24DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This is an initial office action in response to communication(s) filed on December 27, 2024.
Claims 1-8 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park (U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0157626 A1).
With regard to claim 1, the claim is drawn to a watching system comprising a first server, a printing apparatus, and an information processing apparatus (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1, disclose the pull printing system, include an index server, a spool server, a host apparats and an image forming apparatus)3, wherein
the printing apparatus is capable of transmitting detection information based on a user operation to the first server after printing print information (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6, para. 53, 57-58, 63 and etc., disclose that “[0053] In this description, printing may include printing one or more copies after scanning an original document, printing received facsimile data, and/or printing print data which is received from external apparatuses, such as a server or a host apparatus, or which is stored in an HDD inside the image forming apparatus 400 or external memories, such as a USB. [0057] Specifically, the user input part 110 may receive a command to generate print data to pull print from the user. [0058] In this respect, the user may select pull printing by executing a printer driver or application programs to support functions of the image forming apparatus 400 using the user input part 110, and may input a command to generate print data…”; and additionally in para. 63, disclose that “[0063] If the user selects the relocation of the print data through the displayed message, the first controller 150 may control the first communication part 140 to transmit the print data to pull print stored in the first storage part 130 to the server, that is, the spool server 300. According to an exemplary modified embodiment, the control may be preset to be automatically performed without user selection…”), and
the first server is capable of transmitting a notification to the information processing apparatus based on the received detection information (see Park, i.e. in para. 110, discloses that “[0110] While continuously performing communication with the spool server 300, the relocation agent of the host apparatus 100 requires resource information, such as information about the storage space of the spool server 300 (Resource Query), and receives a response thereto (Response), to thereby monitor the spool server 300”).
With regard to claim 2, the claim is drawn to the watching system according to claim 1, further comprising a second server that transmits content information as the print information, wherein the printing apparatus is capable of transmitting the detection information to the first server after printing the content information received from the second server (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6 and etc., disclose the spool server 300, and the index server 200, and in para. 51, discloses that “[0051] The index server 200 is a database in which job information on print data generated in the host apparatus 100 is stored, and the spool server 300 is a database in which the print data is stored. The index server 200 and the spool server 300 may be provided as two separate apparatuses, or may be provided as a single apparatus to perform the functions of the index server 200 and the spool server 300. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment where the index server 200 and the spool server 300 are separately provided….”).
With regard to claim 3, the claim is drawn to a printing apparatus capable of communicating with a first server (see Park, i.e.in fig. 1-6 and etc., disclose the image forming apparatus 400, connected to both the spool server and the index server), the printing apparatus comprising:
a printing section that prints print information (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6, para.71 and etc., disclose that “The image forming apparatus 400 receives the print data from the host apparatus 100 and then performs printing.”);
a detecting section that performs detection based on a user operation (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6, para. 53, 57-58, 63 and etc., disclose that “[0053] In this description, printing may include printing one or more copies after scanning an original document, printing received facsimile data, and/or printing print data which is received from external apparatuses, such as a server or a host apparatus, or which is stored in an HDD inside the image forming apparatus 400 or external memories, such as a USB. [0057] Specifically, the user input part 110 may receive a command to generate print data to pull print from the user. [0058] In this respect, the user may select pull printing by executing a printer driver or application programs to support functions of the image forming apparatus 400 using the user input part 110, and may input a command to generate print data…”; and additionally in para. 63, disclose that “[0063] If the user selects the relocation of the print data through the displayed message, the first controller 150 may control the first communication part 140 to transmit the print data to pull print stored in the first storage part 130 to the server, that is, the spool server 300. According to an exemplary modified embodiment, the control may be preset to be automatically performed without user selection…”); and
a control section that, after the printing of the print information by the printing section, is capable of generating detection information based on the detection by the detecting section and transmitting the detection information to the first server (see Park, in para. 63, disclose that “[0063] If the user selects the relocation of the print data through the displayed message, the first controller 150 may control the first communication part 140 to transmit the print data to pull print stored in the first storage part 130 to the server, that is, the spool server 300. According to an exemplary modified embodiment, the control may be preset to be automatically performed without user selection…”).
With regard to claim 4, the claim is drawn to the printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the first server is capable of transmitting a notification to an information processing apparatus based on the detection information (see Park, i.e. in para. 110, discloses that “[0110] While continuously performing communication with the spool server 300, the relocation agent of the host apparatus 100 requires resource information, such as information about the storage space of the spool server 300 (Resource Query), and receives a response thereto (Response), to thereby monitor the spool server 300”),
the print information is content information received from a second server (see Park, i.e. in para. 10 and etc, disclose that “as a user inputs a print request through an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus receives the print data from the server and performs printing…”), and
the control section is capable of transmitting the detection information to the first server after the printing section prints the content information received from the second server (see Park, i.e. in para. 5 and etc., disclose that “[0035] Yet another feature of the present general inventive concept is achieved by providing an index server that stores job information about pull printing. The index server includes a communication part to perform communication with an image forming apparatus and a host apparatus that generates and stores print data to pull print, a spool server to receive the print data from the host apparatus and stores the print data, a storage part to store a job information table that includes information about a storage location of the print data to pull print, and a controller that determines the storage location of the print data with reference to the job information table, if a print request corresponding to the print data to pull print is received from the image forming apparatus through the communication part, and controls the communication part to transmit the print request to any one of the host apparatus and the spool server based on the determination.”).
With regard to claim 7, the claim is drawn to a method of controlling a printing apparatus that is capable of communicating with a first server and includes a printing section that prints print information and a detecting section that performs detection based on a user operation, the method comprising: after the printing of the print information by the printing section (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6, para. 53, 57-58, 63 and etc., disclose that “[0053] In this description, printing may include printing one or more copies after scanning an original document, printing received facsimile data, and/or printing print data which is received from external apparatuses, such as a server or a host apparatus, or which is stored in an HDD inside the image forming apparatus 400 or external memories, such as a USB. [0057] Specifically, the user input part 110 may receive a command to generate print data to pull print from the user. [0058] In this respect, the user may select pull printing by executing a printer driver or application programs to support functions of the image forming apparatus 400 using the user input part 110, and may input a command to generate print data…”; and additionally in para. 63, disclose that “[0063] If the user selects the relocation of the print data through the displayed message, the first controller 150 may control the first communication part 140 to transmit the print data to pull print stored in the first storage part 130 to the server, that is, the spool server 300. According to an exemplary modified embodiment, the control may be preset to be automatically performed without user selection…”),
generating detection information based on the detection by the detecting section and transmitting the detection information to the first server (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6, para. 53, 57-58, 63 and etc., disclose that “[0053] In this description, printing may include printing one or more copies after scanning an original document, printing received facsimile data, and/or printing print data which is received from external apparatuses, such as a server or a host apparatus, or which is stored in an HDD inside the image forming apparatus 400 or external memories, such as a USB. [0057] Specifically, the user input part 110 may receive a command to generate print data to pull print from the user. [0058] In this respect, the user may select pull printing by executing a printer driver or application programs to support functions of the image forming apparatus 400 using the user input part 110, and may input a command to generate print data…”; and additionally in para. 63, disclose that “[0063] If the user selects the relocation of the print data through the displayed message, the first controller 150 may control the first communication part 140 to transmit the print data to pull print stored in the first storage part 130 to the server, that is, the spool server 300. According to an exemplary modified embodiment, the control may be preset to be automatically performed without user selection…”).
With regard to claim 8, the claim is drawn to the method according to claim 7, wherein the first server is capable of transmitting a notification to an information processing apparatus based on the detection information (see Park, i.e. in para. 110, discloses that “[0110] While continuously performing communication with the spool server 300, the relocation agent of the host apparatus 100 requires resource information, such as information about the storage space of the spool server 300 (Resource Query), and receives a response thereto (Response), to thereby monitor the spool server 300”),
the print information is content information received from a second server, and the detection information is transmitted to the first server after the printing section prints the content information received from the second server (see Park, i.e. in fig. 1-6 and etc., disclose the spool server 300, and the index server 200, and in para. 51, discloses that “[0051] The index server 200 is a database in which job information on print data generated in the host apparatus 100 is stored, and the spool server 300 is a database in which the print data is stored. The index server 200 and the spool server 300 may be provided as two separate apparatuses, or may be provided as a single apparatus to perform the functions of the index server 200 and the spool server 300. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment where the index server 200 and the spool server 300 are separately provided….”).
Allowable Subject Matter
With regard to Claims 5 and 6, claims 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 and overcoming the corresponding rejections and/or objection (if any) set forth in the Office Action above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 5, the closest prior arts of record, Park, do not disclose or suggest, among the other limitations, the additional required limitation of “the printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detecting section is a first sensor capable of detecting printed matter printed by the printing section, and when the first sensor continuously detects the printed matter for a first period of time or longer after the printing of the print information by the printing section, the control section transmits first detection information as the detection information to the first server”. These additional features in combination with all the other features required in the claimed invention, are neither taught nor suggested by prior art of record.
With regard to claim 6, the closest prior arts of record, Park, do not disclose or suggest, among the other limitations, the additional required limitation of “the printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detecting section is a second sensor capable of detecting the user operation, and when the second sensor does not detect the user operation for a second period of time or longer after the printing of the print information by the printing section, the control section transmits second detection information as the detection information to the first server”. These additional features in combination with all the other features required in the claimed invention, are neither taught nor suggested by prior art of record.
Therefore, claims 5-6 are objected to.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Matsuo (U.S. Pat/Pub No. 2009/0059276 A1) disclose an invention relates to a printing apparatus that controls a confidential printing mode waiting for printout until completing user's certification is known (see para. 5 and etc.).
The Art Unit (or Workgroup) location of your application in the USPTO has changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Art Unit 2681.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jacky X. Zheng whose telephone number is (571) 270-1122. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, alt. Friday Off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Akwasi Sarpong can be reached on (571) 272-3438. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACKY X ZHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681
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