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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the last line of claim 1, change "aera" to "area". Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takemoto et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0299988 A1, cited in IDS submitted December 18, 2024).
Regarding claim 1, Takemoto discloses a liquid discharge apparatus (Abstract of Takemoto, recording device provided with nozzles for discharging color ink and an adhesive fluid) comprising: a first discharge unit to discharge ink onto a base material to form an image on the base material (Abstract of Takemoto, nozzle for discharging color ink); a second discharge unit to discharge a liquid binder onto the base material onto which the ink has been discharged to form a binder on the base material (Abstract of Takemoto, nozzle for discharging adhesive fluid); and circuitry (FIG. 2, [0063] of Takemoto, controller for recording device includes a unit control circuit) configured to: cause the first discharge unit to discharge the ink onto a first region in the base material for a first amount per unit area based on an image data to form a first image on the base material ([0036] of Takemoto, control device includes color image data generating part; [0038] of Tekemoto, recording device causes color dots to be formed on a base material according to the color image data); cause the first discharge unit to discharge the ink onto a second region in the base material for a second amount per unit area smaller than the first amount per unit area based on the image data to form a second image on the base material ([0038] of Tekemoto, recording device causes color dots to be formed on a base material according to the color image data which would require some regions to have fewer dots than others); cause the second discharge unit to discharge the liquid binder onto the first region for a third amount per unit area corresponding to the first amount per unit area of the ink ([0036] of Takemoto, control device includes an adhesion image generating part wherein the adhesion image data is generated such that adhesive fluid is applied in amounts corresponding to an amount of color ink applied); and cause the second discharge unit to discharge the liquid binder onto the second region for a fourth amount per unit area corresponding to the second amount per unit area of the ink, the fourth amount per unit area being larger than the third amount per unit area ([0036] of Takemoto, control device includes an adhesion image generating part wherein the adhesion image data is generated such that adhesive fluid is applied in amounts corresponding to an amount of color ink applied; [0093] of Takemoto, proportion of duty of adhesive fluid increases with decreasing duty of color ink).
Regarding claim 2, Takemoto discloses that the circuity causes the second discharge unit to discharge the liquid binder to form a regular pattern of the liquid binder on the base material (FIG. 19 of Takemoto, adhesion dots formed in pattern).
Regarding claim 3, Takemoto discloses that the circuity causes the second discharge unit to discharge the liquid binder to form the regular pattern having a triangular, square, or hexagonal dot arrangement (FIG. 19 of Takemoto, adhesion dots formed in pattern having a square arrangement).
Regarding claim 4, Takemoto discloses that the base material is a transfer base material, and the circuitry causes the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit to form the image thermally transferable from the transfer base material to a recording medium ([0053] of Tekemoto, adhesion layer is a layer for causing the coloring layer to adhere to the transfer target medium; adhesion layer heated to transfer image from transfer medium to base material).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Takemoto et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0058285 A1) discloses a method of producing a transfer medium including attaching ink and an adhesive liquid to a substrate surface (Abstract of Takemoto).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER W. RAIMUND whose telephone number is (571) 270-7560. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:00-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Orlando can be reached at (571) 270-5038. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CHRISTOPHER W. RAIMUND
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1746
/CHRISTOPHER W RAIMUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
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