration correction process).
Regarding claim 7, The structural elements of apparatus claim 14 perform all of the steps of method claim 7. Thus, claim 7 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 14.
Claim 20 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 14 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Claim(s) 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki in view of Ueda as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Takahashi et al. (US 20120038731 IDS).
Regarding claim 12, Iwasaki in view of Ueda does not teach the device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for: before inserting the first image into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed, and/or, inserting the first image before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed, determining a target correction mode from a plurality of correction modes, wherein each correction mode of the plurality of correction modes is associated with at least one correction trigger image; and from the at least one correction trigger image associated with the target correction mode, determining the first image to be inserted into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed; and/or, from the at least one correction trigger image associated with the target correction mode, determining the first image to be inserted before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed.
Takahashi teaches the device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for: before inserting the first image into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed, and/or, inserting the first image before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed, determining a target correction mode from a plurality of correction modes (fig. 12: s1000: density adjustment mode and s1040:color correction), wherein each correction mode of the plurality of correction modes is associated with at least one correction trigger image; and from the at least one correction trigger image associated with the target correction mode (fig. 12:L s1010 and s1050), determining the first image to be inserted into part of or each of the intervals between adjacent job pages of the job to be processed (fig. 12Ls1020 and s1080(; and/or, from the at least one correction trigger image associated with the target correction mode, determining the first image to be inserted before/after a specific job page included in the job to be processed (s1300 in fig. 12).
Iwasaki in view of Ueda and Takahashi are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Iwasaki in view of Ueda with the teaching of Takahashi for of correcting misregistrations between the respective colors in an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus (p0002).
Regarding claim 5, The structural elements of apparatus claim 12 perform all of the steps of method claim 5. Thus, claim 5 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 12.
Claim 19 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 12 and in accordance with Ueda’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0102).
Regarding claim 13, Iwasaki in view of Ueda and Takahashi teaches the device according to claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured for: determining the target correction mode from the plurality of correction modes, based on one or more of parameters including current ambient temperature and humidity, a quantity of printed pages of the job to be processed, whether the developing component is replaced, and temperature change of the laser scanning unit (p0013: density of the registration correction pattern…temperature and humidity… and p0015: installation positions of the LED and PT of the photosensor… the density of a registration correction pattern excessively decreases, the change amounts of the gradients of the leading and trailing edges of an analog signal increase).
The rational applied to the rejection of claim 12 has been incorporated herein.
Regarding claim 6, The structural elements of apparatus claim 13 perform all of the steps of method claim 6. Thus, claim 6 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 13.
20. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein when the detection result meets the condition for triggering color correction, performing color correction, includes: suspending printing of remaining job pages of the job to be processed to perform color correction; or after the printing of the job to be processed is completed, performing color correction; or determining whether to perform color correction immediately, based on a quantity of remaining job pages to be processed corresponding to the job to be processed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HELEN Q ZONG whose telephone number is (571)270-1600. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9-6.
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HELEN ZONG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2683
/HELEN ZONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683