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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaku (US 2024/0251048) in view of Kodama (US 2022/0217239).
(1) regarding claim 1:
Kaku ‘048 discloses an image forming apparatus capable of switching a state of the image forming apparatus between a first power state and a second power state in which less power is consumed than in the first power state (paragraph [0011], where an image forming apparatus is capable of switching between different power states), the image forming apparatus comprising:
a control device that includes a processor and functions as a determination device and a changing device by the processor executing a control program, the determination device determining whether use of the image forming apparatus has ended (paragraph [0201]-[0206], where a determination is made if the use of the image forming device has finished), and the changing device changing a first period of time, which is required to transition from the first power state to the second power state, to a second period of time that is shorter than the first period of time (paragraph [0201]-[0206], where it is detected that the use of the image forming device has finished, the time required to switch to a second power state is shorten), wherein
the operation information includes end information for identifying an end of the use of the image forming apparatus (paragraph [0202], where information regarding the end of operation is acquired),
when a determination device determines that the use of the image forming apparatus has ended, the changing device changes the first period of time to the second period of time (paragraph [0201]-[0206], where after it is determined that the image forming apparatus is not in used anymore, a time for changing to a new power state is shortened).
Kaku ‘048 discloses all the subject matter as described above except a detection device that detects approach to and departure from a user;
a reception device that receives an operation from the user and generates operation information indicating an operation content of the user;
the determination device determines whether the use of the image forming apparatus has ended by combining the end information and a detection result of the detection device,
However, Kodama ‘239 teaches a detection device that detects approach to and departure from a user (paragraph [0006], where the image forming apparatus detects a user approaching or leaving its area);
a reception device that receives an operation from the user (paragraph [0028], where a functional section receives user operations) and generates operation information indicating an operation content of the user (paragraph [0028], and [0032]-[0034], where the operation information is generated and transmitted to the image forming device after being inputted by the user);
the determination device determines whether the use of the image forming apparatus has ended by combining the end information and a detection result of the detection device (paragraph [0061]-[0062], where a determination is made that the process has ended when it is detected that the user has left and the process has ended),
Having a system of Kodama ‘239 reference and then given the well-established teaching of Kaku ‘048 reference, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Kaku ‘048 to include the limitations as taught by Kodama ‘239 because in the operational environment where the behavior of the image-forming apparatus is changed in accordance with the movement of the user, a management is conducted for the distance information of at least one or more predetermined users who used the image-forming apparatus 10 or the approach or leaving of the target user for which the distance information is always managed, while no management is conducted for the distance information of other users; thus, it is possible to effectively prevent unnecessary behavior changes caused by the approach or leaving of a user other than the distance-information management target users (paragraph [0069]).
(2) regarding claim 2:
Kaku ‘048 discloses all the subject matter as described above except wherein the detection result includes detection information indicating that approach of the user has been detected;
the determination device determines that the use of the image forming apparatus has ended by combining the end information and the detection information detected by the detection device after generating the end information.
However, Kodama ‘239 teaches wherein the detection result includes detection information indicating that approach of the user has been detected (paragraph [0006], where the image forming apparatus detects a user approaching its area);
the determination device determines that the use of the image forming apparatus has ended by combining the end information and the detection information detected by the detection device after generating the end information (paragraph [0061]-[0062], where a determination is made that the process has ended when it is detected that the user has left and the process has ended).
Having a system of Kodama ‘239 reference and then given the well-established teaching of Kaku ‘048 reference, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Kaku ‘048 to include the limitations as taught by Kodama ‘239 because in the operational environment where the behavior of the image-forming apparatus is changed in accordance with the movement of the user, a management is conducted for the distance information of at least one or more predetermined users who used the image-forming apparatus 10 or the approach or leaving of the target user for which the distance information is always managed, while no management is conducted for the distance information of other users; thus, it is possible to effectively prevent unnecessary behavior changes caused by the approach or leaving of a user other than the distance-information management target users (paragraph [0069]).
(3) regarding claim 3:
Kaku ‘048 discloses all the subject matter as described above except wherein the detection result includes detection information indicating that approach of the user has been detected;
the determination device determines whether the operation information includes the end information, and determines that the use of the image forming apparatus has ended based on the detection information when the operation information includes the end information.
However, Kodama ‘239 teaches wherein the detection result includes detection information indicating that approach of the user has been detected (paragraph [0006], where the image forming apparatus detects a user approaching its area);
the determination device determines whether the operation information includes the end information, and determines that the use of the image forming apparatus has ended based on the detection information when the operation information includes the end information (paragraph [0061]-[0062], where a determination is made that the process has ended when it is detected that the user has left and the process has ended).
Having a system of Kodama ‘239 reference and then given the well-established teaching of Kaku ‘048 reference, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Kaku ‘048 to include the limitations as taught by Kodama ‘239 because in the operational environment where the behavior of the image-forming apparatus is changed in accordance with the movement of the user, a management is conducted for the distance information of at least one or more predetermined users who used the image-forming apparatus 10 or the approach or leaving of the target user for which the distance information is always managed, while no management is conducted for the distance information of other users; thus, it is possible to effectively prevent unnecessary behavior changes caused by the approach or leaving of a user other than the distance-information management target users (paragraph [0069]).
(4) regarding claim 4:
Kaku ‘048 further discloses wherein the control device further functions as a clocking device that measures a time (paragraph [ 0062]), and a switching device that switches the state of the image forming apparatus between the first power state and the second power state (paragraph [0201]-[0206]),
when the changing device changes the first period of time to the second period of time, the clocking device measures a time until the measurement time reaches the second period of time (paragraph [0201]-[0206], it will be apparent that when the time reaches the new set time, then a change in power state will be executed), and
when the clocking device measures the second period of time, the switching device switches the state of the image forming apparatus from the first power state to the second power state (paragraph [0201]-[0206], after the time has passed, the power state change is performed).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 6 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
A. Claim 5 discloses the unique and distinct limitations of “wherein the end information includes at least one of information indicating an instruction to cancel the process executed by the image forming apparatus, an instruction indicating that a specific button has been operated, and information indicating that the process of forming an image on a recording medium has ended”, either alone or in combination, the applied prior art does not teach the claimed subject matter.
B. Claim 6 discloses the unique and distinct limitations of “wherein, when the detection device detects the detection target while the clocking device is measuring the second period of time, the clocking device resets measurement of the second period of time, and stops the measurement of the second period of time during a period in which the reception device generates the operation information after the reset”, either alone or in combination, the applied prior art does not teach the claimed subject matter.
Conclusion
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 LENNIN R RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1678. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm.
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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.
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/LENNIN R RODRIGUEZGONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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