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 .
Claims 1 – 10 are pending in this application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/27/2024 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 provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) JP-2003-271431 A on page 2 of the specification.
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 - 7, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kakitsuba et al. (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2021/0365221 A1, hereinafter 'Kakitsuba').
With respect to claim 1, Kakitsuba teaches a printing system for acquiring document data stored in a storage and generating print data of the acquired document data (e.g., a printing system for acquiring document data stored in a memory or folder and generating print data of the acquired document data, ¶0021, ¶0026), wherein the printing system comprises: one or more processors (e.g., CPU’s 11, 31, 51, Fig. 1); and at least one memory (e.g., memories 12, 32, 52, Fig. 1) storing executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors (e.g., storing executable process or programs, which when executed by the CPU’s 11, 31, 51, ¶0021, ¶0043, ¶0066, Fig. 1), cause the printing system to perform: attaching a file name different from a file name in the storage to the document data acquired from the storage and storing the document data in a storage unit of the printing system (e.g., adding a username for a filename in the folder to the document data acquired from the folder and storing the document data in the memory of the printing system, ¶0070, ¶0080, ¶0089, Fig. 5); generating, in a case where the document data includes a file name field where a file name is to be output, when generating intermediate data based on the document data stored in the storage unit, the intermediate data in a state such that a file name based on the file name in the storage is to be output to the file name field (e.g., generating intermediate data in a state when the username based on filename in the folder is to be entered to the filename, ¶0070, ¶0076); and generating print data print-executable with a printer by using the generated intermediate data (e.g., generating print data for a printer based on generated intermediate data, ¶0076 - ¶0077, ¶0083).
With respect to claim 2, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate data is generated from the document data temporarily stored in a state in which a file name based on the file name in the storage is attached (e.g., the intermediate data is generated from the document data held in a state in which the username is added/applied to the filename, ¶0036 - ¶0039, ¶0044 - ¶0045).
With respect to clam 3, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate data is generated based on document data after the file name field of the document data stored in the storage unit is replaced with a character string of the file name in the storage (e.g., the intermediate data is generated upon providing a character string for the filename, ¶0035, ¶0066, ¶0077).
With respect to claim 4, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate data is generated based on temporarily stored document data after the file name field of the document data stored in the storage unit is replaced with a character string of the file name in the storage (e.g., the intermediate data is generated when the filename is given a username, ¶0035, ¶0066, ¶0077).
With respect to claim 5, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein temporary intermediate data is generated based on document data stored in the storage unit, a character string corresponding to the file name field included in the temporary intermediate data is replaced with a character string of the file name in the storage, and the final intermediate data after the replacement is generated as the intermediate data (e.g., character string is added or applied to the intermediate data, ¶0066, ¶0085, ¶0089).
With respect to claim 6, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the printing system to perform: receiving a request from a client terminal, and wherein the document data acquired from the storage is document data specified by the request received from the client terminal (e.g., receiving a request from client PC, wherein the document data acquired from the folder is document data specified or selected by the request received said client PC, ¶0030 - ¶0033 with ¶0054).
With respect to claim 7, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the printing system to perform transmitting the generated print data to the printer (e.g., transmitting the generated print data to the printer 5, ¶0035 with ¶0096).
With respect to claim 9, Kakitsuba notes that the invention may be realized through the execution by a CPU (e.g., a computer, ¶0008, ¶0022) of instruction codes (e.g., set of program instructions, ¶008, ¶0022) stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, ¶0008). The further limitations are met by the teachings as previously discussed with respect to claim 1.
With respect to claim 10, this is a method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 1. Therefore, this is rejected for the same reasons as the apparatus 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kakitsuba in view of Kamoi (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2013/0120794 A1, hereinafter ‘Kamoi’).
With respect to claim 8, Kakitsuba teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein Kakitsuba teaches all the limitations in claim 8, except for a document conversion server.
However, in the same field of endeavor of generating and transmitting print data, the mentioned claimed limitations are well-known in the art as evidenced by Kamoi. In particular, Kamoi teaches a document conversion server (e.g., upon receiving data from a printer server 200, a conversion server 600 may receive said data in order to convert and then transmits to an image forming apparatus through the printer server, ¶0034 - ¶0039, ¶0076 - ¶0078, ¶0087).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the printing system of Kakitsuba as taught by Kamoi since Kamoi suggested within ¶0034 - ¶0039, ¶0076 - ¶0078, ¶0087 that such modification of incorporating (or adding) a document conversion server between the print server and an image forming apparatus of Kakitsuba would improve servers’ performance or expand functionality in order to reduce load on the user, handle more user traffic or keeps data intact.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUAN M GUILLERMETY whose telephone number is (571)270-3481. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/JUAN M GUILLERMETY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
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