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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-7, 12-13 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.
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, 3-7, 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US2024/0193923) in view of Isken et al. (US2022/0084181) and Iwabuchi (US2020/0193582).
To claim 1, Wang teach an information processing apparatus, comprising:
one or more memories storing instructions; and one or more processors executing the instructions to:
obtain a target image (sample image) including one or more type of objects requiring inspection (paragraphs 0002, 0005):
generate, from the obtained target image, a plurality of processed images each having a different resolution from other processed images and the target image (Fig. 2C; paragraphs 0067-0069, multi-resolution transformation on the sample image);
set label data associated with each of the one or more type of objects based on the obtained target image, the label data being associated with predetermined image resolution (Fig. 2C; paragraphs 0052, 0066, target detection at different resolution levels, wherein different defects are classified according to the size similarity of the defects to form different categories of labels, which obviously indicate that a detected defect type is associated with the resolution level of an image being detected).
But, Wang do not expressly disclose select, from the plurality of processed images, a respective processed image having a resolution associated with the set label data corresponding to the type of the object; and generate a display image that super imposes the set label data with the selected respective processed image enabling inspection of the type of object.
Isken teach defect inspection by image analysis (abstract; Fig. 5D), comprising labeling detected type of defect (paragraphs 0046, 0328), and automatically associating defect type to a resolution level (paragraphs 0088-0090), wherein a display image that super imposes the set label data with the selected respective processed image enabling inspection of the type of object (paragraphs 0055, 0071, 0100, 0110 user may select type of defect to be identified, which would lead to selecting one of resulted images for display).
In corresponding Isken, Iwabuchi teach a display image that super imposes the set label data with the selected respective processed image enabling inspection of the type of object (Figs. 11-15D, associating defect type to resolution, displaying respective processed image corresponding to selected defect type with indicating result of defect determination).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Isken and Iwabuchi into the apparatus of Wang, in order to further image detail association in defect identification.
To claim 12, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach an information processing method (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 13, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing an information processing apparatus to perform a control method (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 3, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach claim 2.
Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the one or more processors to: acquire a detection result of the one or more objects of the type included in the target image; and generate the display image based on the selected processed image and the acquired detection result and cause the generated display image to be displayed on a display (as explained in response to claim 1 above, Iwabuchi).
To claim 4, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach claim 1.
Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the one or more processors to: generate the plurality of processed images by preforming resolution conversion processing and image dividing processing in combination; select a partial image based on sections divided by the image dividing processing from the selected processed image; and generate the display image by using the partial image and cause the generated display image to be displayed on a display (as explained in response to claim 1 above).
To claim 5, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach claim 1.
Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the one or more processors to select a processed image of a resolution corresponding to a type associated with a highest resolution among the plurality of set types when a plurality of types of objects are included in the obtained target image (as explained in response to claim 1 above, Iwabuchi).
To claim 6, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach claim 1.
Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach wherein the generated display imge includes at least a resolution of the selected processed image or the set type of the object (as explained in response to claim 1 above, Iwabuchi).
To claim 7, Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach claim 6.
Wang, Isken and Iwabuchi teach wherein execution of the stored instructions further configures the one or more processors to: receive an operation to change the resolution of the generated displayed image or the type of the object; in a case where the operation to change the resolution is received, select a processed image of a changed resolution; and in a case where the operation to change the type of the object, set a changed type of object (as explained in response to claim 1 above, Iwabuchi).
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHIYU LU whose telephone number is (571)272-2837. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays: 8:30AM - 5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephen R Koziol can be reached at (408) 918-7630. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ZHIYU . LU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2669
/ZHIYU LU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2665 October 7, 2026
