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
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iesaki (# US 2017/0087898).
Iesaki discloses:
1. A method (see Abstract) comprising:
receiving, at a printer controller (element: 100, figure: 2) and from a media advance sensor (element: RS, figure: 9), position data of a media that is at least partially positioned within a print zone ([0057]);
controlling, by the printer controller, and during a first time period, an advance of the media by an upstream media advance mechanism (element: 230, 235, figure: 9) located upstream from the print zone (element: 57, figure: 9; [0057]); and
controlling, by the printer controller, and during a second time period following the first time period, the advance of the media by a downstream media advance mechanism (element: 210, 215, figure: 9) located downstream from the print zone (element: 57, figure: 9), based on the received position data ([0148]);
wherein a trailing edge of the media passes between the upstream media advance mechanism and the downstream media advance mechanism during the second time period (element: 230, 235, figure: 9).
2. The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising: controlling, by the printer controller, the advance of the media by the upstream media advance mechanism during the first time period based on the received position data ([0148] applies also to roller 230, that is the different conveyance modes are switched based on the position of the paper with respect of the different rollers).
3. The method in accordance with claim 2 comprising: correcting, by the printer controller, a position error of the media by the upstream media advance mechanism during the first time period ([0071]-[0073]).
4. The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising: operating, by the printer controller, the advance of the media by the downstream media advance mechanism during the first time period in a slave mode ([0156], wherein the sheet touches roller 210 and enters in the third control mode, still corresponding to the "first time period" of the current application because the paper is still under roll 230; in this configuration, the rotation speed of roller 220 is used as target speed "V2", and the roller 210 is controlled accordingly in order to maintain an appropriate tension, thus working in a slave mode).
5. The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising: stopping, by the printer controller (element: 100, figure: 1-9), the upstream media advance mechanism during the second time period .
6. The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising: correcting, by the printer controller, a position error of the media by the downstream media advance mechanism during the second time period ([0134]-[0135]).
7. The method in accordance with claim 1 comprising: printing, by a printhead (element: 55 & 57, figure: 9), on the media during the first and second time period.
8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein receiving the position data by the media advance sensor is based on one or more of: a position of a leading edge of the media; a position of the trailing edge of the media; or a surface movement of the media (figure: 1-10).
9. A printer (element: 1, figure: 9) comprising:
an upstream media advance mechanism (element: 230, 235; figure: 9) located upstream from a print zone (element: 57, figure: 9) to advance a media (element: G, figure: 9) during a first time period;
a downstream media advance mechanism (element: 210, 215, figure: 9) located downstream from the print zone to advance the media during a second time period following the first time period;
a media advance sensor (element: RS, figure: 9) to sense a position of the media;
a printer controller (element: 100, figure: 2) to control the upstream media advance mechanism during the first time period, and control the downstream media advance mechanism during the second time period based on the position of the media ([0148], last sentence, the different conveying modes are switched according to the position of the paper).
wherein the second time period starts once a trailing edge of the media passes through the upstream media advance mechanism (figure: 9); and
a printhead (element: 55, 57, figure: 9) disposed between the upstream media advance mechanism and the downstream media advance mechanism to print on the media during the first time period and during the second time period.
10. The printer in accordance with claim 9, comprising a media input zone located upstream from the upstream media advance mechanism (figure: 1-9).
11. The printer in accordance with claim 9, wherein the downstream media advance mechanism is an overdrive roller of the printer (figure: 9).
12. The printer in accordance with claim 9, wherein a distance between the upstream media advance mechanism and the downstream media advance mechanism is equal to, or less than a length of the media in an upstream-downstream direction (see figure: 9 and description of the "third control mode" in paragraph [0155], meaning that the paper touches both rolls 210 and 230, thus the distance between these rollers is shorter than the length of the paper).
13. The printer in accordance with claim 9, wherein the print zone comprises a platen, wherein the media advance sensor is located below the platen (see figure: 1-10).
14. The printer in accordance with claim 9, wherein the printer comprises a stacker located downstream from the downstream media advance mechanism, whereby the stacker comprises the downstream media advance mechanism (see figure: 1-10).
15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor (figure: 1-10), the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:
instructions to receive, at a printer controller and from a media advance sensor (element: RS, figure: 9), position data of a media progressing within a print zone;
instructions to control, by the printer controller (element: 100, figure: 2), a progress of the media by an upstream media advance mechanism placed upstream from the print zone during a first time period;
instructions to control, by the printer controller, the progress of the media by a downstream media advance mechanism placed downstream from the print zone during a second time period following the first time period and in function of the position data,
wherein the first time period ends as a trailing edge of the media passes through the upstream media advance mechanism (see figure: 1-10).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Iesaki (# US 2015/0061207) discloses a transport system including: a transport mechanism including first and second rollers; first and second driving devices; first and second measuring devices configured to measure a state quantities Z1 and Z2; and a controller configured to control the first and second driving devices. The controller is configured to perform: estimating reaction forces R1 and R2; calculating control inputs U1 and U2; inputting, to the first driving device, a control signal in accordance with a sum of the control input U1 and the control input U2; inputting, to the second driving device, a control signal in accordance with a difference between the control input U1 and the control input U2; estimating non-tensional components RE1 or RE2; and correcting the control input U2 to prevent a control error caused by the non-tensional components RE1 and RE2 included in an estimated tension of the sheet (R1-R2)/2 (see Abstract).
(2) Takeuchi et al. (# US 2007/0126171) discloses the device has a conveyor roller (2) that rotates in a direction, a separation roller (3) rotatable in another direction that nips a sheet with the conveyor roller. A sheet sensor (14) e.g. ultra sonic type sheet sensor, detects a number of sheets. A pressure generator generates a pressure to press the separation roller against the conveyor roller. A separation torque generator generates a separation torque to convey the sheet on the separation roller in the latter direction. A controller (15) applies the pressure and separation torque to the separation roller to separate the sheets (see Abstract).
(3) Hatakeyama (# US 2018/0281477) discloses a conveyance system includes a conveyance mechanism including two rollers, two drive devices, two measuring devices, and a controller. For a first period during which a sheet is conveyed with one of the two rollers, the controller calculates first and second control inputs U1 and U2 whereas for a second period during which the sheet is conveyed with the two rollers, the controller calculates the second control input U2, two estimated tension values R1 and R2, and the first control input U1=U2−UR. For an initial period of the second period, the controller adjusts the first control input U1 to restrain the first control input U1 from change (see Abstract).
(4) Iesaki (# US 2014/0291926) discloses a transporting system including two rollers to transport a sheet, two driving devices to drive the rollers, two measuring devices, and a controller to control the transport. The controller includes two estimating units to estimate values R1 and R2 related to reaction forces act on the rollers, a first calculating unit to calculate a control input U1, a second calculating unit to calculate a control input U2 in accordance with a deviation between a target value and (R1-R2)/2, first and second drive controllers to input a control signal in accordance with U1 and U2 to the first and second driving devices, and a setting unit. In an initial stage of a period in which the sheet is transported by the two rollers, the setting unit sets the target value to a value greater than that of the target value after the initial stage (see Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANISH S SHAH whose telephone number is (571)272-2152. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at 571-272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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