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
Claims 1-7 are pending in this application [3/24/2026].
Claims 1-7 have been amended [3/24/2026].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument based on newly applied reference Kuroshima (US-2012/0120445).
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiwada et al. (US-2006/0038844) in view of Kuroshima (US-2012/0120445).
As to Claim 7, Kiwada teaches ‘An information processing apparatus, comprising: a display unit configured to display sheet information [Figs 8 (65), 9 (74), par 0063-0064,0069-0071 – entering in input box/drop down menu, paper type of a search section]; one or more processors [Fig 4 (201), par 0061 – control unit]; and one or more memories [Fig 4 (202), par 0061 – storage unit], wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories cooperating to: search for an image forming apparatus, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, to which sheet information selected by a user can be set [Figs 8 (66), 9 (75), par 0063-0064, 0066-0067, 0069-0071 – when a search button is pressed after paper type is entered, a search is made for MFPs which are provided with the paper type that can be used by a user’s department based on paper management information received from each MFP]; and display the image forming apparatus found by the search on the display unit [Fig 8, par 0066 – as a result of the search, the MFPs provided with the paper type usable by the user are displayed in a result display area]’.
Kiwada does not disclose ‘manage a sheet usable/unusable flag associated with a plurality of image forming apparatuses, wherein the sheet usable/unusable flag indicates a permission to use the displayed sheet information on a specific image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses regardless of hardware capabilities of the specific image forming apparatus; … to which sheet information selected by a user can be set based on a sheet usable/unusable flag managed by the information processing apparatus’, although Kiwada teaches contents of department information contained in paper management information is stored and received from MFPs [par 0065].
Kuroshima in the proposed combination of teaches ‘manage a sheet usable/unusable flag associated with a plurality of image forming apparatuses, wherein the sheet usable/unusable flag indicates a permission to use the displayed sheet information on a specific image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses regardless of hardware capabilities of the specific image forming apparatus; … to which sheet information selected by a user can be set based on a sheet usable/unusable flag managed by the information processing apparatus [par 0064-0065, 0074, 0078 – paper information management table includes a display ON/OFF flag that is set to determine whether a paper size or type is usable or not usable as a selection candidate for displaying]’.
Kiwada and Kuroshima are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely image data printing systems. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include managing paper information usability, as taught by Kuroshima. The motivation for doing so would have been to enabling a reduction in the possibility of wrong print output settings. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kuroshima with Kiwada to obtain the invention as specified in claim 7.
Further, in regards to Claim 6, the information processing apparatus of claim 7 performs the control method of claim 6.
Further, in regards to claim 1, the control method of claim 6 is fully embodied in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1.
As to Claim 4, Kiwada teaches ‘wherein the program causes the computer to change a mode of displaying a sheet holding unit which is among a plurality of sheet holding units of the image forming apparatus found by the search and to which the sheet information selected by the user is able to be set [Fig 9 (76), par 0070 – a search is made for MFPs which match the required status considering the paper and the result of the search is displayed in a result display area which shows the discovered MFP and the tray]’.
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.
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiwada in view of Kuroshima and further in view of Ishii (US-2008/0085133).
As to Claim 2, Kiwada in view of Kuroshima teaches all of the claimed elements/features as recited in independent claim 1. Kiwada in view of Kuroshima does not disclose expressly ‘wherein the program causes the computer to set the sheet information selected by the user to a sheet holding unit of the image forming apparatus found by the search, the sheet holding unit being selected by the user’.
Ishii in the proposed combination teaches ‘wherein the program causes the computer to set the sheet information selected by the user to a sheet holding unit of the image forming apparatus found by the search, the sheet holding unit being selected by the user [par 0036, 0038, 0084-0086, 0089 – setting for each paper feeding tray according to a paper condition so that paper is registered and stored]’.
Kiwada in view of Kuroshima are analogous art with Ishii because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely image data printing systems. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include registering paper conditions and feeding trays, as taught by Ishii. The motivation for doing so would have been to reducing the labor of setting a paper type in a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Ishii with Kiwada in view of Kuroshima to obtain the invention as specified in claim 2.
As to Claim 3, Kiwada in view of Ishii teaches ‘wherein the program causes the computer to cause the information processing apparatus to store information in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses is associated with sheet information that is able to be set for the plurality of image forming apparatuses [Kiwada: Fig 4 (202), par 0053 – storage unit has an application program and a printer driver understood by all MFPs installed; Ishii: par 0036-0037, 0057, 0078, 0081 – storing a distribution table and paper table for each of the image forming apparatuses], and wherein the program causes the computer to cause the information processing apparatus to search for, based on the information, an image forming apparatus associated with sheet information on a sheet to which the sheet information selected by the user is able to be set [Kiwada: Figs 8 (66), 9 (75), par 0063-0064, 0066-0067, 0069-0071 – when a search button is pressed after paper type is entered, a search is made for MFPs which are provided with the paper type that can be used by a user’s department based on paper management information received from each MFP]’.
Kiwada in view of Kuroshima are analogous art with Ishii because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely image data printing systems. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include registering paper conditions and feeding trays, as taught by Ishii. The motivation for doing so would have been to reducing the labor of setting a paper type in a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Ishii with Kiwada in view of Kuroshima to obtain the invention as specified in claim 3.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kiwada in view of Kuroshima and further in view of Fujimori et al. (US-2010/0188700).
As to Claim 5, Kiwada in view of Kuroshima teaches all of the claimed elements/features as recited in dependent claim 4 and independent claim 1. Kiwada in view of Kuroshima does not disclose expressly ‘wherein the program causes the computer to change a color of display of one of the plurality of sheet holding unit of the image forming apparatus found by the search and to which the sheet information selected by the user is able to be set’.
Fujimori teaches ‘wherein the program causes the computer to change a color of display of one of the plurality of sheet holding unit of the image forming apparatus found by the search and to which the sheet information selected by the user is able to be set [Fig 10, par 0097, 0111-0112, 0115 – highlighting printing devices and their trays that have equally matched printer settings (i.e., Paper Type)]’.
Kiwada in view of Kuroshima are analogous art with Fujimori because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely image data printing systems. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include highlighting printer trays, as taught by Fujimori. The motivation for doing so would have been to providing an improved print management system Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Fujimori with Kiwada in view of Kuroshima to obtain the invention as specified in claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record
a. US Publication No. 2012/0120445
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/MIYA J CATO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681