DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the position of printing bars” lacks antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanimori (5,014,223) in view of Kim (2023/0177676).
Regarding claim 1, Tanimori teaches a method for digital printing on a sheet having an edge, comprising the following steps:
providing a main reference system (cols. 7-8, lines 66-14);
providing an image (fig. 6, item 21) having a contour (fig. 6, note contour), positioned in a pre-established manner relative to said main reference system (see fig. 6);
defining a plurality of nodal points (fig. 6, points Pa – Pg) relative to said a main reference system (see fig. 6);
associating with each nodal point of the plurality of nodal points a corresponding image point (fig. 6, points P) of the image, by means of a pre-established calculation method (col. 6, lines 5-27, note that the nodal points are determined solely based on the apices of the polygon, and those nodal points are then associated with image data based on calculations done by the processor), such that each corresponding image point has an associated nodal point;
for each corresponding image point;
processing a modified portion (col. 6, lines 29-55, concave portion Pe) of the image, the modified portion (Im) being obtained by moving the corresponding image point, and a portion of the contour adjacent to the corresponding image point, in a pre-established position with respect to the associated nodal point (figs. 6-8, see fig. 6, lines 1-67, note that image point Pe moves to the position E1 shown and a new image point E2 is created so as to create line V5 with image point E1 so as to modify the contour adjacent the image point).
Tanimori does not teach specifics of the operation of the printer. Kim teaches
translating the sheet in advancement along an advancement direction on an advancement plane; during the advancement of the sheet: performing a succession of scans of consecutive zones of the sheet, such that data is acquired of each zone (Kim, [0088]-[0092], Note that the disclosed partial regions of the image are being taken to read on the claimed zones). It would have been obvious to one of skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a printer of the type disclosed by Kim to employ the graphics rendering technique disclosed by Tanimori because doing so would amount to combining a prior art technique with a prior art device to obtain predictable results.
Upon combination of the references, the resultant device would print the modified portion on the sheet.
Regarding claim 2, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the nodal points of the plurality of nodal points are points of the edge of the sheet, and wherein the respective image points are points of the contour of the image (Tanimori, see fig. 6, Note also that the claimed edge can be defined broadly to include whole portions of the sheet.).
Regarding claim 3, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 2, wherein each image point is defined as an intersection between the contour of the image and the perpendicular to the edge passing through the nodal point (Tanimori, see fig. 6, Note that the claimed perpendiculars can be drawn to meet the limitation).
Regarding claim 4, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the modified portions are printed in succession on the sheet (Tanimori, note that this can mean almost anything. Any two modified portions printed on the sheet can meet the limitation).
Regarding claim 5, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein each modified portion of the image is printed on the sheet during processing of one or more successive modified portions of the image (Tanimori, note that this can mean almost anything. Any two modified portions printed on the sheet can meet the limitation).
Regarding claim 6, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein said portion of the contour adjacent to an image point is the portion of the contour comprised between the image point and a subsequent image point (Tanimori, see fig. 6).
Regarding claim 7, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the nodal points of the edge of the sheet are defined by approximating the edge with a polygonal line according to a pre-established approximation formula, and wherein the nodal points are vertices of said polygonal line (Tanimori, see fig. 6).
Regarding claim 8, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches a machine for digital printing on a shaped sheet, comprising:
an advancement plane, movable in advancement along a longitudinal direction by means of digitally controlled motor means; an acquisition station, configured to acquire a succession of images of the sheet in advancement on the advancement plane; a digital printer, located downstream of the acquisition station; characterised in that it comprises a command module connected to the motor means of the advancement plane, to the acquisition station and to the digital printer, and which is configured to implement the method according to claim 1 (Kim, [0088]-[0092]).
Regarding claim 10, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the scans are performed by optical means (Kim, [0088]-[0092]).
Regarding claim 11, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the data is position data of the plurality of nodal points (Note that, upon combination of Kim with Tanimori, the limitation is met).
Regarding claim 12, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the scans acquire an image of each zone (Kim, [0088]-[0092]).
Regarding claim 13, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the data is position data of the plurality of nodal points obtained from processing the image of each zone (Note that, upon combination of Kim with Tanimori, the limitation is met).
Regarding claim 14, Tanimori in view of Kim teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the main reference system defines the position of printing bars (Note that this could mean almost anything. The system necessarily knows where the printhead is in relation to the medium and the reference system).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot in light of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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