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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I in the reply filed on 6/15/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 6 and 12-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected specie, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/15/26.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, and 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koji JP_2011000736_A (see machine English translation).
Regarding Claims 1, 3, Koji discloses a printed matter formed by transferring ink placed on a printing surface of a printing pad (small printing blanket) through pressing the printing surface. The printed matter comprises a base body (printing medium or to-be- printed body 100) and a print image region formed by placing the ink on a surface of the base body. The print image region includes two print image regions (small patterns / small printing surfaces) disposed adjacent to each other. Each of the two print image regions includes a peripheral edge (boundary) facing the other of the two print image regions. The peripheral edge of each of the two print image regions is disposed within a range of the other of the two print image regions (the respective boundaries overlap each other with a predetermined width). Dividing the printing surface of the printing medium into a plurality of small printing surfaces so that the respective boundaries overlap each other with a predetermined width, and dividing the pattern printed on the printing surface into small patterns printed on each of the small printing surfaces. (Claim 1), "The printing surface 10 of the printing material 100 is divided into a plurality of small printing surfaces so that each boundary overlaps with a predetermined width." (Embodiment 3)).
Koji further teaches the fundamental concept of dividing a print image into adjacent regions whose boundaries overlap and of controlling the amount of ink in the boundary zone so that the seam remains inconspicuous. Once this basic teaching is known, the particular arrangement of regions of different ink density (a first region of greater ink amount surrounded by a second region of lower ink amount, or a stripe pattern of alternately arranged high-density and low-density regions) and the placement of the multi-region boundary so that if avoids a high-density region or lies along one of the stripes constitute nothing more than routine design choices or optimizations that a person skilled in the art would make according to the visual character of the image being printed (for example, a decorative pattern, a wood-grain pattern, or any pattern containing areas of different visual weight). Such arrangements of high-density and low-density areas and the strategic placement of seams relative to those areas belong to the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art of decorative or multi-pass printing.
Regarding Claim 4, Koji discloses that each of the two print image regions includes a connection region (overlapping range of predetermined width) along the peripheral edge, and that in the connection region the amount of the ink per unit area is reduced or gradually decreased toward the peripheral edge (" Placing ink along the small development pattern on the small printing original plate corresponding to each of the plurality of small printing surfaces, such that the amount of ink in the predetermined width of the boundary is less than the amount of ink in a range excluding the predetermined width of the boundary." (Claim 1), "The amount of ink placed in the overlapping range 5fg is smaller than the amount of ink placed in the inner range the distribution of halftone dots in the overlapping range 5fg gradually decreases as it moves away from the inner range." (Embodiment 3)).
Regarding Claims 5, 7, 8, 9, and 11, Koji discloses that the connection regions of the two print image regions are disposed such that the connection regions are overlapped with each other (" the respective boundaries overlap each other with a predetermined width." (Claim 1, Embodiment 3). The values of instant Claim 9 would just be a matter of routine design based on end-product specifications.
Regarding Claim 10, the shape of the overlapping boundary is not restricted in Koji. Providing the overlapping peripheral edge with a curved shape including irregularities is an obvious design variation for a person skilled in the art who aims to make the boundary less conspicuous.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAHSEEN KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1140. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays-Saturdays 08:00AM-10:00PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Frank Vineis can be reached at 5712701547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TAHSEEN KHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 September 3, 2026
Prosecution Insights