DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-6, 8-14 and 16-22 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/20/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues on page 9 of the response in essence that: Because the first light source in Yokoyama is intentionally turned on by the system to obtain a reference output, Yokoyama does not disclose detecting "abnormal lighting" (i.e., unintended lighting) of the first light source and that the first light source is controlled to be turned off.
While the Examiner agrees with Applicant that the first light source 13a is deliberately turned on during the measurement step, the second light source 13b is controlled to be turned off (paragraph 83, Subsequently, in a step S205, the CPU 31 according to the present embodiment turns on the second light source 13b based on the setting of reference light intensity Po2 [second light source 13b is off until being turned on in step S205]). The Examiner has modified the rejection to specify that the first light source corresponds to the second light source 13b of Yokoyama and that the second light source corresponds to the first light source 13a of Yokoyama. Yokoyama discloses that second image sensor 17b detects light in step S202 (paragraph 80). Step S202 will include detecting abnormal lighting of the first light source because both the first and second light sensor 17a and 17b receive light from the first and second light sources 13a and 13b (paragraph 61).
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, 8, 9, 17-19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yokoyama et al. US Publication 2022/0141350 (hereafter “Yokoyama”).
Referring to claims 1 and 9, Yokoyama discloses an image reading device comprising:
a first light source to irradiate an object with light in a first wavelength range (paragraph 40, The light source 13 includes a second light source 13b);
a first image sensor to receive light emitted from the first light source to and reflected by the object and output a first image (paragraph 41, The line sensor according to the present embodiment captures an image of the light emitted from the first light source 13a using a first image sensor dedicated to receiving the light of the first light source 13a, and outputs a first image) (paragraph 61, the reflection lights from the first light source 13a and the second light source 13b are incident on the second image sensor 17b and the first image sensor 17a, respectively);
a second light source to irradiate the object with light in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range of the first light source (paragraph 40, The light source 13 includes a first light source 13a);
a second image sensor to receive light emitted from the second light source to and reflected by the object and output a second image (paragraph 41, the line sensor according to the present embodiment captures an image of the light emitted from the second light source 13b using a second image sensor dedicated to receiving the light of the second light source 13b, and outputs a second image) (paragraph 61, the reflection lights from the first light source 13a and the second light source 13b are incident on the second image sensor 17b and the first image sensor 17a, respectively); and
processing circuitry configured to:
calculate signal levels of the first image and the second image (paragraph 53, The setting unit 311 acquires the output data from the first image sensor 17a and the second image sensor 17b whenever necessary, and calculates and sets a light intensity value that satisfies a light intensity condition based on the acquired output data);
control light amounts of the first light source and the second light source respectively based on the calculated signal levels (paragraph 52, the CPU 31 also performs various kinds of processes such as light intensity adjustment of the first light source 13a and the second light source 13b);
detect abnormal lighting of one of the first light source and the second light source corresponding to one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor that performs a predetermined operation; and
detect the abnormal lighting of the first light source when only the second image sensor is turned on to perform a reading operation (paragraph 80, in a step S202, the CPU 31 according to the present embodiment obtains an output Do2_1 of the second image sensor 17b when the first light source 13a emits light based on the reference light intensity Po1, and stores the obtained output in the address 1 of the memory 32) and the first light source is controlled to be turned off (paragraph 83, Subsequently, in a step S205, the CPU 31 according to the present embodiment turns on the second light source 13b based on the setting of reference light intensity Po2 [second light source 13b is off until being turned on in step S205]).
Referring to claim 8 Yokoyama discloses the image reading device according to claim 1 (pargraph 179, The image forming apparatus 2 is provided with an reading device main body 10); and
an image forming device to form an image (paragraph 181, The image forming device 103 prints a document image scanned and read by the reading device main body 10).
Referring to claims 17 and 21, Yokoyama discloses wherein:
the predetermined operation includes an acquisition of black shading data to cancel fixed pattern noise (paragraph 111, Accordingly, the second image 500, which is a document image output from the second image sensor 17b, tends to become a granular image with a lot of noise as a whole, and the image quality and reproducibility of the text 501 and the image 502 deteriorate compared with that of the text 401 and the image 402 of the certificate 400. Accordingly, the second image 500, which is a document image output from the second image sensor 17b, tends to become a granular image with a lot of noise as a whole, and the image quality and reproducibility of the text 501 and the image 502 deteriorate compared with that of the text 401 and the image 402 of the certificate 400).
Referring to claim 18, Yokoyama discloses wherein:
the predetermined operation includes a gain adjustment for adjusting a magnification ratio so that an output level when a reference white plate is read is adjusted to a target value (paragraph 42, A reference white board 12 is used to correct, for example, the changes in radiation intensity of light of the light source 13 or the variations in the pixel array of the line sensor).
Referring to claim 19, Yokoyama discloses an automatic document feeder to convey the object to be read along a conveyance path (paragraph 38, FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of the reading device 1 equipped with an automatic document feeder (ADF)),
wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor read the object to be read through a reading window (paragraph 45, The scanning window 19 is a slit-shaped scanning window formed on a part of the contact glass 11, and the document 100 is scanned in the sub-scanning direction as the document 100 is automatically conveyed and passes through the scanning window 19).
Claims 16, 20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokoyama et al. US Publication 2022/0141350 as applied to claims 1 and 9 above, and further in view of well known prior art.
Referring to claims 16 and 22, Yokoyama discloses detecting abnormal lighting, but does not disclose expressly wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display an error notification on the operation panel when the abnormal lighting is detected.
Official Notice is taken that it is well known and obvious in the art to play an error notification on the operation panel when the abnormal lighting is detected (See MPEP 2144.03). The motivation for doing so would have been to alert the user of the operating conditions of the image reading device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine well known prior art with Yokoyama to obtain the invention as specified in claims 16 and 22.
Referring to claim 20, Yokoyama discloses obtaining a read image by a reading operation, but does not disclose expressly executing a process of removing a seal impression on a read image obtained by a reading operation.
Official Notice is taken that it is well known and obvious in the art to remove a seal impression on a read image (See MPEP 2144.03). The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the user to scan an image without including the seal impression. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine well known prior art with Yokoyama to obtain the invention as specified in claim 20.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 and 10-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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 PETER K HUNTSINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-7435. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Benny Q Tieu can be reached at 571-272-7490. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER K HUNTSINGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
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