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 1-9 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Piazza et al (US 20150331639 A1).
Referring to claim 1:
Piazza et al disclose a control method for an information processing apparatus connected to a printing apparatus, the control method comprising:
registering information related to a target custom sheet that is set to the printing apparatus and transmitting the registered information to the printing apparatus (Setup Phase, par. 56-75),
wherein in the registration, whether to allow a user to select first setting, by which correction information is used at printing on a sheet of a kind other than the target custom sheet, is varied depending on whether a predetermined condition is satisfied, the correction information being obtained by using the target custom sheet pertaining to printing data to be printed by a printing unit of the printing apparatus (par. 73: correction information indicating unique calibration is set for media types other than media types made not selectable for calibration).
Referring to claim 2:
Piazza et al disclose whether the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined based on the kind of the target custom sheet (par. 73).
Referring to claim 3:
Piazza et al disclose whether to allow selection of the first setting varies based on the kind of a sheet designated as a reference in the registration of information related to the target custom sheet (par. 58-60, 68-71: the name or reference designated based on the custom paper is input and can be edited).
Referring to claims 4 and 9:
Piazza et al disclose the predetermined condition is satisfied determined based on property information obtained from the target custom sheet, including glossiness (par. 36).
Referring to claim 5:
Piazza et al disclose second setting, by which the correction information is used at printing on a sheet that is set to the printing apparatus, can be selected irrespective of the kind of the custom sheet (par. 73: information indicating that calibration cannot be performed may be made selectable irrespective of the media type).
Referring to claim 6:
Piazza et al disclose the custom sheet is a sheet different from a sheet provided by a vendor of the printing apparatus (e.g., Fig. 22: Canon Standard Paper).
Referring to claim 7:
Piazza et al disclose the first setting is setting for the use at printing on a custom sheet of the same kind as the target custom sheet (par. 59, 71: common calibration setting can be used for custom paper).
Referring to claim 8:
Piazza et al disclose the correction information is a target value of color calibration (par. 68: color calibration).
Referring to claim 11:
Piazza et al disclose transmitting the correction information and one or more parameters that are used to print the target custom sheet to the printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus executes printing based on printing data generated based on the correction information and the one or more parameters (par. 74-75: information concerning all media types including information concerning custom paper created is registered in the printers).
Referring to claim 12:
This claim is the apparatus for performing the method steps as set forth in claim 1. Piazza et al disclose such an apparatus for this purpose (Figs. 1-4, par. 37-41, 56). Therefore, this claim is rejected for the same reasons as presented above.
Referring to claim 13:
This claim is the product or article of manufacture (i.e., a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) storing a program that which causes a computer to execute a control method as set forth in claim 1. Piazza et al disclose such a product for this purpose (par. 132). Therefore, this claim is rejected for the same reasons as presented above.
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Piazza et al as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Kanai (US 20150339558 A1).
Referring to claim 10:
While Piazza et al do not disclose the glossiness of the target custom sheet being measured by the printing apparatus, Kanai disclose such a practice (par. 122).
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 modified Piazza et al to have included measuring the glossiness of the target custom sheet by the printing apparatus in order to increase the discrimination accuracy properties such as gloss, and thereby more accurately determine the type of print medium even when the properties are slightly different (par. 9).
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 21 November 2024 and 17 March 2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the statements have been considered by the examiner as indicated below.
Applicant has provided an explanation of relevance of cited document JP 2016-212842 A on paged 1-2 of the specification.
Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) summarized below.
Piazza (JP 2015-219920 A / equivalent to US 20150331639 A1) is applied above.
Munenori (JP 2023-131420 A) disclose an image forming apparatus 1 that includes an image forming unit 20T that forms a transparent toner image on a recording medium, and a transparent toner process that performs processing for placing transparent toner on the edge portion of the image area of the toner image on printing paper 131 and on which the image forming unit 20T has placed the transparent toner, the transparent toner is placed from the edge of the image area, and the number of dots at the edge of the transparent toner area and the non-image area is different from that of the other The area has been reduced.
Cited Art
The prior art and other references made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shimada (US 7791760 B2) disclose that color appearances do not satisfactorily match between recording paper sheets with different gloss characters even using a colorimetric matching process. Hence, the differences between the gloss characters of the recording paper sheets are obtained as correction amounts, and a media profile indicating correspondence between color signals of an image forming apparatus and calorimetric signals corresponding to recording paper is corrected on the basis of the obtained correction amounts.
Niles et al (US 8610932 B2) a method and apparatus for launching a calibrator process by which the user is guided through the process of calibrating the conditions used by a particular print job is provided. Techniques are provided which calculate which print conditions will be used by the particular print job, which guarantees that the user is calibrating the correct conditions to get the best color quality for the particular job. The method and apparatus further provides techniques that allow the user to specify the conditions under which a calibration is considered expired in terms of time since the last calibration and the number of prints since the last calibration The method and apparatus further provides techniques for when the user encounters a new media type or print condition, the system can measure such and inform the user whether to create a new profile and/or new calibration set to get the optimal color quality.
Tanaka (US 8995011 B2) discloses an image formation apparatus performs calibration to maintain image quality. An adding unit performs addition processing to add an arbitrary type of printing medium different from a printing medium designated in advance as a printing medium usable for the calibration. A storage unit stores characteristic information indicating characteristics of each of a plurality of arbitrary types of printing media added by the adding unit. A determination unit determines an arbitrary type of printing medium relatively approximate to the characteristics of the printing medium designated in advance by comparing the characteristic information of each of the plurality of arbitrary types of printing media with the characteristics of the printing medium designated in advance. A calibration performing unit performs the calibration using the printing medium determined by the determination unit.
Yukie et al (US 9275312 B2) disclose a print control apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store surface-effect selection tables for respective pieces of recording medium information on a recording medium, different types of same surface effects being registered in each surface-effect selection table; an acquiring unit configured to acquire a piece of recording medium information; a table generating unit configured to generate a surface-effect selection table corresponding to the piece of recording medium information and store the surface-effect selection table in the storage unit; a determining unit configured to determine the surface-effect selection table; and an image data generating unit configured to generate image data based on the surface-effect selection table and based on gloss-control plane data in which a type of a surface effect to be applied to the recording medium and an area of the recording medium to which the surface effect is to be applied are specified.
Hagai et al (US 9684480 B2) disclose a server receives parameter-related data and sheet information from a first terminal device, determines a printing parameter based on the parameter-related data, registers, in a storage device, the printing parameter in association with registration-sheet information indicative of a sheet indicated by the sheet information received from the first terminal device, transmits, to a second terminal device, a list of sheets indicated by registration-sheet information registered in the storage device, receives a print command from the second terminal device, generates print data by using: the image data included in the print command; and a printing parameter associated with target sheet information, and transmits the print data to a printing device. The target sheet information is registration-sheet information indicative of a sheet specified by sheet-specifying data included in the print command. The print data is used for printing an image on the sheet specified by the sheet-specifying data.
Hashimoto (US 11068759 B2) discloses a printing apparatus includes a control unit to execute either one of a first calibration and a different second calibration in a case where a predetermined execution condition corresponding to a type of printing paper that is set in the printing apparatus is satisfied. The first calibration is executed when the type of printing paper that is set is a first type that is included in a plurality of types and the second calibration is executed when the type of printing paper that is set is a second type. The control unit determines whether the predetermined execution condition is satisfied, based on a relationship as to which is greater and which is smaller between a predetermined threshold value and a count value corresponding to a number of elapsed days since calibration was previously executed for the type of printing paper that is set in the printing apparatus.
Kobayashi (US 11245796 B2) discloses an image processing apparatus that includes circuitry configured to provide information in response to satisfaction of a given condition (a change of type of the recording medium) indicating that a mixed-color characteristic is to be corrected.
Sato (US 11831847 B2) discloses an image processing apparatus includes a control unit configured to control execution of monochromatic calibration and multi-color calibration, and a registration unit configured to register paper types of paper to be used at time of execution of the monochromatic calibration, a monochromatic target value set for each of the paper types used for the monochromatic calibration, paper types of paper to be used at time of execution of multi-color calibration, and a multi-color target value set for each of the paper types used for the multi-color calibration. The image processing apparatus executes the multi-color calibration, after executing the monochromatic calibration, via the control unit by using paper of a paper type selected from common paper types out of the registered paper types and the monochromatic target value and the multi-color target value set for the selected paper type.
Saito et al (US 20070264039 A1) disclose an apparatus, method, system, computer program and product, each capable of managing information regarding a plurality of recording sheet types available for use by an image forming apparatus.
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
08 August 2026
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