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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed on 07/01/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-4 and 6-19 are still pending in this application.
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 1-6 and 8-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azami (US 20030231345) in view of Oku (US 20170155776) and Tajima (US 8949715) and Martin et al. (US 7852495).
Regarding claim 1, Azami teaches a method, performed by a host device, of outputting a notification banner, the method comprising:
receiving, from a user, a print command for a content (fig. 21 and 22: print button); generating a print job corresponding to the content (p0128: the computer 21 sends the print data to the printer 31, thereby causing the printer 31 to perform printing); generating a thumbnail image of the page to be printed by the image forming apparatus by using the bitmap image (p0159:The thumbnail is generated basically by dividing the bit map image data into..).
Azami does not teach generating print data by encoding the content using a driver; generating a bitmap image for a page being to be printed by an image forming apparatus that performs the print job by rendering the print data using the driver at the host device; generating a thumbnail image of the page being to be printed by the image forming apparatus by using the bitmap image; using an image forming apparatus management application to generate a notification banner including the thumbnail image and information about the print job; and outputting the notification banner on a display of the host device.
Oku teaches generating print data by encoding the content using a driver (p0045:fig. 2: the control portion 25 of the user terminal 20 executes operation illustrated in FIG. 5 by executing the printer driver 24a); generating a bitmap image for a page being to be printed by an image forming apparatus that performs the print job by rendering the print data using the driver at the host device (p0047:the control portion 25 of the user terminal 20 generates raster image data such as a PNG file by causing the RIP module 24b to execute a RIP process on the basis of the print data); generating a thumbnail image of the page being to be printed by the image forming apparatus by using the bitmap image (p0047:causes the display portion 22 to perform preview display on the basis of the generated raster image data (S102), and fig. 5);
Azami and Oku are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Azami with the teaching of Oku for purpose of providing an image output system including a server capable of generating raster image data on the basis of print data (p0002).
Azami in view of Oku does not teach using an image forming apparatus management application to generate a notification banner including the thumbnail image and information about the print job; and outputting the notification banner on a display of the host device.
Martin teaches generating a thumbnail image in the host(1850: thumbnail image generating circuit, routine or application in fig. 10 and fig. 4), using an image forming apparatus management application to generate a notification banner including the thumbnail image and information about the print job (1850: thumbnail image generating circuit, routine or application in fig. 10 , and output the notification banner on a display of the host device (col. 6, lines 50-55 and the completed confirmation sheet is output and s1800-1900 in fig. 6).
Tajima teaches output the notification banner on a display of the host device (col. 6, Lines 5-15: When the print controller 13 receives a notification of successful completion of printing of the third page from the printer 2 (step S116), the processing controller 16 makes the display controller 15 display the thumbnail of the first page because q becomes 1 when i is 3:).
Azami in view of Oku and Martin and Tajima are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Azami in view of Oku with the teaching of Martim and Tajima for purpose of provide specific status on each destination and/or recipient of a multiple service and/or multiple destination job suggested by Martin and a user is notified of completion of printing of the fourth page (step S117) suggested by Tajima.
Regarding claim 2, Azami teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: outputting the notification banner including an interface to receive a user input regarding whether to proceed with the print job (print button in fig. 21), the thumbnail image, and the information about the print job to be performed by an image forming apparatus, and performing an operation corresponding to the user input received through the interface (fig. 21: print or delete).
Regarding claim 3, Azami teaches the method claim 2, further comprising: receiving a first input to authorize proceeding of the print job through the interface, and transmitting print data for the content to the image forming apparatus based on the first input (0181: the controller 102 sends the image data to the printer engine 104 by the units of band, and the printer engine 104 executes printing ).
Regarding claim 4, Azami teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving a second input to cancel the print job through the interface, and deleting the print job based on the second input (delete in fig. 21).
Regarding claim 8, Azami teaches the method of claim 1, further comprise: storeing the thumbnail image in a repository designated by an image forming apparatus management application, and generate the notification banner by using the thumbnail image stored in the repository (fig. 15: 106: printjob storage and 105C: thumbnail storage).
Regarding claim 9, Azami teaches the method of claim 8, further comprising: storing the thumbnail image along with identification information of the print job in the repository (105c in fig 15: Thumbnail storage), obtain the thumbnail image from the repository, based on the identification information of the print job, in response to an event related to the identification information of the print job, and generate the notification banner by using the obtained thumbnail image (p0028: adding identification information to print data relating to the registration order after it has received the registration order of the print job from the computer connected to the printer through a network or the like.).
Claim 10 has been analyzed and rejected with regard to claim 1 and in accordance with Azami’s further teaching on: A computer-readable memory that contains instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method (p0128).
Regarding claim 11, The structural elements of apparatus claim 1 perform all of the steps of method claim 11. Thus, claim 11 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, The structural elements of apparatus claim 2 perform all of the steps of method claim 12. Thus, claim 12 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 2.
Regarding claim 13, The structural elements of apparatus claim 5 perform all of the steps of method claim 13. Thus, claim 13 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 5.
Regarding claim 14, The structural elements of apparatus claim 6 perform all of the steps of method claim 14. Thus, claim 14 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 6.
Regarding claim 15, The structural elements of apparatus claim 8 perform all of the steps of method claim 15. Thus, claim 15 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 8.
Regarding claim 6, Azami in view of Oku, Martin and Tajima teaches the method of claim 5, further comprising: obtaining information about a print error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus (Tajima : col. 7 Lines:10-25: receives a notification of an error from the printer 2 and detects the occurrence of an error during printing of the sixth page), and generate the notification banner including the thumbnail image of the page being printed by the image forming apparatus at a time of the print error and the information about the print error (Tajima : col. 7 Lines:10-25: In the case of this example, an error is detected during printing of the sixth page and therefore a thumbnail of the fifth page is to be generated).
The rational applied to the rejection of claim 5 has been incorporated herein.
Claims 16 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azami in view of, Oku, Martin, Tajima as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tanaka (US 20030231340).
Regarding claim 16, (New) Azami in view of Martin, Oku and Tajima does not teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the notification banner comprises generating the notification banner according to a notification template provided by an operating system, the notification template including an image area and a message area, and wherein the thumbnail image is included in the image area and the information about the print job is included in the message area.
Tanaka teaches wherein the generating of the notification banner comprises generating the notification banner according to a notification template provided by an operating system, the notification template including an image area and a message area, and wherein the thumbnail image is included in the image area and the information about the print job is included in the message area (p0071 and fig. 8).
Azami in view of Tajima and Tanaka are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Azami in view of Martin, Oku and Tajima with the teaching of Tanaka for purpose of providing print charge confirmation page.
Regarding claim 19, The structural elements of apparatus claim 16 perform all of the steps of method claim 19. Thus, claim 19 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 16.
Claim 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azami in view of, Oku, Martin, Tajima as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Ehara (US 20230188660).
Regarding claim 7, Azami in view of Martin, Oku and Tajima teaches the method of claim 6, further comprising: outputting the notification banner including an interface to receive a user input as to whether to proceed with the print job in which the print error has occurred, and perform an operation corresponding to the user input, received through the interface, as to whether to proceed with the print job (Tajima:col. 7 lines: 25-35: the display controller 15 displays on the monitor 26 the thumbnail of the fifth page in accordance with an instruction given by the processing controller 16).
Azami in view of Tajima does not teach notification banner including an interface to receive a user input as to whether to proceed with the print job in which the print error has occurred, and perform an operation corresponding to the user input, received through the interface, as to whether to proceed with the print job.
Ehara teaches notification banner including an interface to receive a user input as to whether to proceed with the print job in which the print error has occurred, and perform an operation corresponding to the user input, received through the interface, as to whether to proceed with the print job (fig. 8D: stop printing).
Azami in view of Tajima and Ehara are combinable because they both deal with management servers with a printing apparatus. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to combine the teachings of Azami in view of Chicoine Tajima with the teaching of Ehara for purpose of providing user friendly system.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 17-18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Azami (US 20030231345) similar system, However, the closest prior art of record, namely Azami (US 20030231345), does not disclose, teach or suggest, the claim limitation, as recited in dependent claims 17 and 18.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 HELEN Q ZONG whose telephone number is (571)270-1600. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9-6.
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HELEN ZONG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2683
/HELEN ZONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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