DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
4. 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
5. Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by SONG et al. U.S. Patent Application No. (2022/0182511) (hereinafter SONG).
Regarding claim 1, SONG et al. (US 20220182511) discloses an information processing system (an operation of an image forming device and a server to remove a vertical streak; Figure 1) comprising one or a plurality of processors (an operation through the artificial neural network may be performed by a processor in the server 20 or a processor in the image forming device 10; paragraph 59, Figures 4, 14),
wherein the one or the plurality of processors acquires a read image that is an image obtained by reading, by a reading section, a diagnosis image of a recording medium output by an image forming section (Processor 1550 may control a scan job to be performed in the scanning device 1520 according to a scan job request. The processor 1550 may detect a vertical streak in a scanned image generated from the scan job; paragraphs 156-158),
when the read image has an image abnormality as a result of diagnosis of the read image acquired, displays a cause of the image abnormality in association with the image abnormality (action information may include information of a certain intensity level for adjusting the sensitivity for removing vertical streaks to be occurred by at least one scan job of the image forming device 10, guide information for guiding the operation of the image forming device 10 such that at least one scan job is performed while a certain intensity level is applied, information about diagnosis of the severity of vertical streaks, information about prediction of the formation of vertical streaks, or notification information informing of a visiting service to the image forming device 100; paragraph 162), and
outputs presence of another image abnormality having the cause being common when at least one of the image abnormality displayed or the cause of the image abnormality is designated by a user (Processor 1550 may obtain information about diagnosis of a severity of a vertical streak and action information for reducing a vertical streak occurrence; paragraphs 167-169).
Regarding claim 2, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein when the user designates a region including the image abnormality in the read image and the region designated satisfies a predetermined condition, the outputting is performed (the defective level of vertical streaks may be determined based on the number, the location, the thickness, or the brightness of vertical streaks included in a certain scan job load, the number or the location of vertical streaks detected at the certain frequency; paragraph 35).
Regarding claim 3, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is presence of only the image abnormality in the region designated (the presence or absence of fixed vertical streaks. The threshold level may indicate a level at which adjustment of an intensity level that adjusts the sensitivity of removing vertical streaks is necessary; paragraph 35).
Regarding claim 4, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is presence of only a different image abnormality having the cause of the image abnormality being common in the region designated (the defective level of vertical streaks may be determined based on the number, the location, the thickness, or the brightness of vertical streaks included in a certain scan job load; paragraph 35).
Regarding claim 5, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the outputting is performed by displaying the region designated including the image abnormality and a region including the another image abnormality (an operation in which an image forming device displays guide information for removing a vertical streak, based on a result of diagnosing a severity of the vertical streak; paragraphs 75-76, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 6, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 5, wherein a magnification for the read image is set for the region designated and the region including the another image abnormality (an image 730, when the severity of the vertical streak is the grade 4 having high severity of vertical streak, the image forming device 10 may display guide information for guiding the level of removing vertical streaks upward; paragraph 78, Figure 7).
`Regarding claim 7, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the presence of the another image abnormality is information that displays at least a part of the another image abnormality (Referring to an image 740, when the severity of the vertical streaks is the grade 5 having very high severity of vertical streak, the image forming device 10 may display guide information; paragraph 79, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 8, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the information that displays the at least a part of the another image abnormality is displayed when the user designates a display of the at least a part (Referring to an image 710 and an image 720, when the severity of the vertical streak is the grade 1 having very low severity of vertical streak or the grade 2 having low severity of vertical streak, the image forming device 10 may display guide information indicating that the vertical streak has been detected and information for guiding a scanning glass or a scanning strip to be cleaned (e.g., wiped); paragraph 77, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 9, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 7, wherein when there is a plurality of the another image abnormalities, the information that displays the at least a part of the another image abnormality is information that displays any one of the another image abnormalities satisfying a predetermined display condition; (paragraph 77, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 10, SONG discloses the information processing system according to claim 8, wherein when there is a plurality of the another image abnormalities, the information that displays the at least a part of the another image abnormality is information that displays any one of the another image abnormalities satisfying a predetermined display condition (paragraph 77, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 11, claim 11 is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, and recites identical features as claim 1. Thus, claim 11 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in claim 1 above.
Information Disclosure Statement
6. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 June 2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Cited Art
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
OHTA et al. (US 2017/0038307) discloses an information processing device that detects a crack on a structure, comprising: a change detection unit that detects a change in positions of at least two measurement points on the structure; and a crack detection unit that detects a crack based on the change in the positions of the measurement points detected by the change detection unit, wherein the crack detection unit detects that there is the crack between the two measurement points based on a relation of the change in the positions of the two measurement points on the structure, wherein the crack detection unit detects that there is the crack between the two measurement points when the change in the positions of the two measurement points satisfies a predetermined condition, further comprising: a crack-opening-displacement calculating unit that calculates a crack opening displacement, which is a displacement of a crack opening of the crack detected by the crack detection unit, based on the change in the positions of the measurement points, and further comprising: an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data indicating the structure that is a target for checking a crack; and a crack width calculating unit that calculates the crack width of the crack detected by the crack detection unit, based on image data in which the crack opening displacement calculated by the crack-opening-displacement calculating unit is maximal.
SODERMAN et al. (US 2007/0118490) discloses a system for determining at least one confidence value from an analytical process performed in a microchannel structure of a microfluidic device, from which data information of the analytic process is acquired by scanning at least one search area of the microchannel structure for signal data, said search area comprising the result of the analytical process and said acquired data information is stored as an image, one image for each scanned search area, characterized in that the system further comprises: Means for data processing the acquired data information for determining the confidence value, characterized in that the means for data processing further comprises: Means for determining the confidence value using the data information of the entire stored image or parts of the stored image, characterized in that the means for data processing further comprises: Means for determining the confidence value by means of the signal data distribution in an image, characterized in that system further comprises: Means for presenting the confidence value, characterized in that the system comprises means for presenting if the result is acceptable or un-acceptable based on the confidence value.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALLEN H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1229. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am-4 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ALLEN H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
Prosecution Insights