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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
IDS filed 9/12/24 and 12/9/24 are acknowledged, references therein relating to the general background of applicant’s invention with the exception of the references utilized in the rejections below which have particular relevance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
1) Claim(s) 1, 3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. patent application publication 2020/0249881 by Hosomizo.
2) Regarding claim 1, Hosomizo teaches a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium containing computer-executable instructions that are executable by a computer of an information processing device (figure 1, item 1; a PC) and compatible with a printing device (figure 1, items 2 and 3; printers) connected with the information processing device, the computer-executable instructions realizing a support program (figure 1, item 42; support driver) supporting a general-purpose print program (figure 1, item 41; a generic printer driver) incorporated in advance in an operating system of the information processing device, the general-purpose print program being configured to handle data causing a display of the information processing device to display a print setting screen (figure 5; print setting screen is displayed), the support program being configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: obtaining capability information indicating capability of the printing device through communication with the printing device (paragraph 38; figure 2, step j; support driver obtains capability information from the a printer); and storing information based on the obtained capability information in a memory of the information processing device (paragraph 55; capability values can be stored); wherein, in a case where execution of a process is required from the general-purpose print program in response to the printing device being selected on the print setting screen and the information based on the capability information is stored in the memory, the support program is configured to, without causing the information processing device to perform the obtaining (paragraph 55; figure 2; capabilities can be stored prior to request from the general driver), cause the information processing device to perform: reading the information based on the stored capability information from the memory; generating display data for displaying a setting item reflecting the capability information on the print setting screen (figure 2, step n; figure 5; paragraph 47; print setting screen specific to a printer is displayed), with using the information based on the read capability information; and causing the display of the information processing device to display the print setting screen based on the display data by providing the display data to the general-purpose print program (paragraphs 45-47; setting screen is displayed according to specific capabilities).
3) Regarding claim 3, Hosomizo teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: storing, in the storing, the information based on the obtained capability information in the memory of the information processing device without determining contents of a setting item to be displayed on the print setting screen; and determining, in the generating, the contents of the setting item to be displayed on the print setting screen based on information the capability information read in the reading, and generating, in the generating, the display data for displaying the determined contents of the setting item (figure 3; paragraph 54; settings to display can be determined after receiving the request from the general driver, thereby storing the capabilities [paragraph 55] without determining the displayed contents).
4) Regarding claim 9, Hosomizo teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein in a case where execution of a process is required from the general-purpose print program in response to a print instruction which instructs the general-use printing program to cause the printing device to print an image and is output by an application program implemented in the information processing device, the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform obtaining image data indicating the image from the general-purpose print program and transmitting a print command to the printing device based on the image data (paragraphs 74 and 76; job is sent to printer based upon end notification sent from the support driver).
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.
5) Claim(s) 2 and 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. patent application publication 2020/0249881 by Hosomizo as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. patent application publication 2020/0004478 by Saito.
6) Regarding claim 2, Hosomizo does not specifically teach the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: determining, in the storing, contents of a setting item to be displayed on the print setting screen based on the capability information obtained in the obtaining, and storing, in the storing, the contents of the determined setting item as the information based on the capability information in the memory of the information processing device; and generating, in the generating, the display data for displaying the contents of the setting item, which is the information based on the capability information read in the reading.
Saito teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: determining, in the storing, contents of a setting item to be displayed on the print setting screen based on the capability information obtained in the obtaining, and storing, in the storing, the contents of the determined setting item as the information based on the capability information in the memory of the information processing device; and generating, in the generating, the display data for displaying the contents of the setting item, which is the information based on the capability information read in the reading (figures 5 and 11A; “other settings” button activates the extension application [i.e. a support program] which generates screen 11A regardless of determined conflicts).
Hosomizo and Saito are combinble because they are both from the printer driver extension field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine Hosomizo with Saito to add storing setting conflict information. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a driver suitable to the OS (paragraph 2). Therefore it would have been obvious to combine Hosomizo with Saito to obtain the invention of claim 2.
7) Regarding claim 4, Saito (as combined with Hosomizo in the rejection of claim 2 above) teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where execution of a process is required from the general-purpose print program in response to the printing device being selected on the print setting screen and the information based on the capability information is not stored in the memory, the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform the obtaining and the storing (figure 5, item S504; when printer specific information is not yet stored the extension application communicates with the printer to obtain it).
8) Regarding claim 5, Saito (as combined with Hosomizo in the rejection of claim 2 above) teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the support program has a function to cause the display of the information processing device to display a detailed setting screen configured to receive print setting compatible with the printing device, and the general-purpose print program is configured to receive a display instruction of the detailed setting screen, and wherein, in a case where execution of a process is required from the general-purpose print program in response to the general-purpose print program receiving the display instruction of the detailed setting screen, the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: the obtaining; causing the display of the information processing device to display the detailed setting screen configured to receive the print setting compatible with the printing device based on the capability information obtained in the obtaining; and the storing (paragraph 29; figures 10B and 11A; “other settings” button causes extension application to display a further setting screen).
9) Regarding claim 6, Saito (as combined with Hosomizo in the rejection of claim 2 above) teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 5, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: receiving the print setting on the detailed setting screen, an item or a setting parameter of print setting having been added to contents of a setting item of print setting settable by the general-purpose print program on the detailed setting screen based on the capability information obtained in the obtaining; in a case where an additional item which is the item added based on the capability information or an additional setting parameter which is the setting parameter added based on the capability information is set to the print setting received in the receiving, storing, in the storing, the additional item or the additional setting parameter in the memory of the image processing device as information based on the capability information; and generating, in the generating, the display data for displaying the additional item or the additional setting parameter indicated by the information based on the capability information read in the reading (paragraph 32; figure 11A; additional printer settings are displayed).
10) Regarding claim 7, Saito (as combined with Hosomizo in the rejection of claim 2 above) teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 5, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform: receiving the print setting on the detailed setting screen, an item or a setting parameter of print setting having been added to contents of a setting item of print setting settable by the general-purpose print program on the detailed setting screen based on the capability information obtained in the obtaining; storing, in the storing, all of an additional item which is the item added based on the capability information and an additional setting parameter which is the setting parameter added based on the capability information in the memory of the image processing device as information based on the capability information; and generating, in the generating, the display data for displaying all of the additional item and the additional setting parameter indicated by the information based on the capability information read in the reading (figure 11A; additional item [e.g. “binding] is displayed along with setting parameters [e.g. the off switch item 1105]).
11) Regarding claim 8, Saito (as combined with Hosomizo in the rejection of claim 2 above) teaches the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the support program is configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the information processing device to perform generating, in the generating, the display data indicating display contents limiting receiving of the display instruction (figure 11B; paragraph 32; instructions can be limited to valid ones as shown).
Conclusion
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BENJAMIN O. DULANEY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2676
/BENJAMIN O DULANEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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