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 .
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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shibata (U.S. Pub. 2021/0001638) in view of Usui (U.S. Pub. 2005/0007404)
Regarding claim 1, an image forming apparatus, comprising: a recording head (16) configured to eject ink corresponding to an image to be printed, using arranged nozzles (Abstract; Paragraphs 0091-0093)
A control unit (20) configured to determine nozzles corresponding to the image to be printed and cause the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles (Paragraphs 0096-0097, 0111)
An ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit (30) configured to perform an ejection malfunction test and thereby detect an ejection malfunction (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0116-0119)
A correction processing unit configured to perform a correction process corresponding to the detected ejection malfunction nozzle (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0119-0120)
Shibata discloses printing an image, specifying abnormal nozzles, correcting abnormal nozzles, and updating correction information (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0120-0122)
Usui discloses, during a printing operation, determining when a number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number and displaying a malfunction test will be needed and performed; wherein the malfunction test will be performed without the correction process (nozzle check pattern will be performed to determine abnormal nozzles) (Figure 13; Abstract; Paragraphs 0078; Claim 18).
The combination of Shibata in view of Usui will perform the malfunction test based on a number of printed sheets and will renew (update region correction information, S19: Shibata) the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is performed, on the basis of a result of the ejection malfunction test
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Usui into the device of Shibata, for the purpose of preventing a drop in image quality
Regarding claim 2, wherein in the ejection malfunction test, the ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit prints a test pattern on a print sheet using the recording head, and detects the ejection malfunction nozzle on the basis of a density distribution of a scanned image of the test image (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0105-0106, 0117, 0171)
Shibata discloses printing an image, specifying abnormal nozzles, correcting abnormal nozzles, and updating correction information (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0120-0122)
Usui discloses, during a printing operation, determining when a number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number and displaying a malfunction test will be needed and performed; wherein the malfunction test will be performed without the correction process (nozzle check pattern will be performed to determine abnormal nozzles) (Figure 13; Abstract; Paragraphs 0078; Claim 18).
The combination of Shibata in view of Usui will perform the malfunction test based on a number of printed sheets and will renew (update region correction information, S19: Shibata) the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is performed, on the basis of a result of the ejection malfunction test
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Usui into the device of Shibata, for the purpose of preventing a drop in image quality
Regarding claim 3, Shibata discloses printing an image, specifying abnormal nozzles, correcting abnormal nozzles, and updating correction information (Figure 2; Paragraphs 0120-0122)
Usui discloses, during a printing operation, determining when a number of printed sheets has reached a predetermined number and displaying a malfunction test will be needed and performed; wherein the malfunction test will be performed without the correction process (nozzle check pattern will be performed to determine abnormal nozzles) (Figure 13; Abstract; Paragraphs 0078; Claim 18).
The combination of Shibata in view of Usui will perform the malfunction test based on a number of printed sheets and will renew (update region correction information, S19: Shibata) the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is performed, on the basis of a result of the ejection malfunction test
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Usui into the device of Shibata, for the purpose of preventing a drop in image quality
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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:
The primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter of claim 4 is the inclusion of the limitation of (a) if a number of the ejection malfunction nozzles detected in the current ejection malfunction test does not exceed the predetermined upper limit number, the correction processing unit sets both of the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is performed and the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is not performed, on the basis of a result of the current ejection malfunction test, and (b) if a number of the ejection malfunction nozzles detected in the current ejection malfunction test exceeds the predetermined upper limit number, the correction processing unit sets the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process is performed, on the basis of a result of the previous ejection malfunction test and a result of the current ejection malfunction test. It is this limitation found in each of 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON S UHLENHAKE whose telephone number is (571)272-5916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X. Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 March 10, 2026