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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-9 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement filed on 05/13/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and have been considered. An initialed copy of the Form 1449 is enclosed herewith.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 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 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishiyama, US 2006/0028530 in view of Park et al., US 2006/0017970.
Regarding claim 1, Nishiyama discloses a print management apparatus (PC 1. Fig. 1) comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors (CPU 11 controls various parts indicated above and executes various arithmetic processes according to a program. The ROM 12 stores various programs and data, paragraph 48), cause the print management apparatus to:
receive, from a first account (user A of PC 1), a first printing request for a document to a second account (user A instructs a confidential printing then PC 1 transmits the first confidential printing job to the printer 2, paragraph 79);
transmit, to the second account, a printing request for the document based on the first printing request (PC 1 transmits the first confidential printing job to the printer 2, paragraph 79);
receive, from the second account, first printing approval as a response to the first printing request (printer 2 sends a new password "1234" to the PC 1, and adds the new data consisting of the user name of the user A, the password of "1234," and the registration time of 10:00 to the password list 53. As the PC 1 receives the abovementioned response from the printer 2, paragraph 79);
manage the document corresponding to the first printing approval in association with a first reservation identifier (PC 1 manages/associates first document for confidential printed as instructed by user A with the password “1234” as received from printer 2, paragraphs 79-80);
transmit, to the first account, the first reservation identifier (received password “1234” is transmitted/displayed on display 15 for user A to see, paragraph 79);
receive, from the first account, a second printing request for another document to the second account (user A instructs another confidential printing (second confidential printing request) and PC 1 transmits the second confidential printing job to the printer 2, paragraph 79);
transmit, to the second account, a second printing request for the other document based on the second printing request; receive, from the second account, second printing approval as a response to the second printing request (PC 1 transmits the second confidential printing job to the printer 2 and then printer 2 responds back with another approval in terms of same password "1234" to the PC 1 since user A is already registered at time of first printing request, paragraph 79);
and in a case where the document associated with the first reservation identifier has not been printed, manage the first reservation identifier in further association with the other document corresponding to the second printing approval, wherein the first reservation identifier is an identifier to be input to an image forming apparatus to cause the image forming apparatus to print one or more documents associated with the identifier (user A walks up to the place where the printer 2 is installed, selects the first confidential printing job on the operating panel unit 25, and enters "1234" as the password. Because the password established for the selected first confidential job matches with the entered password, the printer 2 approves the execution of the first confidential printing job. Furthermore, the user A selects the second confidential printing job on the operating panel unit 25, and enters "1234" as the password. Because the password established in the selected second confidential job matches with the entered password, the printer 2 approves the execution of the second confidential printing job as well such that user is required to remember only one password assigned for the multiple confidential printing jobs so that it is possible to minimize the problem of forgetting passwords and being unable to print, paragraphs 80, 83).
Nishiyama fails to explicitly disclose transmit, to second account, a first printing approval request for document based on first printing request; receive, from the second account, first printing approval as a response to the first printing approval request; transmit, to the second account, a second printing approval request for other document based on second printing request; receive, from the second account, second printing approval as a response to the second printing approval request.
However, Park teaches print management apparatus such as image forming apparatus 110 which serves as a host device, paragraph 75, that transmits, to second account (second device 150 which comprises an approval unit 151, paragraph 80), a first printing approval request for document based on first printing request (approval unit 151 of second device 150 receives from the image forming apparatus 110, a request for approval for printing of a document stored in the first device 130 and displays this on a display unit to thereby notify the user of the second device 150. Then, the approval unit is to be input an "output permission" or an "output rejection" by the user of the second device 150, paragraph 81);
receive, from the second account, first printing approval as a response to the first printing approval request (an output permission for the requested document is received from the user of the second device 150, the approval unit 151 sends to the image forming apparatus 110 a response comprising information on the output permission so as to print the document. If the requested document is not required to be printed and thus an output rejection is input by the user of the second device 150, the approval unit 151 sends to the image forming apparatus 110 a response comprising information on the output rejection so as not to print the relevant document, paragraph 82);
transmit, to the second account, a second printing approval request for other document based on second printing request; receive, from the second account, second printing approval as a response to the second printing approval request (several documents can be printed/processed, paragraph 73, therefore it is quite apparent that same process as discussed for first approval request based on first printing request will be executed for each relevant document needed to be printed such as in case of second document or another/other document which needs to printed, a second printing approval request pertaining to second document printing request will be sent to second device which will either be approved or rejected by the approval unit 151 and image forming apparatus will be notified accordingly based on the response received back from the second device pertaining to approval requests for each document as discussed/explained in paragraphs 81-82 above).
Nishiyama and Park are combinable because they both are in the same field of endeavor dealing with print management apparatuses with print approving means.
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishiyama to incorporate the teachings of Park such as transmitting printing approval requests and receiving response back for the benefit of having an output permission and result notification function, in which information on a document is provided to a document receiver connected to a network and an output permission is obtained therefrom, and then the concerned document is output, thereby avoiding waste of resources and maintaining the security of document as taught by Park at paragraph 16.
Regarding claim 2, Nishiyama further discloses wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the print management apparatus to transmit, to the first account, the first reservation identifier after the first reservation identifier is managed in association with the other document corresponding to the second printing approval (received password “1234” is transmitted/displayed on display 15 for user A to see for both first and second documents after it has been managed/associated by the PC 1 with the first and second documents to be required for confidential printing to be carried out, paragraphs 79-80).
Regarding claim 3, Combination of Nishiyama with Park further teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the print management apparatus to: manage a second reservation identifier differing from the first reservation identifier in association with the other document corresponding to the second printing approval in a case where the second printing approval is received and the document associated with the first reservation identifier has been printed; and transmit, to the first account, the second reservation identifier (Nishiyama, when the user A instructs another confidential printing, the PC 1 transmits the second confidential printing job to the printer 2. The printer 2 receives the second confidential printing job from the PC 1. The printer 2 sends a new password "5678" different from password “1234” in association with the second confidential document corresponding to the second printing approval to the PC 1 and adds to the password list 56 the data consisting of the user name of the user A, the password of "5678”. As the PC 1 receives the abovementioned response from the printer 2, it displays the password "5678" on the display 15 when the user A has already printed first document using first password “1234”, another password is given to user specific to second document, paragraphs 105-106 and Park, If the approval unit 151 receives from the image forming apparatus 110 an output result that the approved document has been printed, it displays the fact on a display device (not illustrated) to thereby notify the user of the second device 150, paragraph 83).
Nishiyama and Park are combinable because they both are in the same field of endeavor dealing with print management apparatuses with print approving means.
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishiyama to incorporate the teachings of Park such as transmitting printing approval requests and receiving response back for the benefit of having an output permission and result notification function, in which information on a document is provided to a document receiver connected to a network and an output permission is obtained therefrom, and then the concerned document is output, thereby avoiding waste of resources and maintaining the security of document as taught by Park at paragraph 16.
Regarding claim 4, Nishiyama further discloses wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the print management apparatus to manage the first reservation identifier and the document corresponding to the first printing approval in association with a printing deadline (when the time comes to 12 o'clock, noting that one of the passwords has passed the specified time after its registration, the printer 2 deletes the data consisting of the user name of the user A, the password of "1234," and the registration time of 10:00 from the password list 53. Therefore, when the user A instructs confidential printing again after this, a new password such as "9876," which is different from "1234," will be established, paragraph 81).
Regarding claim 5, Nishiyama further discloses wherein in a case where the document associated with the first reservation identifier has not been printed and the printing deadline has not expired, the first reservation identifier is managed in association with the other document corresponding to the second printing approval (printer 2 establishes the same password for multiple confidential printing jobs received within a specified time period from the same user and returns them back to the sender, paragraph 82).
Regarding claim 6, Nishiyama further discloses wherein in a case where the printing deadline has expired, the other document corresponding to the second printing approval is managed in association with a second reservation identifier differing from the first reservation identifier (when the time comes to 12 o'clock, noting that one of the passwords has passed the specified time after its registration, the printer 2 deletes the data consisting of the user name of the user A, the password of "1234," and the registration time of 10:00 from the password list 53. Therefore, when the user A instructs confidential printing again after this, a new password such as "9876," which is different from "1234," will be established, paragraph 81).
Regarding claim 7, Combination of Nishiyama with Park further teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the print management apparatus to delete the document, a printing deadline for the document (Park, storage mode which stores the printing job for a pre-established period of time, the state change information comprises information on any one of cases where the printing job is printed, the printing job is deleted, and the established time is reached, paragraphs 47-48) and the first reservation identifier in a case where the document associated with the first reservation identifier has been printed or the printing deadline has expired (Nishiyama, when the time comes to 12 o'clock, noting that one of the passwords has passed the specified time after its registration, the printer 2 deletes the data consisting of the user name of the user A, the user's side password of "1234," the printer's side password of "12345678," and the registration time of 10:00 from the password list 59. Therefore, when the user B walks up to the printer 2 at 12: 01, selects the confidential printing job, which he/she instructed the transmission of, and enters the password "1234," the execution of said confidential printing job will be executed, paragraph 142).
Nishiyama and Park are combinable because they both are in the same field of endeavor dealing with print management apparatuses with print approving means.
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nishiyama to incorporate the teachings of Park such as transmitting printing approval requests and receiving response back for the benefit of having an output permission and result notification function, in which information on a document is provided to a document receiver connected to a network and an output permission is obtained therefrom, and then the concerned document is output, thereby avoiding waste of resources and maintaining the security of document as taught by Park at paragraph 16.
Regarding claim 8, Nishiyama further discloses a print system (image processing system according to this embodiment is equipped with a PC 1 as a printing job transmission device and a printer 2 as an image forming device, which are connected via a network 3 to communicate with each other, paragraph 46) comprising: the print management apparatus (PC 1, fig. 1) according to claim 1; and an image forming apparatus (printing unit 26 of printer 2, fig. 3, paragraph 52) configured to print the document associated with the reservation identifier based on the reservation identifier (user A walks up to the place where the printer 2 is installed, selects the first confidential printing job on the operating panel unit 25, and enters "1234" as the password. Because the password established for the selected first confidential job matches with the entered password, the printer 2 approves the execution of the first confidential printing job, paragraph 80).
Regarding claim 9, is a method version of claim 1 reciting similar features as claim 1 and thus is rejected on the same rationale as presented for claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seo et al., US 2020/0142656
Kamath et al., US 2013/0107324
Ito, US 2009/0279118
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/PAWAN DHINGRA/Examiner, Art Unit 2683
/ABDERRAHIM MEROUAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2683