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 – 20 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 03/04/2025 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.
Applicants have not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) discussed below.
Watanabe (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2008/0170270 A1) teaches an information processing apparatus comprising: an output unit for outputting output information to a user; a receiving unit for receiving function-restricting information showing whether a printer is in a function-restricted status, from the printer in which utilization of a predetermined function is restricted where it is set that utilization of the predetermined function is restricted in the second print setting existing in the printer side even where it is set that the predetermined function equipped by the printer is utilized in the first print setting existing in the information processing apparatus side; and a controller for controlling so as to always output via the output unit the output information showing whether the printer is in the function-restricted status, based on the function restricting information received by the receiving unit.
Canon (JP 2018 190155 A) provides a system composed of an information processing device, an image forming apparatus, and a management server connected through a network to present an order service of a consumable supply. An individual identification ID of an individual who has already contracted the order service is registered in the management server. The information processing device includes: acquisition means for acquiring the individual identification ID; transmission means for transmitting a query including the acquired individual identification ID to the management server; reception means for receiving a response to the transmitted query; and presentation means for presenting information for introducing the order service to a user in the case that an image forming apparatus identified by the acquired individual identification ID belongs to an individual who has not contracted the order service yet, on the basis of the received response.
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 and 8 - 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Honda (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2016/0266849 A1, hereinafter ‘Honda’).
With respect to claim 1, Honda teaches a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g. a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’, ¶0057) storing a program that is a resident program (e.g., storing a program that run in an OS, ¶0023), the program, when executed by a processor of an information processing apparatus (e.g. a CPU 104, Fig. 1), causing the information processing apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising: communicating, via a communication device of the image processing apparatus, with an image processing device to be monitored (e.g., establishing, via a network board 105 of said information processing apparatus, with a printer to be checked, ¶0024); acquiring a status of the image processing device through a communication with the image processing device (e.g., acquiring status of said printing apparatus though a network with said printer, ¶0029); displaying a first notification image based on the status acquired in the acquiring the status of the image processing device (e.g., displaying a first message based on the acquired status of said printer, Figs. 3 – 5, ¶0033 - ¶0035); acquiring service-related information related to a service available to the image processing device to be monitored (e.g., when a user’s manual is pressed, call (or download) for a manual in order to deal occurrence of an error from the status, ¶0009, Fig. 5, ¶0036); and displaying a second notification image related to the service-related information acquired in the acquiring the service-related information, a display format of the second notification image being the same as a display format of the first notification image (e.g., displaying a second message related to the user’s manual, said second message and said first message can use the toast method, ¶0032 - ¶0036, ¶0051).
With respect to claim 8, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein each of the display format of the first notification image and the display format of the second notification image is a pop-up display, wherein in the displaying the first notification image, the first notification image is displayed as a pop-up, and wherein in the displaying the second notification image, the second notification image is displayed as a pop-up (e.g., both messages displayed as toast messages, ¶0008, ¶0031 - ¶0034),
With respect to claim 9, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: acquiring progress information indicating a progress of a job causing the image processing device to perform image processing; and displaying a third notification image based on the progress information acquired in the acquiring the progress information, a display format of the third notification image being the same as the display format of the first notification image (e.g. Fig 3 – shows examples of progress of a job, and said manual can be displayed according to a detected type of error, ¶0032, ¶0039, Fig. 7).
With respect to claim 10, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise acquiring consumable information indicating information on a consumable in the image processing device through the communication with the image processing device, wherein the first notification image includes the consumable information acquired in the acquiring the consumable information, and wherein the third notification image does not include the consumable information (e.g., the displayed status including consumable (toner or paper) will be displayed when toner/paper has run out, Fig. 7).
With respect to claim 11, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, the program, when executed by the processor, allows the information processing apparatus to monitor a plurality of image processing devices, wherein the displaying the first notification image comprises: receiving a selection of an image processing device to be displayed among the plurality of image processing devices to be monitored; and displaying the first notification image based on the status of the selected image processing device, and wherein the displaying the second notification image comprises displaying the second notification image without receiving the selection of the image processing device to be displayed (Honda teaches a system with the information processing apparatus and the printer, but it would be obvious to have more printers in order to allow the user to select a closer printer, an idle printer or a high performance printer in order to obtain his/her desired print-out, ¶0022)
With respect to claim 12, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the service-related information includes information related to one or more services associated with respective one or more types of error or warning, wherein the operations further comprise, in a case in which the status acquired in the acquiring the status of the image processing device is an error or a warning, extracting, from the service-related information acquired in the acquiring the service-related information, information related to a service associated with a type of error or warning corresponding to the type of error or warning indicated in the status acquired in the acquiring the status of the image processing device, and wherein the displaying the first notification image comprises, in case in which there is the information extracted in the extracting the information related to the service, displaying the first notification image including the information extracted in the extracting information related to the service (e.g., the user’s manual received or downloaded is respectively associated with the type of error detected and it’s displayed, ¶0032 - ¶0034, ¶0039).
With respect to claim 13, Honda teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the acquiring the service-related information comprises storing the acquired service-related information in a memory of the information processing apparatus, and wherein the operations further comprise: receiving an instruction to display a list of the acquired service-related information during the second notification image being displayed; and displaying a list of the service-related information stored in the memory in a case in which the instruction is received (e.g., manual data can also be found (installed) in a local memory of said information processing apparatus, ¶0036; manual data should include more details information in order to deal occurrence of a specific error from the acquired status, ¶0036, ¶0052).
With respect to claim 14, Honda taches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring the service-related information comprises: communicating, via the communication device, with a server configured to provide the service-related information; and acquiring the service-related information related to the image processing device to be monitored (e.g., since a web manual data are also downloaded to be displayed, there must be an inherent server on the Internet storing the manual data to be downloaded, ¶0036).
With respect to claim 15, this is an apparatus claim corresponding to the program claim 1. Therefore, this is rejected for the same reasons as the program claim 1.
With respect to claim 16, this is a method claim corresponding to the program claim 1. Therefore, this is rejected for the same reasons as the program claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 - 17 and 17 - 20 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.
With respect to claim 2, none of the cited references teaches the non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to wherein the operations comprise displaying an icon corresponding to the program, each of the display format of the first notification image and the display format of the second notification image being a display format via the icon, wherein in the displaying the first notification image, the icon in a first mode is displayed as the first notification image, the icon in the first mode corresponding to the status acquired in the acquiring the status of the image processing device, and wherein in the displaying the second notification image, the icon in a second mode is displayed as the second notification image, the icon in the second mode indicating that the service-related information acquired in the acquiring the service-related information is present.
Claim 3, 5 and 7 are also objected to because these depend on claim 2.
Claim 4 is also objected to because it depends on claim 3.
Claim 6 is also objected to because it depends on claim 5.
With respect to claim 17, none of the cited references teaches the method according to claim 16, wherein the operations comprise displaying an icon corresponding to the program, each of the display format of the first notification image and the display format of the second notification image being a display format via the icon, wherein in the displaying the first notification image, the icon in a first mode is displayed as the first notification image, the icon in the first mode corresponding to the status acquired in the acquiring the status of the image processing device, and wherein in the displaying the second notification image, the icon in a second mode is displayed as the second notification image, the icon in the second mode indicating that the service-related information acquired in the acquiring the service-related information is present.
Claims 18 and 20 are also objected to because these depend on claim 17.
Claims 19 is also objected to because it depends on claim 18.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Iwayama et al. (U.S PG Publication No. 2020/0304654 A1)1
Kanematsu (U.S PG Publication No. 2019/0260889 A1)2
Sato (U.S PG Publication No. 2025/0130742 A1)3
1This reference teaches receiving status of a printer, displaying the received status in order to request details; and then display the requested details.
2This reference teaches an image processing apparatus that is capable of coping with an error promptly. The image processing apparatus is connectable with an information processing apparatus providing service to the image processing apparatus. A detection unit detects occurrence of a predetermined error in the image processing apparatus. A display control unit controls display of a notification screen that notifies a user of the predetermined error detected by the detection unit on a display unit of the image processing apparatus. The display control unit controls the display so that the notification screen will include a message that prompts contact with a manager of the image processing apparatus in a case where a contract of receiving service from the information processing apparatus is invalid. The display control unit controls the display so that the notification screen will not include the message in a case where the contract is valid.
3This reference teaches an information processing apparatus configured to receive status of a printer, display the received status; acquire error recovery method candidate list from a server; and display detailed guidance based on a user’s selection operation.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Benny Q TIEU can be reached at 571-272-7490. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUAN M GUILLERMETY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
