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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-5 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tomii (US 2021/0185181 A1).
With respect to Claim 1, Tomii’181 shows an image forming apparatus (figure 1 image forming apparatus 100 with reader 200, scanner 210, ADF 220 and printer 300) comprising:
an image former (figure 1 printer 300) that forms an image in a plurality of colors on a sheet by an intermediate transfer method (paragraph [0040] printer 300 includes an intermediate transfer belt 31 and a fixing device 40 ); and
a hardware processor that determines a measurement method to measure a color misregistration amount at a predetermined position on a surface of the sheet on which the image is formed by the image former (paragraph [0080] tone correction, paragraph [0081] selecting reading mode on a display in figure 5 S501 also see paragraph [0093], figures 9 and 10), wherein the hardware processor determines, based on the determined measurement method, content of a chart to correct at least the color misregistration within the surface of the sheet (figure 5 S502 create test charts).
With respect to Claim 2, Tomii’181 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor receives a user's selection of the measurement method (paragraph [0081] selecting reading mode on a display in figure 5 S501, figure 6A).
With respect to Claim 3, Tomii’181 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor displays an option of the measurement method on a display based on a configuration of the image forming apparatus and receives a selection of the option (paragraph [0081] selecting reading mode on a display in figure 5 S501, figure 6A).
With respect to Claim 4, Tomii’181 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement method is a method using an in-line image reading device, a method using an image reading device other than an in-line type, a method using an in-line color information detection device, a method using a colorimeter other than an in-line type, or a method using visual inspection by a user (paragraph [0081] reading mode between the ADF reading and the original table reading also see paragraphs [0086]-[0087]).
With respect to Claim 5, Tomii’181 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein if the determined measurement method is the method using the image reading device other than the in-line type, the method using the colorimeter other than the in-line type, or the visual method by the user, the hardware processor determines that the chart includes information indicating at least one of an orientation of the chart, identification information of the sheet, and a reading region in the sheet (figures 8A-8B correcting giving an orientation, paragraph [0124] widening the reading region).
With respect to Claim 10, rejection analogous to those presented for claim 1, are applicable.
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 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomii (US 2021/0185181 A1) in view of Shiokawa et al. (US 2018/0309886 A1).
With respect to Claim 6, Tomii’181 does not specifically shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor acquires sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet and restricts the user's selection of the measurement method on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information.
Shiokawa’886 shows hardware processor acquires sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet (figure 6 S100 acquiring type and the like of the sheet) and restricts the user's selection of the measurement method on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information (figure 6 S120 read corresponding preset values).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claim invention to modify Tomii’181 to include acquires sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet and restricts the user's selection of the measurement method on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information method taught by Shiokawa’886. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to improve the system’s ability to be able to improve accuracy of registration displacement (paragraph [0263]).
With respect to Claim 7, Tomii’181 does not specifically shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor acquires sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet and determines the content of the chart on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information.
Shiokawa’886 shows acquire sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet (figure 6 S100) and determines the content of the chart on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information (figure 6 S160 control registration displacement according to reset values).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claim invention to modify Tomii’181 to include acquires sheet attribute information indicating an attribute of the sheet and determines the content of the chart on the basis of the acquired sheet attribute information method taught by Shiokawa’886. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to improve the system’s ability to be able to improve accuracy of registration displacement (paragraph [0263]).
With respect to Claim 8, Tomii’181 and Shiokawa’886 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the hardware processor acquires a physical property value of the sheet sensed by a sensor as the sheet attribute information (in Shiokawa’886: paragraph [0131] acquires information of the type (such as length, width, glossiness of surface, and basis weight (stiffness)) of sheets S to be printed from the user setting information of the print job (step S100). Here, control unit 100 may additionally acquire information of other image forming conditions such as the coverage).
With respect to Claim 9, Tomii’181 and Shiokawa’886 shows the image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined position is a position based on the sheet attribute information and/or the measurement method (in Shiokawa’886: figure 6 S160 control registration displacement according to reset values)).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomii (US 2021/0185181 A1) in view of Ishida (US 2023/0096091 A1).
With respect to Claim 11, Tomii’181 shows a chart for correcting color misregistration formed by an image former that forms an image in a plurality of colors on a sheet by an intermediate transfer method (paragraph [0040] printer 300 includes an intermediate transfer belt 31 and a fixing device 40, paragraph [0116] and figure 5), the chart comprising:
a first pattern formed by a first color of the plurality of colors (figure 7 test charts including test images with colors, paragraph [0116] test images 830a); and
a second pattern formed by a second color that is a chromatic color among the plurality of colors, wherein, the plurality of first patterns and the plurality of second patterns are formed such that the first pattern covers the second pattern (figure 7 test charts including test images with colors, paragraph [0116] test images 830a and 830b each include patch images in seven colors, namely, yellow (Y) patch images, magenta (M) patch images, cyan (C) patch images, and black (K) patch images that are formed from density signals indicating 100%, and red (R) patch images, green (G) patch images, and blue (B) patch images. The red patch images are formed by overlapping a yellow image and a magenta image that are each formed from a density signal indicating 100%. The green patch images are formed by overlapping a yellow image and a cyan image that are each formed from a density signal indicating 100%. The blue patch images are formed by overlapping a magenta image and a cyan image that are each formed from a density signal indicating 100%.), and [ ].
Tomii’181 does not specifically shows the second pattern is positioned on an upstream side or a downstream side from a center of the first pattern in the sheet conveyance direction.
Ishida’091 shows the second pattern is positioned on an upstream side or a downstream side from a center of the first pattern in the sheet conveyance direction (paragraph [0107] color displacement correction portion 97 in this case detects an image density in each of the evaluation charts CT with a boundary portion (center portion) of the first evaluation pattern PTI and the second evaluation pattern PT2 adjacent to each other set as a reference position in figure 23).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claim invention to modify Tomii’181 to include second pattern is positioned on an upstream side or a downstream side from a center of the first pattern in the sheet conveyance direction method taught by Ishida’091. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to improve the system’s ability to appropriately correct the dot displacement in each position in the main scanning direction (paragraph [0107]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Furuta (US 2023/0305427 A1): shows paragraph [0024] optical sensor 113 detects a test chart for measuring an amount of color misregistration, which is formed on the transfer belt 111 by the image forming unit 101. A control unit, not shown in the figure, performs color misregistration correction control based on the detection result of the test chart.
Chizawa (US 2001/0033395 A1): paragraph [0301] a line chart may be scanned from a zoom ratio of 100% to 400% in 10%-increments, the color misregistration amounts of the scanned images may be measured, and linear approximation may be made by the method of least squares.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IRIANA CRUZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3246. The examiner can normally be reached 10-6.
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/IRIANA CRUZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681