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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been received.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS’s) submitted on 16 January 2025 and 19 December 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the Information Disclosure Statements have been considered by the Examiner.
Preliminary Amendment
Claim 10 has been amended and examined as such.
Claims 12-14 have been added and examined as such.
Claim 5 has been cancelled as requested by the Applicant.
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, 2, & 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by ITO (JP 2002358187-A Machine Translation).
As related to independent claim 1, ITO teaches a printing device (ITO – Paragraph 5) comprising: a printing execution unit configured to execute printing of a printing surface identified by printing surface identification information based on printing instruction data [i.e. print job] (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38) including resulting product identification information [i.e. print job ID] for identifying a resultant product of printing (ITO – Paragraph 37), a total printing surface number [i.e. number of printed copies and the number of pages per copy], which is a total number of the printing surface to be printed to obtain the resultant product, the printing surface identification information [i.e. page number] for identifying the printing surface (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38), and printing data of the printing surface identified by the printing surface identification information [i.e. 4/10 copies and pages 11/32, 12/32… etc.] (ITO - Paragraph 38); and a printing history output unit [i.e. print history information table] configured to output a printing history indicating a result of printing executed based on the printing instruction data including the same resultant product identification information in association with the resultant product identification information (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38).
As related to dependent claim 2, ITO continues to teach the printing history output by the printing history output unit includes printing progress information derived based on the printing surface identification information of the printing surface on which the printing execution unit has executed printing and the total printing surface number (ITO – Paragraph 38 and Figure 4, Reference PC020, shown below).
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As related to dependent claim 4, ITO continues to teach the printing history output by the printing history output unit includes information indicating that printing has been completed or the printing surface identification information related to the printing surface on which an error has occurred when the number of the printing surfaces on which the printing execution unit has executed printing is the same as the total printing surface number (ITO – Paragraph 38).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (JP 2002358187-A Machine Translation) in view of Murahashi et al. (US 2007/0177197 A1).
ITO teaches the printing history output by the printing history output unit, but does not specifically teach printing costs. However, Murahashi et al. teaches a printing device with a printing history output and specifically teaches the output includes an ink consumption amount consumed by printing of the printing surface or a printing cost based on the ink consumption amount (Murahashi et al. – Page 1, Paragraphs 6-7 , Page 4, Paragraphs 77-78; & Page 5, Paragraph 94; and Figure 1, shown below). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the printing history output of ITO to include the consumption amount or printing cost of Murahashi et al. in an effort to reduce printing costs (Murahashi et al. – Page 1, Paragraph 7).
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Claims 6-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ITO (JP 2002358187-A; Machine Translation) in view of SUMIO (JP 2005109718-A; Machine Translation).
As related to independent claim 6, ITO teaches a printing system (ITO – Paragraph 5) comprising: a printing device configured to execute printing of a printing surface identified by printing surface identification information based on printing instruction data including: resultant product identification information for identifying a resultant product of printing, a total printing surface number, which is a total number of the printing surface to be printed to obtain the resultant product, the printing surface identification information for identifying the printing surface, and printing data of the printing surface identified by the printing surface identification information, and output a printing history indicating a result of printing in association with the resultant product identification information (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38). ITO does not specifically teach printing cost. However, SUMIO teaches a printing system (SUMIO – Paragraph 6 and Figure 2, shown below); and specifically teaches an information processing terminal configured to output printing progress information or printing cost of the resultant product identified by the resultant product identification information based on the printing history output by the printing device (SUMIO – Paragraphs 6, 25-28 & 37-39). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the printing history output of ITO to include the consumption amount or printing cost of SUMIO in an effort to provide a secure imaging device for use in a shop with a terminal (SUMIO – Paragraphs 8-14).
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As related to independent claim 11, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains for the reasons indicated above and continues to teach a manufacturing method comprising the steps of: a printing execution step of executing printing of a printing surface identified by printing surface identification information based on printing instruction data including resultant product identification information for identifying a resultant product of printing (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38), a total printing surface number, which is a total number of the printing surface to be printed to obtain the resultant product, the printing surface identification information for identifying the printing surface, and printing data of the printing surface identified by the printing surface identification information (ITO – Paragraphs 30 & 37-38); an outputting step of outputting a printing history indicating a result of printing executed in the printing execution step in association with the resultant product identification information; and a controlling step of controlling an operation of a preceding process or a subsequent process based on the printing history associated with the resultant product identification information (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraphs 6, 25-28 & 37-39).
As related to dependent claim 7, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains as applied above and continues to teach the printing system includes a plurality of the printing devices configured to execute printing of different printing surfaces among a plurality of the printing surfaces, and the information processing terminal outputs the printing progress information or the printing cost of the resultant product based on the printing history associated with the resultant product identification information received from the plurality of the printing devices (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraphs 6, 25-28 & 37-39 and Figure 1, shown below).
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As related to further dependent claim 8, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains as applied above and continues to teach the printing instruction data including the resultant product identification information, the total printing surface number, the printing surface identification information for identifying each of the printing surface, and the printing data of each of the printing surface is transmitted to each printing device configured to execute printing of each printing surface determined based on the printing data of the plurality of the printing surfaces, and each of the printing device executes printing based on the printing instruction data received (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraphs 6, 25-28 & 37-39 and Figure 1, shown above).
As related to further dependent claim 9, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains as applied above and continues to teach the printing instruction data is transmitted to each of the printing device configured to execute printing of each of the printing surface determined based on at least one piece of management information of specifications, ink remaining amounts, and maintenance states of the plurality of the printing devices and the printing data of the plurality of the printing surfaces. (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraphs 43-45and Figure 1, shown above).
As related to dependent claim 10, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains as applied above and continues to teach an operation of a preceding process or a subsequent process [i.e. stapling and punching] is controlled based on the printing history associated with the resultant product identification information (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraph 27).
As related to further dependent claims 12-14, the combination of ITO and SUMIO remains as applied above and continues to teach an operation of a preceding process or a subsequent process [i.e. stapling and punching] is controlled based on the printing history associated with the resultant product identification (ITO – Paragraphs 37-38 and SUMIO – Paragraph 27).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Fukuda et al. (US 5,860,679 A) teaches an imaging system which generates image data and identifies marks. Folkins (US 7,390,084 B2) teaches an ink jet printer which includes a system for counting the number of printing surfaces to be printed. WU et al. (US 2010/0303281 A1) teaches an imaging system which prints patterns and measures values. Shin et al. (US 2011/0279505 A1) teaches a printing system which generates image data and the identifies portions of the printed image. Mizes et al. (US 8,506,038 B2) teaches an inkjet printer which identifies the process, direction, and correction distances from the surface. Mizes et al. (US 9,216,603 B1) teaches a printer which identifies the surface of the substrate and distance between printhead and surface. Donaldson (US 2017/0015124 A1) teaches a printing system which generates an image of a printed pattern to determining the amount of drops and sizes thereof.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular Figures & Reference Numbers, Columns, Paragraphs and Line Numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to JOHN P ZIMMERMANN whose telephone number is (571)270-3049. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 0700-1730 EST.
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, 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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/John P Zimmermann/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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