DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 6 are objected to because of the following informalities: “the detection results” and “the terminal end of the tape” lack antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1 and 6 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. The claims recites wherein at least two of four (i), (ii), (iii), iv) device states are detected but then proceeds to recite specifics of the (i) device state and the (ii) device state. However, if the detected two of the four device states are (iii) and (iv), device states (i) and (ii) do not necessarily exist – or at least are not detected – and thus it is indefinite to claim the device state of (i) and the device state (ii) because they are not necessarily present.
Further, the claims recite that the terminal end of the tape passed through the feed roller, but the tape does not pass through the roller itself but rather by or past the feed roller.
Moreover, the claims recite a “start of feeding,” but this term has not been defined in any way, and it is unclear as to what is being referred to. That is, the feed roller is driven intermittently throughout all operations, and thus to simply recite a start of feeding is ambiguous and requires clarification.
Because all other claims depend from claims 1 and 6, they are also rejected on this basis.
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.
Claim(s) 1,2 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Niwa et al. (2009/0002746) in view of Kato (5,373,762) and Ito (2022/0297964).
Regarding claim 1, Niwa teaches a tape end detection device and control method comprising:
a cutter (fig. 2, item 15) that is provided further in a first direction (fig. 2, downward on page) than is a feed roller (fig. 2, item 109) feeding a tape (see fig. 2, item 101) fed out of a tape roll (fig. 2, note unlabeled roll) in the first direction, and cuts the tape in a tape width direction (see fig. 2, note that this is necessarily the case);
a discharge roller (fig. 2, item 17) that is provided further in the first direction than is the cutter and feeds the tape in the first direction toward a tape discharge port (fig. 2, item 16);
a first sensor (fig. 2, item 19) that detects presence/absence of the tape at a first detection position just downstream of the cutter (see fig. 2);
a second sensor (fig. 2, item 18) that detects presence/absence of the tape at a second detection position located between the cutter and the tape discharge port (see fig. 2);
wherein the second sensor is an optical sensor, the second sensor detects presence or absence of the tape by detecting whether light is being blocked by the tape going through the discharge roller (see fig. 2, note that sensor 18 detects if the tape has passed the position in the conveyance direction of the discharge roller)
and
a control unit (fig. 10, item 200), wherein
the control unit detects, based on a detection result of the first sensor, that a specific position other than a terminal end of the tape passed through the first detection position (fig. 2, note that the sensor is sensing at all times, whether a terminal end is present, no tape is present, or a body of the tape is present),
detects, based on a detection result of the second sensor, that the tape cut by the cutter was discharged from the tape discharge port (see fig. 2, note that sensor 18 senses that the end of the tape is being ejected from the discharge port), and
detects, based on different combinations of the detection results of the first sensor and the second sensor, a device state among a plurality of device states including at least two of (i) a tape end indicating that the terminal end of the tape passed through the feed roller, (ii) the tape is being discharged or printed, (iii) the tape has discharge error, (iv) the tape is being transported abnormally (note that the device necessarily knows when printing is being performed or when the end of the tape has been reached),
wherein the device state of (i) the tape end indicating that the terminal end of the tape passed through the feed roller is detected by the control unit when presence of the tape is detected by the first sensor and absence of the tape is detected by the second sensor after a feed amount of the tape from start of feeding of the tape by the feed roller exceeds a second distance, wherein the second distance is a distance between the feed roller and the second sensor (see fig. 2, note that, if the tape is shorter than the distance between the first and second sensor, the tape has passed the feed roller, the first sensor will detect the terminal end before the tape reaches the second sensor, and the limitation is met), and
the device state of (ii) the tape is being discharged or printed is detected by the control unit when presence of the tape is detected by the first sensor and absence of the tape is detected by the second send before the feeding amount of the tape from start of feeding of the tape by the feed roller reaches the second distance (see fig. 2, Note that any determination made by either or both sensors indicates that the tape has passed through the feed roller because both sensors are downstream of the feed roller. Note that “terminal end” and “tape end” could mean either end of the tape).
Niwa does not teach wherein the first detection position is located between the feed roller and the cutter. Kato teaches wherein a feed roller a cutting mark sensor and a cutter are arranged in that order in the downstream direction (Kato, fig. 1, Note roller 16, sensor 18 and cutter 17). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to move the first sensor disclosed by Niwa from just downstream of the cutter to just upstream of the cutter, as disclosed by Kato, because doing so would amount to the simple substitution of one known sensor/cutter arrangement for another to obtain predictable results. In other words, regardless of whether a cut mark was sensed by a sensor downstream of the cutter or upstream of the cutter, the system controller would know where the cut mark was in relation to the cutter and cut accordingly.
Niwa in view of Kato does not teach wherein the second sensor is coupled to a rotating arm, the rotating arm positioned such that the rotating arm rotates along a second direction intersecting with the first direction and blocks light in the second sensor when the tape is present, the rotating arm being mechanically coupled to the discharge roller. Ito teaches this type of medium sensor (Ito, see figs. 10-14). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a media sensor of the type disclosed by Ito instead of one of the type disclosed Niwa in view of Kato because doing so would amount to the simple substitution of one known media sensor for another to obtain predictable results.
Regarding claim 2, Niwa in view of Kato and Ito teaches the tape end detection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects the tape end when absence of the tape is detected by the first sensor and presence of the tape is detected by the second sensor while the tape is being fed by the feed roller (Niwa, fig. 2, Note that if a tape is cut as determined by first sensor and detected at the second sensor after being fed, no tape is detected at the first sensor a tape end is detected in that the end of the previously cut tape has been fed).
Regarding claim 4, Niwa in view of Kato and Ito teaches the tape end detection device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge roller includes a pair of rollers (Niwa, fig. 2, items 17) that pinch the tape to rotationally feed the tape, and the second sensor detects presence/absence of the tape by setting a position between the pair of rollers as the second detection position (Niwa, fig. 2, Note that second sensor 18 detects a position that has been between the pair of rollers).
Regarding claim 5, Niwa in view of Kato and Ito teaches a tape printing device comprising: the tape end detection device according to claim 1, and a print head that performs printing on the tape fed by the feed roller (Niwa, see fig. 2, item 10).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/8/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The claims have been amended to further specify the operation of the device, but the amendment fails to distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. The rejections above have been updated to reflect the changes to the claims. The standing prior art rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
