Detailed Office Action
The communication dated 7/8/2026 has been entered and fully considered. Claim 11 is withdrawn from examination. Claims 1-11 remain pending.
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 Invention I (claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 7/8/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 11 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 6-9 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.
Claims 6-9 recites the limitation "the printing medium" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WATANABE (US-2013/0051886; of record), hereinafter WATANABE. Note that the italicized text below are the instant claims.
Regarding claim 1, WATANABE discloses A plate data forming device {[abstract] note image is the data and sheet is the plate} comprising:
a processor {[0030]-[0031] note CPU} configured to:
form plate data of a pressure-bondable toner that indicate at least one of an amount of the pressure-bondable toner, which is formed on a printing medium, or a region, in which the pressure-bondable toner is formed on the printing medium {[abstract] note adhesive toner is the pressure-bondable toner, note pattern in a predetermined bonding that is indicative of the region, note number of color toner refers to the amount of the pressure-bondable toner, [0028] note application of pressure to the adhesive toner, [0039] note bonding position, [0009] note layer thickness of adhesive toner relates to its amount},
on the basis of a pressure-bondable toner formation condition indicating a condition for forming the pressure-bondable toner on the printing medium {[abstract] note bonding strength is the condition}.
Regarding claim 2, WATANABE discloses wherein the pressure-bondable toner formation condition is a binding condition relating to binding of the printing medium on which the pressure-bondable toner is formed {[abstract] note bonding strength is the bonding condition}.
Regarding claim 4, WATANABE discloses wherein the processor is configured to: determine the pressure-bondable toner formation condition in response to an instruction issued from a user {[0030] note input from a user, [0039] note user select bonding position that is a formation condition, [0040] note selection of binding conditions by user, [0043] note user can input data, [0059] note user can decide bonding strength depending on sheet type}.
Regarding claim 5, WATANABE discloses wherein the processor is configured to: form plate data of a color toner; and not change the plate data of the color toner, in accordance with change of the pressure-bondable toner formation condition {[0041] note prevention of overlapping of adhesive toner with the image so that the color toner of the plate data or image is not changed due to this potential undesired overlapping}.
Regarding claims 6-7 and 9, WATANABE discloses A pressure-bonding device that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces of a printing medium on which the pressure-bondable toner is formed on the basis of the plate data formed by the plate data forming device according to claim 1 (or 2 or 4), wherein the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium are pressure-bonded to each other at a pressure which is determined on the basis of the pressure-bondable toner formation condition {[abstract] note stacking and binding together, note conditions are binding manner, number of pixels of the adhesive toner pattern, a toner area ratio, and layer thickness}.
Regarding claim 10, WATANABE discloses A plate data forming program causing a computer to execute a process {[abstract] also see claim 1 above, [0031] note program and execution of the program that execute the process} comprising:
forming plate data of a pressure-bondable toner that indicate at least one of an amount of the pressure-bondable toner, which is formed on a printing medium, or a region, in which the pressure-bondable toner is formed on the printing medium {[abstract] note adhesive toner is the pressure-bondable toner, note pattern in a predetermine bonding that is indicative of the region, note number of color toner refers to the amount of the pressure-bondable toner, [0028] note application of pressure to the adhesive toner, [0039] note bonding position, [0009] note layer thickness of adhesive toner relates to its amount},
on the basis of a pressure-bondable toner formation condition indicating a condition for forming the pressure-bondable toner on the printing medium {[abstract] note bonding strength is the condition}.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WATANABE, in view of HASHIMOTO (US-2014/0072388; of record), hereinafter HASHIMOTO.
Regarding claim 3, WATANABE discloses all the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above. WATANABE further discloses wherein the binding condition includes characteristics of the printing medium, and the processor is configured to: form the plate data of the pressure-bondable toner on the basis of the characteristics of the printing medium {[0005] note bonding strength is determined by sheet thickness which is a characteristic of the printing medium, [0057]-[0058] note sheet thickness determines the bonding strength or the amount of adhesive toner tht is applied base on this characteristic of the printing medium}.
WATANABE, however, is silent on this characteristics (or thickness) detected by a sensor.
In the same field of endeavor that is related to image forming and sheet binding, HASHIMOTO discloses detected by a sensor {[0127] note sheet thickness detection sensor}.
At the effective filing date of the instant invention, it would have been obvious to have included the sheet thickness sensor of HASHIMOTO in the device of WATANABE, since both WATANABE {[0057]-0058]} and HASHIMOTO {[0126]} disclose that knowing sheet thickness is important in determining the binding strength and time to impellent an effective bonding, thus having a thickness sensor in the WATANABE device is extremely beneficial.
Regarding claim 8, WATANABE discloses A pressure-bonding device that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces of a printing medium on which the pressure-bondable toner is formed on the basis of the plate data formed by the plate data forming device according to claim 3, wherein the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium are pressure-bonded to each other at a pressure which is determined on the basis of the pressure-bondable toner formation condition {[abstract] note stacking and binding together, note conditions are binding manner, number of pixels of the adhesive toner pattern, a toner area ratio, and layer thickness}.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to S. BEHROOZ GHORISHI whose telephone number is (571)272-1373. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-(alt Fri) 7:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abbas Rashid can be reached at 571-270-7457. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/S. BEHROOZ GHORISHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1748
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