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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Reasons for allowance will be provided in the event the application becomes in condition for allowance.
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(s) 1-4 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McClure et al. (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2014/0138011) in view of Hillman (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0020176).
Regarding claim 1, McClure et al. (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2014/0138011) discloses:
An information processing apparatus comprising at least one processor (paragraph [0063], for example),
wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire at least one of a color forming member image obtained by imaging a color forming member, which forms a color with density distribution corresponding to an amount of energy applied thereto (paragraph [0067], camera is used to detect pressure level of the pressure indicator adhesive; the pressure indicator adhesive forms a color according to the amount of pressure applied)
McClure et al. does not explicitly disclose:
an accessory image related to the color forming member image; and
determine whether the acquired image is the color forming member image or the accessory image.
Hillman (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0020176) discloses:
an accessory image related to the color forming member image (Figures 1, 3, paragraphs [0032], [0064], image contains a variety of objects including a calibration chart which includes colors formed in squares on the chart); and
determine whether the acquired image is the color forming member image or the accessory images (paragraphs [0032], [0064], it is determined what objects in the image are the calibration chart and which objects are not the calibration chart)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the system of Hillman with the system of McClure et al. such that the system would be configured to parse an accessory image from the color forming member image captured by the camera as described in Hillman. The suggestion/motivation would have been in order to implement a system capable of making “image capture more accurate and/or uniform” to achieve better readings (paragraph [0003] of the Hillman reference).
Regarding claim 2, McClure et al. additionally discloses:
wherein the processor is configured to execute predetermined processing in accordance with a result of the determination on the acquired image (paragraph [0063], based on the image data processed from the camera, the equipment can be calibrated to adjust pressure)
Regarding claim 3, McClure et al. additionally discloses:
wherein the processor is configured to derive the amount of energy applied to the color forming member based on the color forming member image by using characteristic data, in which a relationship between the amount of energy applied to the color forming member and a color of the color forming member included in the color forming member image is determined in advance, in a case where it is determined that the acquired image is the color forming member image (paragraphs [0063]-[0069], the pressure indicator adhesive can configured with specific thresholds of pressure have been exceeded; the microspheres can have particular colors that relate to different activation pressures)
As previously noted, Hillman discloses:
a case where it is determined that the acquired image is the color forming member image (paragraphs [0032], [0064], it is determined what objects in the image are the calibration chart and which objects are not the calibration chart)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the system of Hillman with the system of McClure et al. such that the system would be configured to parse an accessory image from the color forming member image captured by the camera as described in Hillman. The suggestion/motivation would have been in order to implement a system capable of making “image capture more accurate and/or uniform” to achieve better readings (paragraph [0003] of the Hillman reference).
Regarding claim 4, McClure et al. additionally discloses:
wherein the processor is configured to evaluate the derived amount of energy based on predetermined reference information (paragraphs [0063]-[0069], the pressure indicator adhesive can configured with specific thresholds of pressure have been exceeded; the microspheres can have particular colors that relate to different activation pressures)
Regarding claim 7, McClure et al. (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2014/0138011) discloses:
wherein the processor is configured to acquire a plurality of images each of which is one of the color forming member image obtained by imaging the color forming member, which forms the color with density distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied thereto, (paragraph [0067], camera is used to detect pressure level of the pressure indicator adhesive; the pressure indicator adhesive forms a color according to the amount of pressure applied; the system of McClure is configured to acquire images a plurality of times);
McClure et al. does not explicitly disclose:
accessory images related to the color forming member image; and
determine whether the acquired image is the color forming member image or the accessory image.
Hillman (U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0020176) discloses:
Accessory images related to the color forming member image (Figures 1, 3, paragraphs [0032], [0064], image contains a variety of objects including a calibration chart which includes colors formed in squares on the chart; the system of Hillman is configured to acquire images a plurality of times); and
determine whether each of the acquired plurality of images is the color forming member image or the accessory image (paragraphs [0032], [0064], it is determined what objects in the image are the calibration chart and which objects are not the calibration chart; the system of Hillman is configured to acquire images a plurality of times)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the system of Hillman with the system of McClure et al. such that the system would be configured to parse an accessory image from the color forming member image captured by the camera as described in Hillman. The suggestion/motivation would have been in order to implement a system capable of making “image capture more accurate and/or uniform” to achieve better readings (paragraph [0003] of the Hillman reference).
Regarding claim 8, the structural elements of apparatus claim 1 perform all of the steps of method claim 8. Thus, claim 8 is rejected for the same reasons discussed in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, arguments analogous to claim 1 are applicable. The computer readable medium is inherently taught as evidenced by paragraph [0063] of McClure et al. and various memories stored therein.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN R WALLACE whose telephone number is (571)270-1577. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 PM.
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/JOHN R WALLACE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
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