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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 (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.
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 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishihara (EP 3 753 740 A1) (hereinafter Nishihara) in view of Yamamoto (2020/0242427) (Yamamoto).
Regarding Claim 1, Nishihara teaches an image forming control method for controlling an image forming apparatus (100, Fig. 1), comprising: a sheet conveying device (44, 45, Fig. 1) configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path (see Fig. 1) [Paragraphs 0021-022]; a printing device (4b, Fig. 1) configured to form an image on the sheet conveyed along the conveying path (see Fig, 1) [Paragraphs 0022]; an image sensor unit (61, Fig. 3) arranged along the width direction in a state of facing the reference surface (Pr, Fig. 5) through the detection area (the area indicated by W3), and configured to emit detection light toward the reference surface (Pr) and detect an amount of reflected light of the detection light [Paragraphs 0027-0031, 0034-0036]; and output a plurality of line image data each including a plurality of pixel data representing detected light amounts corresponding to a plurality of unit areas divided in the width direction in the detection area [Paragraphs 0031, 0041-0044]; and an image processing device (11, Fig. 8) configured to execute image processing based on the plurality of line image data [Paragraphs 0041-0046]; wherein the image processing device (11) is capable of executing an area detection process of detecting a pair of lateral edge positions (Eg, Fig. 7) that are positions of both ends in the width direction of the sheet passing through the detection area (R0), a sheet area that is an area within a rectangular outline of the sheet, and a mask area (9, Fig. 6) that is a portion of the sheet area where the detected light amount is lower than a reference light amount [Paragraphs 0041-0044, 0047-0054]; the image processing device (11) is further capable of executing an interference position specifying process for specifying a position of an interference portion that overlaps with the mask area in a reference image represented supplied reference image data [Paragraphs 0041-0044, 0047-0054]; the image forming control method comprising: a processor, when an operation mode is a first mode, causing the sheet conveying device to execute a first conveying process of conveying a target sheet in a state where a specific surface of the target sheet serves as a printing surface [Paragraphs 0017-0019]; the processor acquiring information on a pair of first lateral edge positions (Eg) that are the pair of lateral edge positions (Eg) detected by the image processing device (11) when the first conveying process is being executed [Paragraphs 0041-0046]; the processor causing the printing device (4b) to execute a process of forming a first test image including a plurality of black patch images on the specific surface when the first conveying process is being executed [Paragraphs 0018-0031]; the processor causing the sheet conveying device to execute a second conveying process of conveying the target sheet with the specific surface on which the first test image is formed as a printing surface [Paragraph 0085]; the processor acquiring information on a pair of second lateral edge positions (Eg) that are the pair of lateral edge positions (Eg) detected by the image processing device (11) when the second conveying process is being executed [Paragraphs 0085-0086]; the processor supplying second test image data, which corresponds to the plurality of black patch images and includes a plurality of line segment images each along the sheet conveying direction, to the image processing device (11) as the reference image data, and acquiring information on a test interference position that is a position of the interference portion specified by the image processing device (11) based on the mask area (9) corresponding to the second conveying process and data of the second test image [Paragraphs 0031, 0085-0094]; the processor setting a reference center position that is a center position of the image sensor unit (61) in the width direction according to the test interference position [Paragraphs 0037-0046]; the processor, when the operation mode is a second mode, executing a width position correction process of correcting a position in the width direction of a print target image each time the sheet is conveyed according to a difference between a center position of the pair of lateral edge positions (Eg) detected by the image processing device (11) each time the sheet is conveyed and the reference center position [Paragraphs 0055-0065]; the processor supplying data of the print target image that has been subjected to the width position correction process to the image processing device (11) as the reference image data, and executing a mask process in which pixels corresponding to the position of the interference portion identified by the image processing device (11) in the print target image are replaced with non-print pixels [Paragraphs 0066-0075]; and the processor causing the printing device (11) to execute a process of forming the print target image, which has been subjected to the width position correction process and the mask process, on the sheet [Paragraphs 0076-0084].
Nishihara fails to teach a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path; wherein the plurality of black patch images in the first test image are arranged at a pitch of a reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of first lateral edge positions in a state in which the positions in the sheet conveying direction are sequentially deviated, and are rectangular black-painted images arranged in a stepwise manner, each having a width equal to the reference length; and the plurality of line segment images in the second test image are arranged at regular intervals smaller than the reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of second lateral edge positions , and an end portion of each of the plurality of line segment images is formed at a position overlapping a corresponding one of the plurality of black patch images in the sheet conveying direction.
Yamamoto teaches a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path [Paragraphs 0046-0049, see hatched portion in Fig. 4]; wherein the plurality of black patch images in the first test image are arranged at a pitch of a reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of first lateral edge positions in a state in which the positions in the sheet conveying direction are sequentially deviated, and are rectangular black-painted images arranged in a stepwise manner, each having a width equal to the reference length [Paragraphs 0054-0056]; and the plurality of line segment images in the second test image are arranged at regular intervals smaller than the reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of second lateral edge positions, and an end portion of each of the plurality of line segment images is formed at a position overlapping a corresponding one of the plurality of black patch images in the sheet conveying direction [Paragraphs 0057-0064].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path; wherein the plurality of black patch images in the first test image are arranged at a pitch of a reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of first lateral edge positions in a state in which the positions in the sheet conveying direction are sequentially deviated, and are rectangular black-painted images arranged in a stepwise manner, each having a width equal to the reference length; and the plurality of line segment images in the second test image are arranged at regular intervals smaller than the reference length in the width direction with respect to the center position of the pair of second lateral edge positions , and an end portion of each of the plurality of line segment images is formed at a position overlapping a corresponding one of the plurality of black patch images in the sheet conveying direction as taught by Nishihara as modified by Yamamoto for the purposes of reducing a deviation between the center position of sheet and the center position of an image printed on a sheet [Yamamoto, Paragraph 0079].
Regarding Claim 4, Nishihara teaches an image forming apparatus (100, Fig. 1), comprising: a sheet conveying device (44, 45, Fig. 1) configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path (see Fig. 1) [Paragraphs 0021-022]; a printing device (4b, Fig. 1) configured to form an image on the sheet conveyed along the conveying path (see Fig, 1) [Paragraphs 0022]; an image sensor unit (61, Fig. 3) arranged along the width direction in a state of facing the reference surface (Pr, Fig. 5) through the detection area (the area indicated by W3), and configured to emit detection light toward the reference surface (Pr) and detect an amount of reflected light of the detection light [Paragraphs 0027-0031, 0034-0036]; and output a plurality of line image data each including a plurality of pixel data representing detected light amounts corresponding to a plurality of unit areas divided in the width direction in the detection area [Paragraphs 0031, 0041-0044]; an image processing device (11, Fig. 8) configured to execute image processing based on the plurality of line image data, is capable of executing an area detection process of detecting a pair of lateral edge positions (Eg, Fig. 7) that are positions of both ends in the width direction of the sheet passing through the detection area (R0) [Paragraphs 0041-0046]; a sheet area that is an area within a rectangular outline of the sheet [Paragraphs 0041-0044, 0047-0054]; and a mask area (9, Fig. 6) that is a portion of the sheet area where the detected light amount is lower than a reference light amount [Paragraphs 0041-0044, 0047-0054]; and is further capable of executing an interference position specifying process for specifying a position of an interference portion that overlaps with the mask area in a reference image represented supplied reference image data [Paragraphs 0041-0044, 0047-0054]; and a processor configured to achieve an image forming control method according to claim 1 [Paragraphs 0066-0075].
Nishihara fails to teach a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path.
Yamamoto teaches a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path [Paragraphs 0046-0049, see hatched portion in Fig. 4].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a black reference member having a black reference surface arranged along a width direction crossing a sheet conveying direction and facing a detection area on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the printing device in the conveying path; as taught by Nishihara as modified by Yamamoto for the purposes of reducing a deviation between the center position of sheet and the center position of an image printed on a sheet [Yamamoto, Paragraph 0079].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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 primary reason for the allowance of claims 2-3 is the inclusion of an image forming control method that includes the method steps of in a case where the image forming apparatus further comprises a drying device that is arranged downstream of the printing device in the sheet conveying direction, and has a heater that heats the sheet and dries the ink on the sheet, the image forming control method further comprises: the processor deriving a line interval that is an interval in the width direction of the plurality of line segment images by correcting a reference interval corresponding to the reference length by a ratio of an interval between the pair of second lateral edge positions to an interval between the pair of first lateral edge positions; and the processor generating data of the second test image including the plurality of line segment images arranged at the line intervals in the width direction with a center position of the pair of second lateral edge positions as a reference. It is these steps found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
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/LISA SOLOMON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853