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
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/11/2024 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) discussed below.
Reference US 2019/0384551 A1 is a general background reference covering: Displaying a preview image is improved. An image processing device that displays on a display a preview image of printing a print job has a controller configured that acquires the printing order of multiple image layers included in the print job, generates a preview image overlaying the multiple image layers according to the acquired printing order, and displays the generated preview image on the display. The controller displays on the display an input field for receiving an instruction specifying the printing order of the multiple image layers, and acquires the printing order by receiving the instruction through the input field. (see abstract).
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.
Claims 1, 3-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Miyasaka (US 2019/0384551 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Miyasaka discloses a printing system (e.g., FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment. The system 1 includes an image processing device 10, and a printer 20, paragraph 22) comprising:
a display configured to provide a plurality of patterns including a first pattern in which a first image (e.g., first group letters in D01)and a second image (e.g., second group letters in D01) are printed on the same surface side of a transparent medium (e.g., FIG. 2A, the color image data D01 for the first layer is printed on transparent film used as the print medium in this example, paragraph 47) and a second pattern in which the first image and the second image are respectively printed on opposite sides of the transparent medium (e.g., X Y Z, D03 printed on opposite side, paragraph 47); and
a printer configured to execute printing according to a pattern selected by a user from the patterns being provided (e.g., the printer 20 is said to print based on print data the first controller 11 generates, for example, from image data D01 shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B is referred to below as simply the printer 20 printing the image data D01, paragraph 46).
Regarding claim 3, Miyasaka discloses wherein the display provides a plurality of patterns while excluding a pattern causing a printing result that contradicts with an image overlapping order specified by a user (e.g., FIG. 2A, the color image data D01 for the first layer is printed on transparent film used as the print medium in this example, the specific-color image data D02 for the second layer is then printed, and finally the color image data D03 for the third layer is printed, paragraph 47).
Regarding claim 4, Miyasaka discloses wherein when a user specifies the first image as an layer above the second image, and a printing region of the first image includes a printing region of the second image, the display excludes: a pattern in which the first image and the second image are printed on the same surface side (e.g., FIG. 2A, the color image data D01 for the first layer is printed on transparent film used as the print medium in this example, the specific-color image data D02 for the second layer is then printed, paragraph 47); and
a pattern in which the first image is printed on a back surface of the transparent medium and the second image is printed on a front surface of the transparent medium (e.g., finally the color image data D03 for the third layer is printed. As a result, the specific-color image data D02 printed as the second layer forms a base layer for the color image data D01 of the first layer and the color image data D03 of the third layer, the image formed by the color image data D01 on the first layer is therefore visible from one side of the transparent film, and the image formed by the color image data D03 on the third layer is visible from the other side of the transparent film, paragraph 47), and
the display provides a pattern in which the first image is printed on the front surface of the transparent medium and the second image is printed on the back surface of the transparent medium (e.g., In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the specific-color image data D11 for the first layer is printed first using paper as the medium, and the color image data D12 for the second layer is then printed. As a result, the specific-color image data D11 printed on the first layer is the base layer of the color image data D12 printed on the second layer, and the image expressed by the color image data D12 on the second layer is visible, paragraph 48).
Regarding claim 5, Miyasaka discloses wherein the display also provides a printing preview for printing each if the patterns (e.g., XYZ pattern in a preview pane 32, figure 3).
Regarding claim 6, Miyasaka discloses wherein at least any one of the first image and the second image is generated by the printing system (e.g., FIG. 2A, the color image data D01 for the first layer is printed on transparent film used as the print medium in this example, the specific-color image data D02 for the second layer is then printed, and finally the color image data D03 for the third layer is printed, paragraph 47).
Regarding claim 7, Miyasaka discloses wherein at least any one of the first image and the second image is an image to be printed with special color ink (e.g., FIG. 2B, the specific-color image data D11 for the first layer is printed first using paper as the medium, and the color image data D12 for the second layer is then printed. As a result, the specific-color image data D11 printed on the first layer is the base layer of the color image data D12 printed on the second layer, and the image expressed by the color image data D12 on the second layer is visible, paragraph 48).
Regarding claim 8, Miyasaka discloses wherein at least any one of the first image and the second image is an image to be printed with white color ink, metal color ink, or clear ink (e.g., the specific color is not limited to white. Clear ink and metallic ink are other examples of specific colors of ink. More specifically, the print job may include specific-color image data in which an image layer printed with clear ink is expressed by gradation values for each pixel, or specific-color image data in which an image layer printed with metallic ink is expressed by pixel gradation values, paragraph 49).
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with limitations similar of limitations of claim 1. Therefore, claim 9 is rejected as set forth above as claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, claim 10 is a method claim with limitations similar of limitations of claim 1. Therefore, claim 10 is rejected as set forth above as claim 1.
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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyasaka (US 2019/0384551 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Niiyama (US 2020/0097781 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Miyasaka does not specifically disclose wherein the display provides a plurality of patterns including: a first pattern in which the first image, the second image, and a third image are printed on the same surface side of the transparent medium; a second pattern in which the first image, and the second image and the third image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; a second pattern in which the first image, and the second image and the third image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; a third pattern in which the first image and the third image, and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; and a fourth pattern in which the third image, and the first image and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium.
Niiyama discloses wherein the display provides a plurality of patterns including:
a first pattern in which the first image, the second image, and a third image are printed on the same surface side of the transparent medium; a second pattern in which the first image, and the second image and the third image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium (e.g., The second combining job arrangement condition 162 is information for designating a position where the image to be printed in the second combining job is arranged in the print medium W. The second combining job arrangement condition 162 can also be data for defining a positional relationship between the image to be printed in the basic job and the image to be printed in the second combining job similarly to the first combining job arrangement condition 155, paragraphs 125, 129);
a third pattern in which the first image and the third image, and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; and a fourth pattern in which the third image, and the first image and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium (e.g., The second combining job to be performed by the printer 1 in the second embodiment is a job for printing variable images. The variable images each mean an image the content of which is changed when printed. For example, the contents of the plurality of images arranged in the print medium W are changed every time the images are arranged or changed with a predetermined period, paragraph 131).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Miyasaka to include wherein the display provides a plurality of patterns including: a first pattern in which the first image, the second image, and a third image are printed on the same surface side of the transparent medium; a second pattern in which the first image, and the second image and the third image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; a second pattern in which the first image, and the second image and the third image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; a third pattern in which the first image and the third image, and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium; and a fourth pattern in which the third image, and the first image and the second image are respectively printed on the opposite sides of the transparent medium as taught by Niiyama. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have modified Miyasaka by the teaching of Niiyama to use for particular application.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG N VO whose telephone number is (571)270-1121. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7AM-4PM, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abderrahim Merouan can be reached at 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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/QUANG N VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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