DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This office action is in response to Applicant's arguments dated 05/28/2026. Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-19 is/are pending in the application. Claim(s) 1, 9, and 10 has/have been amended. Claim(s) 5 is/are canceled. Claim(s) 16-19 has/have been added.
Examiner's Note
Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the Applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicants' definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. In re Tanaka et aI., 193 USPQ 139, (CCPA) 1977.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
1. Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019023002 to Ohnishi et al. (hereinafter “Ohnishi”) in view of CN Patent Publication No. 110341337 to Xia (hereinafter “Xia”) and in further view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 201100322299 to Mimura (hereinafter “Mimura”).
With respect to claim 1, Ohnishi discloses A printing method for drawing an image on a transfer-receiving medium by transferring the image printed on a transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium ([0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9), the printing method comprising: a printing stage of printing the image on the transfer medium with a printing device that performs printing through an inkjet method (104, [0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, and FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia); a hot melt resin adhering stage of causing hot melt resin, which is containing a resin softened through heating, to adhere to the transfer medium on which the image is printed ([0022]-[0024], [0096]-[0100]); and a transfer stage of transferring the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium by causing a hot melt resin portion to adhere to the transfer-receiving medium, the hot melt resin portion being a resin portion formed by heating the transfer medium to which the hot melt resin adheres, and softening the hot melt resin through heating (100,101,108,[0151] and examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), wherein the printing device includes: a colored ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a colored ink, which is an ink containing a coloring material showing a nonwhite color, and a clear ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a clear ink, which is a colorless and translucent ink, and in the transfer medium, the clear ink is further ejected from the clear ink head to at least a part of a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head in the printing stage (104 [0074] of Ohnishi and 9, 10 , and 11, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected (104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
However, Ohnishi fails to specifically disclose:
powder.
Xia discloses:
powder (examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the powder as disclosed by Xia with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve the transfer. (examples 1-5 of Xia).
However, Ohnishi in view of Xia fails to specifically disclose:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage.
The tertiary reference Mimura discloses:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage (Clear Ink Application Amount Determination FIG.s 6-FIG. 9 of Mimura).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the limit or threshold as disclosed by Mimura with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve glossiness and reduce gloss variations. ([0040] of Mimura).
With respect to claim 2, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein in the transfer stage, the image is transferred from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium by moving at least a part of the coloring material adhering to the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium together with at least a part of the hot melt resin portion, and in a case where a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head in the transfer medium is defined as an image representing region, a region to which an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is smaller than a preset reference amount is defined as a small amount of ink region, and a ratio of the coloring material moving from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium in the transfer stage is defined as a transfer rate, by ejecting the clear ink to at least a part of the small amount of ink region in the image representing region with the printing device in the printing stage, the transfer rate in at least the part of the small amount of ink region is higher than that in a case where the clear ink is not ejected (104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 3, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein by ejecting the clear ink to at least the part of the small amount of ink region in the printing stage, an amount of the hot melt resin powder adhering to a position to which the clear ink is ejected in the hot melt resin adhering stage is made larger than that in the case where the clear ink is not ejected (104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 4, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein in a case where a region to which the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a predetermined amount, which is larger than the reference amount in the image representing region is defined as a non-small amount of ink region, and an amount of the clear ink per unit area ejected to each position on the transfer medium is defined as a clear ejection amount, the clear ejection amount is differed according to the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area, to make the clear ejection amount in the small amount of ink region larger than the clear ejection amount in the non-small amount of ink region in the printing stage(104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 5, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage(104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 6, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the printing device ejects the colored ink and the clear ink from the colored ink head and the clear ink head to ejection positions set according to a resolution of the printing, and in a case where the ejection positions to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head are defined as colored ejection positions, and the colored ejection positions where adjacent ejection positions are not the colored ejection positions are defined as isolated ejection positions, the small amount of ink region is a region including the isolated ejection positions, and in the printing stage, the printing is performed on the transfer medium to connect ranges including a plurality of the ejection positions including the isolated ejection positions by the colored ink and the clear ink at least near the isolated ejection positions, by ejecting the clear ink from the clear ink head to at least some of the isolated ejection positions in the small amount of ink region or the ejection positions around the isolated ejection positions(104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 7, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses further comprising an adjustment stage of adjusting spread of a dot of the clear ink formed on the transfer medium in the printing stage(104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 8, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein in the adjustment stage, it is determined whether or not the spread of the dot of the clear ink is insufficient based on a result of printing the image on the transfer medium with the printing device under a preset first printing condition, and in a case where it is determined that the spread of the dot is insufficient, a second printing condition that is a condition different from the first printing condition and that the spread of the dot of the clear ink becomes larger is selected as a printing condition for causing the printing device to perform the printing in the printing stage (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 9, Ohnishi discloses a printing system that draws an image on a transfer-receiving medium by transferring the image printed on a transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium ([0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9), the printing system comprising: a printing device that performs printing on the transfer medium through an inkjet method (104, [0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, and FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia); and a transfer unit that transfers the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium, wherein the transfer unit transfers the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium by causing a hot melt resin portion to adhere to the transfer-receiving medium in a state where hot melt resin (100,101,108,[0151] and examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), which is containing a resin softened through heating, is caused to adhere to the transfer medium on which the image is printed, the hot melt resin portion being a resin portion formed by heating the transfer medium to which the hot melt resin adheres, and softening the hot melt resin through heating(100,101,108,[0151] and examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), the printing device includes: a colored ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a colored ink, which is an ink containing a coloring material showing a nonwhite color (104 FIG. 1), and a clear ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a clear ink, which is a colorless and translucent ink, and in the transfer medium, the clear ink is further ejected from the clear ink head to at least a part of a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected (104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
However, Ohnishi fails to specifically disclose:
powder.
Xia discloses:
powder (examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the powder as disclosed by Xia with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve the transfer. (examples 1-5 of Xia).
However, Ohnishi in view of Xia fails to specifically disclose:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage.
The tertiary reference Mimura discloses:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage (Clear Ink Application Amount Determination FIG.s 6-FIG. 9 of Mimura).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the limit or threshold as disclosed by Mimura with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve glossiness and reduce gloss variations. ([0040] of Mimura).
With respect to claim 10, Ohnishi discloses a printing device that performs printing on a transfer medium through an inkjet method in a printing system that draws an image on a transfer-receiving medium by transferring the image printed on the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium ([0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9), the printing device(104, [0030]-[0037] FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, and FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia) comprising: a colored ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a colored ink, which is an ink containing a coloring material showing a nonwhite color (104 FIG. 1 [0073]); and a clear ink head that is an inkjet head ejecting a clear ink, which is a colorless and translucent ink (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), wherein transfer of the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium is transfer of the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium performed by causing a hot melt resin portion to adhere to the transfer-receiving medium in a state where hot melt resin, which is containing a resin softened through heating, is caused to adhere to the transfer medium on which the image is printed (100,101,108,[0151] and examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), the hot melt resin portion being a resin portion formed by heating the transfer medium to which the hot melt resin adheres, and softening the hot melt resin through heating, and in the transfer medium(100,101,108,[0151] and examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), the clear ink is further ejected from the clear ink head to at least a part of a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head, and a clear ejection amount, which is an amount of the clear ink per unit area ejected to each position on the transfer medium, is differed according to an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected (104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia,).
However, Ohnishi fails to specifically disclose:
powder.
Xia discloses:
powder (examples 1-5 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the powder as disclosed by Xia with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve the transfer. (examples 1-5 of Xia).
However, Ohnishi in view of Xia fails to specifically disclose:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage.
The tertiary reference Mimura discloses:
wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where an amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage (Clear Ink Application Amount Determination FIG.s 6-FIG. 9 of Mimura).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the limit or threshold as disclosed by Mimura with the method/apparatus of Ohnishi. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve glossiness and reduce gloss variations. ([0040] of Mimura).
With respect to claim 11, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein in a case where a region to which the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a predetermined amount, which is larger than the reference amount in the image representing region is defined as a non-small amount of ink region (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] and [0146] disclose controlling the amount of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), and an amount of the clear ink per unit area ejected to each position on the transfer medium is defined as a clear ejection amount, the clear ejection amount is differed according to the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area, to make the clear ejection amount in the small amount of ink region larger than the clear ejection amount in the non-small amount of ink region in the printing stage (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] and [0146] disclose controlling the amount of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 12, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the clear ink is not ejected to a position where the amount of the colored ink ejected per unit area is larger than a preset upper limit amount in the printing stage (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 13, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the printing device ejects the colored ink and the clear ink from the colored ink head and the clear ink head to ejection positions set according to a resolution of the printing (100, 104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), and in a case where the ejection positions to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head are defined as colored ejection positions, and the colored ejection positions where adjacent ejection positions are not the colored ejection positions are defined as isolated ejection positions, the small amount of ink region is a region including the isolated ejection positions, and in the printing stage, the printing is performed on the transfer medium to connect ranges including a plurality of the ejection positions including the isolated ejection positions by the colored ink and the clear ink at least near the isolated ejection positions, by ejecting the clear ink from the clear ink head to at least some of the isolated ejection positions in the small amount of ink region or the ejection positions around the isolated ejection positions (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 14, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the printing device ejects the colored ink and the clear ink from the colored ink head and the clear ink head to ejection positions set according to a resolution of the printing (100, 104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), and in a case where the ejection positions to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head are defined as colored ejection positions, and the colored ejection positions where adjacent ejection positions are not the colored ejection positions are defined as isolated ejection positions, the small amount of ink region is a region including the isolated ejection positions, and in the printing stage, the printing is performed on the transfer medium to connect ranges including a plurality of the ejection positions including the isolated ejection positions by the colored ink and the clear ink at least near the isolated ejection positions, by ejecting the clear ink from the clear ink head to at least some of the isolated ejection positions in the small amount of ink region or the ejection positions around the isolated ejection positions (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 15, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the printing device ejects the colored ink and the clear ink from the colored ink head and the clear ink head to ejection positions set according to a resolution of the printing (100, 104 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia), and in a case where the ejection positions to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head are defined as colored ejection positions, and the colored ejection positions where adjacent ejection positions are not the colored ejection positions are defined as isolated ejection positions, the small amount of ink region is a region including the isolated ejection positions, and in the printing stage, the printing is performed on the transfer medium to connect ranges including a plurality of the ejection positions including the isolated ejection positions by the colored ink and the clear ink at least near the isolated ejection positions, by ejecting the clear ink from the clear ink head to at least some of the isolated ejection positions in the small amount of ink region or the ejection positions around the isolated ejection positions (100 Fig. 1, FIG.s 4-9 [0074] of Ohnishi and 8-13, examples 1-5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Xia).
With respect to claim 16, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the transfer-receiving medium is a fabric (Fabric, Textile, Abstract, Background, Summary, Claims of Xia).
With respect to claim 17, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the transfer-receiving medium is clothes (Fabric, Textile, Abstract, Background, Summary, Claims of Xia).
With respect to claim 18, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the transfer- medium is a transfer film, and the transfer of the image from the transfer medium to the transfer receiving medium is by a direct to film (DTF) method ([0143] of Ohnishi, Film, Fabric, Textile, Abstract, Background, Summary, Claims of Xia, Additionally, DTF was well known and a common practice at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at that time.).
With respect to claim 19, Ohnishi in view of Xia and Mimura discloses wherein the transfer- medium is a transfer film, and the transfer of the image from the transfer medium to the transfer receiving medium is by a direct to film (DTF) method ([0143] of Ohnishi, Film, Fabric, Textile, Abstract, Background, Summary, Claims of Xia, Additionally, DTF was well known and a common practice at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at that time.).
RESPONSE TO ARGUMENTS
1. The objections dated 03/17/2026 are withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendments.
2. Applicant's arguments filed 05/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in light of the above 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).
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 extension fee 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 Bradley W Thies whose telephone number is (571)270-5667. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:30 am -6:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at (571) 272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRADLEY W THIES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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