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 .
Claims 8-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species II and III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/17/2026.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (US 2021/0026574 A1) in view of Parry (US 2002/0196460 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kato discloses a method for managing printing operations (e.g., FIG. 1, a print system 1 includes a user terminal 10, a server 20, paragraph 24), the method comprising:
processing a print job at a raster image processing (RIP) system corresponding to a printing device (e.g., paragraph 48), wherein the print job includes a plurality of copies of a document having at least one page (e.g., the user terminal 10 is an apparatus that creates and manages a first print job J1 including first print data D1 to be printed by the printer 40. The first print data D1 is one example of print data included in the first print job J1, paragraph 26, figure 1);
rendering a page of a first copy of the plurality of copies using the RIP system (e.g., The first print job J1 includes information such as print settings information to be used when the printer 40 prints the first print data D1, paragraph 26);
storing the page of the first copy within a storage associated with the RIP system (e.g., the user terminal 10 creates a second print job J2 including second print data D2 containing an embedded two-dimensional matrix code 60 indicating the storage location of the first print job J1, paragraph 27);
deleting the page after the first copy is printed from the storage (e.g., The first print job removal unit 303 removes the first print job J1 stored in the first print job storage unit 301. In the exemplary embodiment, the first print job removal unit 303 removes the first print job J1 stored in the first print job storage unit 301 after receiving “printing complete” information from the print status reception unit 304, paragraph 65);
detecting that the page from the first copy is not available within the storage for printing a subsequent copy of the document (e.g., In the exemplary embodiment, a storage location URL indicating the cloud storage 30 and account information are acquired as the storage location information. In the case where the storage location is not acquired (step S104: No), the CPU 11 stands by until the storage location information is acquired, paragraph 83);
instructing a RIP manager of the RIP system to render the page (e.g., In the case where the storage location information is acquired (step S104: Yes), the CPU 11 creates the two-dimensional matrix code 60 indicating the storage location (step S105). In the exemplary embodiment, the two-dimensional matrix code 60 indicating a storage location URL and account information is created, paragraph 84);
assigning a RIP to the page; and rendering the page at the assigned RIP to print with the subsequent copy (e.g., The CPU 11 creates the second print job J2 including the second print data D2 containing the embedded two-dimensional matrix code 60 (step S106). The second print job J2 includes the print settings of the second print data D2 designating the above “limited functions”, and the content of the first print job J1 (for example, the first page of the first print data D1). Because the second print job J2 includes the content of the first print job J1, when checking a job list that includes the second print job J2, for example, the content of the first print job J1 is presented as a preview, causing the user to confirm through the second print job J2 the print job that the user actually wants to print, paragraph 85).
Kato does not specifically disclose determining a storage threshold for the storage associated with the RIP system is reached.
Parry discloses determining a storage threshold for the storage associated with the RIP system is reached (e.g., microprocessor 40 of printing device 30 is configured to translate coded language received from printer drivers of networked workstations into a bit-mapped image format (raster image format), and to store the translated print files in high capacity memory storage (i.e., job retention 45). Thus, the resulting "RIP'ed" print jobs, representing graphical images of text or drawings along with associated print attributes, are stored in job retention 45 as "print ready files.", paragraph 29).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Kato to include determining a storage threshold for the storage associated with the RIP system is reached as taught by Parry. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Kato by teaching of Parry to use for applications properly.
Regarding claim 2, Kato discloses wherein detecting that the page is not available includes using an engine manager within the RIP system to interact with the RIP manager (e.g., steps S103, S104, figure 8).
Regarding claim 3, Kato discloses wherein instructing the RIP manager includes sending an instruction from the engine manager to the RIP manager (e.g., The CPU 11 (engine manager) determines whether or not storage location information has been acquired from the cloud storage 30 (RIP manager) (step S104). In the exemplary embodiment, a storage location URL indicating the cloud storage 30 and account information are acquired as the storage location information, paragraph 83).
Regarding claim 4, Kato discloses wherein the engine manager exchanges data with a print engine of the printing device (e.g., the CPU 11 (engine manager) polls the storage location, that is, the cloud storage 30, for the print status of the first print job J1 (step S108). The predetermined amount of time is preset to the ordinary amount of time it takes for the server 20 to transmit the second print job J2 to the printer 40, and for the printer 40 to read the storage location information from the two-dimensional code 60 included in the second print job J2 and acquire the first print job J1, paragraph 87).
Regarding claim 5, Kato discloses further comprising reading the page of the first copy from the storage by an engine manager of the RIP system (e.g., the user terminal 10 (engine manager) is an apparatus that creates and manages a first print job J1 including first print data D1 to be printed by the printer 40. The first print data D1 is one example of print data included in the first print job J1, paragraph 26).
Regarding claim 6, Kato discloses further comprising printing the first copy at the printing device (e.g., the user terminal 10 (engine manager) is an apparatus that creates and manages a first print job J1 including first print data D1 to be printed by the printer 40. The first print data D1 is one example of print data included in the first print job J1, paragraph 26).
Regarding claim 7, Kato discloses further comprising deleting at least one page from the storage after the first copy is printed (e.g., the first print job removal unit 303 removes the first print job J1 stored in the first print job storage unit 301. In the exemplary embodiment, the first print job removal unit 303 removes the first print job J1 stored in the first print job storage unit 301 after receiving “printing complete” information from the print status reception unit 304, paragraph 65).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG N VO whose telephone number is (571)270-1121. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7AM-4PM, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abderrahim Merouan can be reached at 571-270-5254. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUANG N VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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