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
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.
Claims 1-5, 7, 8, and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawamura et al., U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0227150 (previously cited), in view of Maruyama, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2002/0071688; and, Suzuki, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2019/0092592.
Regarding independent claim 1, Kawamura et al. teach an image forming apparatus, comprising:
a conveyance path (any of the conveyance paths shown in the figures);
a printer (fig 1);
a scanner;
one or more memories (all electrical wiring and storage devices shown in fig 1) that store a set of instructions (whether transitory through the wiring, or less than transitory through the storage devices); and
one or more processors that execute the set of instructions to:
convey a sheet from a sheet holder to the conveyance path in response to an instruction to print a first adjustment chart for adjustment of a secondary transfer voltage (¶ 31, “The reading device 117 is provided with a sensor that reads a chart printed for various adjustments, such as adjustment of a position of a printed image on a sheet, correction of density unevenness, and adjustment of a secondary transfer voltage”);
control the printer to print the first adjustment chart for adjustment of the secondary transfer voltage (¶ 31, “The reading device 117 is provided with a sensor that reads a chart printed for various adjustments, such as adjustment of a position of a printed image on a sheet, correction of density unevenness, and adjustment of a secondary transfer voltage”);
control the scanner to scan the sheet on which the first adjustment chart is printed and acquire an adjustment value for the secondary transfer voltage based on a result of the scan (¶ 31, “The reading device 117 is provided with a sensor that reads a chart printed for various adjustments, such as adjustment of a position of a printed image on a sheet, correction of density unevenness, and adjustment of a secondary transfer voltage”); and
register user-defined sheet information corresponding to the sheet, the user-defined sheet information including the sheet type and the adjustment value for the secondary transfer voltage (¶ 45, “The sheet information includes attributes, such as a name, a size, and basis weight, of a sheet and adjustment values, such as an adjustment value of a secondary transfer voltage and an adjustment value of an image position, that are optimized for each sheet type.”, and registering the updated values after adjustment, ¶ 66, 70-72, 82).
Kawamura et al. utilize user defined sheet types including a surface property and a thickness of the sheet, and make adjustments within the user defined sheet types. Kawamura et al. thus rely on the user to correctly input each and every sheet type, and thus fail to teach detecting the sheet types. Kawamura et al. thus fail to teach:
a media sensor on the conveyance path;
detect, by the media sensor, from the sheet conveyed on the conveyance path from the sheet holder, a surface property and a thickness of the sheet, and determine a sheet type of the sheet based on the detected surface property and the detected thickness;
control the printer to print, on the conveyed sheet whose surface property and thickness have been detected by the media sensor, the first adjustment chart for adjustment of the secondary transfer voltage; and,
register user-defined sheet information corresponding to the sheet, the user-defined sheet information including the determined sheet type and the adjustment value for the secondary transfer voltage.
Maruyama teaches that relying on user defined sheet types that affect control parameters is both a burden on the user, and affects reliability of the image forming apparatus leading to poor performance (¶ 8). Maruyama thus provide a media sensor (123) on the conveyance path (fig 1). Such ensures that the user need not have to correctly input each and every paper type available.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill at the time of effective filing to provide a media sensor on the conveyance path. One having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing would have done so to relieve the user the burden of having to correctly input each and every paper type available, while ensuring reliable results for adjustments based on paper type.
Suzuki teaches a media sensor on the conveyance path to detect a surface property (¶ 38) and a thickness of the sheet (¶ 70). Suzuki adjusts image forming conditions, including a secondary transfer voltage (¶ 38), in accordance with the determined surface property and thickness.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill at the time of effective filing to provide a media sensor to detect surface properties and thickness of the sheet when adjusting the secondary transfer voltages as taught by Kawamura et al. Rather than relying on the user to input each and every type correctly, the teachings of Maruyama and Suzuki show that such can be automated to be done by a media sensor to correctly determine the sheet type, and thus the proper secondary transfer voltage associated with it. One having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing would have done so to relieve the burden on the user and ensure reliable operation of the image forming apparatus.
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, wherein the sheet holder is a sheet feeding tray (all of Kawamura et al. (116), Maruyama (102), and Suzuki (15, 18) teach sheet feeding trays as the sheet holder).
Regarding claim 3, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to detect the surface property and the thickness of the sheet while the sheet is being conveyed on the conveyance path for printing the first adjustment (as combined, the sheet type detection occurs while the sheet is being conveyed).
Regarding claim 4, which depends from claim 1, wherein the sheet type is determined based on at least a difference in received value corresponding to the surface property and the thickness of the sheet (Suzuki discusses the details of determination in ¶ 34, 35, 70).
Regarding claim 5, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to register, in the user-defined sheet information, measurement data obtained by the media sensor (as combined, the correctly determined sheet type from the media sensor becomes that associated with the determined secondary transfer voltage).
Regarding claim 7, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to control the printer to print the first adjustment chart based on the determined sheet type (Kawamura et al. teach printing the first adjustment chart in accordance with the sheet type, ¶ 70, which, as combined, is determined by measurement).
Regarding claim 8, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to control the printer to print a second adjustment chart for adjustment of an image position on the sheet;
control the scanner to scan the sheet on which the second adjustment chart is printed and acquire an adjustment value for the image position based on a result of the scan; and
register the user-defined sheet information further including the adjustment value for the image position (Kawamura et al. teach adjustments for image position as well as for secondary transfer voltage, ¶ 31, which second adjustment chart is the portions of the chart used for image position adjustments, noting that the claims do not require that there be no overlap between the first and second adjustments charts, nor that the second adjustment chart be distinct from the first adjustment chart, only requiring that there be a second adjustment chart for adjusting image position).
Regarding claim 11, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to:
perform printing on a sheet based on the adjustment value for the secondary transfer voltage after registering the user-defined sheet information (as combined, the registered information based on the sheet type detection is used again later, as taught by Kawamura et al., ¶ 65, indicating that the adjustment values are registered with each sheet type).
Regarding claim 12, which depends from claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to:
display, when placement of the sheet on the sheet holder is detected, a screen for receiving the instruction to print the first adjustment chart (Kawamura et al. teach user intervention to control the adjustment chart printing, ¶ 85).
Regarding independent claim 13, the image forming apparatus in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed. MPEP 2112.02 (I).
Regarding independent claim 14, the image forming apparatus in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, MPEP 2112.02 (I), and thus must store instructions for undertaking the method.
Response to Arguments
Applicant' s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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.
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/SEVAN A AYDIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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