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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/06/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Interpretation
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitations uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitations are: split section, transmission section, and reception section in claims 1-4 and 6, .
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof. The specification discloses the split section, transmission section and reception section are functions realized by the PC CPU running the PC application at ¶ [63].
If applicant does not intend to have these limitations interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitations to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitations recite sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2 and 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Akihiko Niwa (US 6113294 A).
Regarding claim 1, Niwa discloses an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with a tape printing apparatus (Col. 4 lines 25-35) configured to perform feeding operation of a tape in a first direction (Col. 4 lines 59-63), printing on the tape, a full cut of the tape (Col. 11 lines 42-64), and boundary formation processing forming a boundary between labels on the tape (Col. 8 lines 48-54), the information processing apparatus comprising:
a split section configured to split a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs (Col. 7 line 66 through Col. 8 line 9); and
a transmission section configured to transmit a plurality of the split print jobs to the tape printing apparatus, wherein the transmission section performs the full cut at an end in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the label to be printed last among one or more of the labels to be printed in accordance with the split print jobs (Col. 8 line 55 through Col. 9 line 8), and when a plurality of the labels are printed in accordance with the split print jobs, the transmission section transmits a plurality of the split print jobs, the individual split print jobs with added first cut information instructing the tape printing apparatus to perform the boundary formation processing between labels of a plurality of the labels, to the tape printing apparatus (Col. 8 lines 59 through Col. 9 line 2).
Regarding claim 2, Niwa discloses the information processing apparatus to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1), further comprising a reception section that receives a setting value y indicating into how many pieces to split a plurality of the labels to be printed in accordance with the print job, wherein when a number of pieces of a plurality of the labels is x, in a case in which there is no remainder in x/y, the split section splits the print job into x/y the split print jobs, whereas in a case in which there is a remainder in x/y, the split section splits the print job into ([x/y] + 1) the split print jobs (Col. 10 line 63 through Col. 11 line 16 and Col. 11 line 47 through Col. 12 line 12).
Regarding claim 4, Niwa discloses the information processing apparatus to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1), further comprising
a transmission controller configured to control the transmission section such that
the transmission section has any one of a plurality of settings including a first cut setting to add the first cut information to the print job and a second cut setting to add second cut information to perform the full cut at an end in the second direction of one or more of the labels to the print job (Col. 10 lines 25-45 and Col. 2 lines 12-18 wherein the number of printed areas designated by the user determines the full cut position), and
when the print job is split by the split section, and in a case in which the cut setting in the transmission section is not the first cut setting, by changing the cut setting of the transmission section to the first cut setting, the first cut information is added to a plurality of the individual split print jobs, and a plurality of the individual split print jobs with the first cut information added are transmitted to the tape printing apparatus (Col. 7 line 66 through Col. 8 line 15 and Col. 9 line 65 through Col. 10 line 6).
Regarding claim 5, Niwa discloses a control method of an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with a tape printing apparatus configured to perform feeding operation of a tape in a first direction, printing on the tape, a full cut of the tape, and boundary formation processing forming a boundary between labels on the tape, the control method causing the information processing apparatus to perform processing (see rejection of claim 1) comprising:
splitting a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1); and
transmitting a plurality of the split print jobs to the tape printing apparatus, wherein, in the transmitting, performing the full cut at an end in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the label to be printed last among one or more of the labels to be printed in accordance with the split print jobs, and when a plurality of the labels are printed in accordance with the split print jobs, transmitting a plurality of the split print jobs, the individual split print jobs with added first cut information instructing the tape printing apparatus to perform the boundary formation processing between labels of a plurality of the labels, to the tape printing apparatus (see rejection of claim 1).
Regarding claim 6, Niwa discloses a printing system including a tape printing apparatus configured to perform feeding operation of a tape in a first direction, printing on the tape, a full cut of the tape, and boundary formation processing forming a boundary between labels on the tape (see rejection of claim 1), and an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with the tape printing apparatus (see rejection of claim 1), the information processing apparatus comprising:
a split section configured to split a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1); and
a transmission section configured to transmit a plurality of the split print jobs to the tape printing apparatus, wherein the transmission section performs the full cut at an end in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the label to be printed last among one or more of the labels to be printed in accordance with the split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1), and when a plurality of the labels are printed in accordance with the split print jobs, the transmission section transmits a plurality of the split print jobs, the individual split print jobs with added first cut information instructing the tape printing apparatus to perform the boundary formation processing between labels of a plurality of the labels, to the tape printing apparatus (see rejection of claim 1).
Regarding claim 7, Niwa discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program (Col. 7 lines 22-28), the program causing an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with a tape printing apparatus configured to perform feeding operation of a tape in a first direction, printing on the tape, a full cut of the tape, and boundary formation processing forming a boundary between labels on the tape to perform processing (see rejection of claim 1) comprising:
splitting a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1); and
transmission controlling of a transmission section so that a plurality of the split print jobs are transmitted to the tape printing apparatus, wherein in the transmission controlling, performing the full cut at an end in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the label to be printed last among one or more of the labels to be printed in accordance with the split print jobs, and when a plurality of the labels are printed in accordance with the split print jobs, controlling the transmission section so that the transmission section adds first cut information instructing the tape printing apparatus to perform the boundary formation processing between labels of a plurality of the labels to the individual split print jobs, and transmits a plurality of the split print jobs, the individual split print jobs with the first cut information added, to the tape printing apparatus (see rejection of claim 1).
Regarding claim 8, Niwa discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program (Col. 7 lines 22-28), the program causing an information processing apparatus configured to transmit a print job to a tape printing apparatus configured to perform feeding operation of a tape in a first direction, printing on the tape, a full cut of the tape, and boundary formation processing forming a boundary between labels on the tape (see rejection of claim 1), to perform processing comprising:
splitting a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1);
performing the full cut at an end in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the label to be printed last among one or more of the labels to be printed in accordance with the split print jobs (see rejection of claim 1); and
when a plurality of the labels are printed in accordance with the split print jobs, adding first cut information instructing the tape printing apparatus to perform the boundary formation processing between labels of a plurality of the labels to a plurality of the individual split print jobs (Col. 9 line 65 through Col. 10 line 6 and Col. 10 line 25-49).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akihiko Niwa (US 6113294 A) in view of Ono Mitsuko et al (JP 2003285486 A).
Regarding claim 3, Niwa discloses the information processing apparatus to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1).
Niwa fails to disclose a display controller that displays a visual image indicating that a plurality of label sets with a boundary formed between labels, the individual label sets including one or more of the labels, are created on a display section.
Mitsuko et al, in the same field of endeavor of tape printing producing printed labels (¶ [1]), teaches a display controller that displays a visual image indicating that a plurality of label sets with a boundary formed between labels, the individual label sets including one or more of the labels, are created on a display section (¶ [8] and ¶ [27-28]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed for the information processing apparatus as disclosed by Niwa comprising a split section configured to split a print job causing the tape printing apparatus to print a plurality of labels into a plurality of split print jobs to utilize the teachings of Mitsuko et al which teaches a display controller that displays a visual image indicating that a plurality of label sets with a boundary formed between labels, the individual label sets including one or more of the labels, are created on a display section to enable confirmation of the cut positions in relation to the character prior to execution.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMARES Q WASHINGTON whose telephone number is (571) 270-1585. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Akwasi M. Sarpong can be reached at (571) 270-3438. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMARES Q WASHINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681
June 24, 2026
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