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 § 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.
(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 1-3 and 6-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Inoue (US 20210373822 A1).
Referring to claim 1:
Inoue disclose a cloud print system comprising a first cloud print server (CPS 105) and a second cloud print server (CPS 104), wherein the first cloud print server (server 200 in fig. 2) comprises:
one or more first memory devices that store a set of instructions (par. 44: ROM 202 and storage 204, such as an HDD or SSD); and
one or more first processors that execute the set of instructions (par. 44: CPU 201) to:
manage a second virtual printer (cloud printer) of the second cloud print server in association with a first virtual printer (cloud printer) of the first cloud print server (Fig. 5A & 8, par. 61-75: “Cooperate with External CPS” – in the series of processing steps, the cloud printer registered in the CPS 104 can be registered as a destination device (printer) usable from a print client supporting the external CPS 105; and par. 93, 112, 129);
store a print job submitted to the first virtual printer in the one or more first memory devices in association with the first virtual printer (par. 112-113); and
transmit the print job stored in association with the first virtual printer to the second virtual printer (par. 137 / S1600a in fig. 16) according to an instruction from a user (par. 112-113, 137 / S1102-1103 in fig. 16).
Referring to claim 7:
Inoue disclose a second cloud print server system including a second cloud printing service, the second cloud print server system (CPS 104) comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive a print job transmitted from a first cloud print server system (par. 137 / S1600a in fig. 16), including a first cloud printing service, configured to transmit the print job by storing the print job transmitted according to a printing instruction and receiving a release instruction with respect to the stored print job (par. 139 / S1603 in fig. 16);
a storing unit configured to store the print job received by the reception unit (par. 137 / S1601 in fig. 16; and par. 114-116 / S1105-S1109 in fig. 11); and
a transmission unit configured to transmit the print job to a printer upon receiving a release instruction with respect to the print job stored by the storing unit (par. 139-140 / S1603-S1604 in fig. 16).
Referring to claims 2 and 8:
Inoue disclose managing one or more physical printers (MFP 107, 1401-1403 in figs. 11, 13, 14, 16) in association with the first virtual printer (par. 61-75: cloud printers registered in the CPS 105).
Referring to claim 3:
Inoue disclose an instruction from the user to submit the print job stored in association with the first virtual printer to the second virtual printer (par. 40).
Referring to claim 6:
Inoue disclose the second cloud print server (CPS 104 / server 200 in fig. 2) comprises,
one or more second memory devices that store a set of instructions (par. 44: ROM 202 and storage 204, such as an HDD or SSD); and
one or more second processors that execute the set of instructions (par. 44: CPU 201) to:
manage one or more printers (MFP 107, 1401-1403 in figs. 11, 13, 14, 16) in association with the second virtual printer (par. 61-75: cloud printers registered in the CPS 104); and
transmit the print job transmitted to the second virtual printer (CPS 104 cloud printer) to the printer (MFP 107, 1401, 1402 in fig. 16) based on an instruction from the printer (par. 139-140).
Referring to claim 9:
Inoue disclose the second cloud print server (CPS 104 in fig. 16) configured to acquire the instruction from the one or more physical printers (par. 139-140).
Referring to claim 10:
This claim is the method for performing the corresponding functions of the apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and is therefore rejected for the same reasons as presented above.
Referring to claim 11:
This claim is the method for performing the corresponding functions of the apparatus as set forth in claim 7 and is therefore rejected for the same reasons as presented above.
Referring to claim 12:
Inoue disclose the first cloud print service (CPS 105) and second cloud print service (CPS 104) comprises a printer queue that stores print jobs submitted to a virtual printer without designating a printer until the release instruction is received (par. 117, 133).
Referring to claim 13:
This claim is a combination of claims 1, 6, and 7 and therefore is rejected based on the same reasoning that applied above to these claims mutatis mutandis.
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 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of well-known prior art (MPEP 2144.03).
Referring to claims 4-5:
While Inoue does not disclose receiving or acquiring user instructions from a mobile terminal and displaying, after the instruction from the user, a display prompting a printing instruction in the second cloud print server on the mobile terminal, Inoue does indicate that all apparatuses (terminals, CPSs, MFPs) communicate over a network which can include a wireless network (par. 43) and displaying prompts/instructions in the second CPS on the user terminal (par. 58, 133, 158). The use of mobile terminals of various types as the client or user terminal for communication with a CPS to receive or acquire user instructions is well-known in the prior art.
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have included in Inoue, in view of the well-known prior art, to utilize a mobile terminal as the client or user terminal to receive or acquire user instructions and display prompting a printing instruction in the second cloud print server on the mobile terminal in order allow sending and management of print jobs from anywhere at any time without needing a physically connected computer.
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 (i.e., a descriptive title that distinguishes the invention and is not a generic or general description). The new title should take into account any amendments to the claims to best indicate the claimed invention.
The title must be as short and specific as possible (see 37 CFR 1.72(a)). Applicant should distill a description of the claimed invention into as few words as possible to capture the essence of the claimed invention. Rather than reciting statutory categories (apparatus, method, product) and some generic descriptor (e.g., information processing), a title that is specific, but characterizes the essence or key aspect(s) of the claimed invention, should be submitted.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 10/28/2024, 4/16/2025, and 6/22/2026 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the statements have been considered by the examiner.
Applicant has provided an explanation of relevance of cited documents Kaneda et al (US 20200133591 A1 / JP 2020067893 A) and Hosomizo (US 20240402957 A1 / JP 2023141093 A) on pages 1-2 of the specification.
The relevance of the cited documents Kitagata et al (US 20170109110 A1) and Miyajima (US 20200201585 A1) can be found in the Office action dated June 10, 2026, in co-pending U.S. Application No. 18/928,426 (of record).
The relevance of the cited documents Inoue (US 20210373822 A1), Yamamichi (US 20210382671 A1), and Nakashima (US 20220308813 A1), in addition to any applied above, can be found in the European Search Report and/or Written Opinion from the EPO dated April 8, 2025, for European Application No. 24206343.6 (of record).
Cited Art
The prior art and other references made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Udo (US 20210042074 A1) disclose method for providing a cloud print service includes receiving, from an external apparatus, a print job that is to be transmitted to a printing apparatus, and registering in the cloud print service at least one or more printer objects that is used to transfer the received print job to the printing apparatus, transmitting, to the second cloud print service, a registration request to register at least one of the printer objects registered in the cloud print service as a cloud printer that is used by a second cloud print service different from the provided cloud print service, and transmitting, in a case where a cloud printer corresponding to the printer object is registered as the cloud printer of the second cloud print service based on the registration request, ability information indicating that a printing apparatus corresponding to the printer object supports a pass-through mode.
Shiohara et al (US 20220326891 A1) disclose a first server system includes a registration unit configured to, in a case where a request output from a management server system based on an instruction from a first user having a first authority is received, register first printer information in the first server system, and the management server system includes a control unit configured to, based on an instruction from a second user having a second authority that is a more limited authority than the first authority, execute a saving process for saving the first printer information registered in the first server system and second printer information regarding a printing apparatus registered in a second server system different from the first server system and the management server system in association with each other in a saving unit of the management server system.
Furuta (US 20240045623 A1) disclose a server is connected to a first printing service system and a second printing service system that is connected to an image processing device. The server includes: a storage unit configured to store credential information of a first user having a first right; a registration reception unit configured to acquire a registration instruction of the image processing device from a second user having a second right that is a right more restricted than the first right; a registration unit configured to register the image processing device in the first printing service system when the registration instruction is acquired; and a setting unit configured to set attribute information using the stored credential information when the image processing device is registered, the attribute information being related to the registered image processing device and managed by the first printing service system.
Furuta (US 20240045630 A1) discloses a server is connected to a first printing service system and a second printing service system that is connected to an image processing device. The server includes: a storage unit configured to store credential information of a first user having a first right; a registration reception unit configured to acquire a registration instruction of the image processing device from a second user having a second right that is a right more restricted than the first right; a registration unit configured to register the image processing device in the first printing service system when the registration instruction is acquired; and a setting unit configured to set attribute information using the stored credential information when the image processing device is registered, the attribute information being related to the registered image processing device and managed by the first printing service system.
Furuta (US 20240045632 A1) discloses a server is connected to a first printing service system and a second printing service system that is connected to an image processing device. The server includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a job state of printing processing executed by the image processing device from the second printing service system, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the job state to the first printing service system when the job state is acquired from the second printing service system.
Furata (US 20240319928 A1) disclose a relay server according to the present disclosure is a relay server coupled to a first printing service system and a second printing service system coupled to an image forming device. The relay server includes: a registration reception unit configured to acquire a registration instruction for the image forming device; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the image forming device from the second printing service system when the registration instruction is acquired; and a registration setting unit configured to register the image forming device in the first printing service system using the information on the image forming device acquired from the second printing service system, and to instruct the first printing service system to create client automatic setting information for registering the image forming device in a terminal device of a user.
Furuta (US 20240319936 A1) discloses a relay server 300 according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an authentication controller 331 that acquires authentication completion information indicating that a first printing service system 100 completes authentication, a printing controller 335 that acquires printing job information from the first printing service system 100 and transmits a request to cause an image forming device 600 to execute printing for the printing job information to a second printing service system 200, a storage 310 that acquires job state information corresponding to the printing job information from the second printing service system 200 and stores printing history information corresponding to the job state information, and a printing history information acquisition unit that acquires printing history information on the image forming device 600 from the storage 310. The printing history information includes external user information that is information on a user belonging to an organization different from an organization to which the image forming device 600 belongs.
Nakagawa (US 20240241682 A1), also filed by Applicant, discloses a cloud print system is provided. In the system, a print job is transmitted from a client terminal to a second cloud print service via a first cloud print service. When registering the second cloud print service as a printer, the first cloud print service obtains connection information for connecting to the second cloud print service and registers the second cloud print service as a printer in association with the connection information. In response to a request from the client terminal, the cloud print service transmits the connection information to the client terminal. The client terminal accesses the second cloud print service based on the connection information and receives a service according to the second cloud print service.
Sako (US 20250147708 A1), filed simultaneously by Applicant, discloses a cloud print server manages a printing apparatus and device attributes of the printing apparatus, a device type included in the device attribute having information indicating a type of a printing apparatus. The cloud print server displays a list of printing apparatuses managed by the cloud print server while not displaying a specific type of printing apparatus or hanging a display mode of the specific type of printing apparatus and accept selection of the printing apparatus list displayed by an administrator. The cloud print server associates the selected printing apparatus to a virtual printer, stores a print job submit to the virtual printer in one or more memory in association with the virtual printer and transmits the print job stored in association with the virtual printer to the associated printing apparatus according to an instruction from a user. An administrator can switch a setting as to whether or not a virtual printer of another cloud printing service can be registered in the virtual printer as necessary. The claims have been noted.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Scott Rogers whose telephone number is 571-272-7467. The examiner can normally be reached 8 am to 7 pm flex.
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, Abderrahim Merouan can be reached on 571-270-5254. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Scott A Rogers/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
04 August 2026
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