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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 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.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fukasawa et al. (U.S. 2017/0094119 A1).
Re claim 1, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 a server configured to communicate with a first device and a second device, the server (e.g. abstract, Figure 1 and Figure 32 wherein second device is terminal device and first device is the image forming apparatus device such as multifunction printer) comprising a controller provided with hardware and configured to perform (e.g. Figures 1 and 32 with the service providing system): receiving a setting request from the second device, the setting request including device identification information identifying the first device, setting information, and additional information (e.g. Figure 35 with file information, print setting, print data Figures 36-37 and paragraphs [0197-0199] wherein identification is in file information; setting information is in print setting; and additional information can be various location within the file in Figure 35); storing, in response to receiving the setting request, the additional information in a database in association with the device identification information included in the setting request (e.g. Figure 33 with db 411 with association information and paragraph [0193-0194]), the database being separate from both the first device and the second device (e.g. Figure 33 wherein the service providing system 10 that has database is separated from terminal device 30 and image forming apparatus 20); and transmitting, in response to receiving the setting request, the setting information to the first device identified by the device identification information included in the setting request, without transmitting the additional information included in the setting request (e.g. Figure 11 the print setting to the image forming apparatus 20 and paragraphs [0071, 0097, and 0100]); receiving, from the first device, first data including device information transmitted based on the setting information and the device identification information (e.g. Figures 27 and 34 and paragraphs [0193-0194 and 0206-0209]); and obtaining, in response to receiving the first data, the additional information stored in the database in association with the device identification information included in the first data from the database (e.g. Figure 33 with the service providing system 10); and transmitting, in response to receiving the first data, associated data including the device information included in the first data and the additional information obtained from the database to the second device (e.g. Figure 24 with job status and its information returned back to the terminal device and Figures 25, 26 and 29).
Re claim 2, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the database is stored within the server (e.g. any Figure with service providing system 10 wherein the databases are nested inside the server system).
Re claim 3, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the additional information includes destination information indicating a destination to which the device information is to be transmitted, and wherein the destination information is used by the second device, which receives the associated data, to transmit the device information included in the associated data to another device (e.g. Figures 35-37 and paragraphs [0197-0201]).
Re claim 4, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the setting information includes information indicating timing for executing multiple transmission of the device information and information indicating contents of the device information to be transmitted in the multiple transmissions (e.g. paragraph [0098]).
Re claim 5, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the additional information contains instruction information that includes an instruction to perform a process, using the device information, to be executed by one of the second device or a communication device configured to receive the device information transmitted by the second device (e.g. abstract and paragraph [0009])).
Re claim 6, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the device information includes history information indicating an operation history of the first device (e.g. paragraphs [0166 and 0175]); and wherein the instruction information indicates at least one of the following: a storage instruction to store the history information (e.g. paragraph [0009]); a notification instruction to provide a notification when the history information indicates a particular operation of the first device; an analysis instruction to perform a particular analysis process using the history information; or an order designation instruction to designate an order of processes using the history information.
Re claim 7, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the receiving receives second data including the device information and the device identification information from the first device, the second data being transmitted from the first device without the first device receiving the setting information (e.g. paragraphs [0112-0014 and 0170] wherein history information can be retrieved from the image forming apparatus); wherein, in response to the receiving the second data, the storing stores the device information in the database in association with the device identification information included in the second data (e.g. Figure 23 with usage history unit); wherein the receiving receives a request for the device information from the second device after the device information is stored in the database (e.g. paragraph [0170] with registration of the job in advance); and wherein the transmitting transmits the device information to the second device in response to the receiving the request for the device information (e.g. abstract and Figure 1-2).
Re claim 8, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the second device includes a first external device and a second external device; wherein the receiving receives the setting request from the first external device; and wherein the transmitting transmits the associated data to the second external device (e.g. Figure 32 wherein issuing command and status command can be done in separate terminal device 30).
Re claim 9, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 the additional information includes sensitive data to be protected from leakage (e.g. paragraphs [0085 and 0096]).
Re claim 10, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 a communication system comprising a first device, a second device, and a server configured to communicatively connected to the first device and the second device (e.g. abstract, Figure 1 and Figure 32 wherein second device is terminal device and first device is the image forming apparatus device such as multifunction printer), wherein the second device is configured to transmit a setting request to the server, the setting request indicating settings related to a service using the first device, the setting request including device identification information identifying the first device; setting information; and additional information (e.g. Figure 35 with file information, print setting, print data Figures 36-37 and paragraphs [0197-0199] wherein identification is in file information; setting information is in print setting; and additional information can be various location within the file in Figure 35), wherein the server is configured to perform: storing, in response to receiving the setting request, the additional information in a database in association with the device identification information included in the setting request (e.g. Figure 33 with db 411 with association information and paragraph [0193-0194]), the database being separate from both the first device and the second device (e.g. Figure 33 wherein the service providing system 10 that has database is separated from terminal device 30 and image forming apparatus 20); and transmitting, in response to receiving the setting request, the setting information included in the setting request to the first device identified by the device identification information, while not transmitting the additional information included in the setting request to the first device (e.g. Figure 11 the print setting to the image forming apparatus 20 and paragraphs [0071, 0097, and 0100]), wherein the first device is configured to perform: transmitting, in response to receiving the setting information, first data including device information and the device identification information to the server based on the setting information (e.g. Figures 27 and 34 and paragraphs [0193-0194 and 0206-0209]), and wherein the server is configured to perform: obtaining, in response to receiving the first data, the additional information from the database in association with the device identification data included in the first data (e.g. Figure 33 with the service providing system 10); and transmitting, in response to receiving the first data, associated data including the device identification information included in the first data and the additional information obtained from the database to the second device (e.g. Figure 24 with job status and its information returned back to the terminal device and Figures 25, 26 and 29).
Re claim 11, it has similar limitations cited in claim 3. Thus, claim 11 is also rejected under the same rationale as cited in the rejection of claim 3.
Re claim 12, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 configured such that the additional information is not stored in the first device (e.g. Figure 23 with the image forming apparatus 20).
Re claim 13, it has similar limitations cited in claim 9. Thus, claim 13 is also rejected under the same rationale as cited in the rejection of claim 9.
Re claim 14, it has similar limitations cited in claim 2. Thus, claim 14 is also rejected under the same rationale as cited in the rejection of claim 2.
Re claim 15, Fukasawa et al. disclose in Figures 1-40 a communication method for a server that is configured to communicate with a first device and a second device (e.g. abstract, Figure 1 and Figure 32 wherein second device is terminal device and first device is the image forming apparatus device such as multifunction printer), the method comprising: receiving a setting request from the second device, the setting request including device identification information identifying the first device, setting information, and additional information (e.g. Figure 35 with file information, print setting, print data Figures 36-37 and paragraphs [0197-0199] wherein identification is in file information; setting information is in print setting; and additional information can be various location within the file in Figure 35); storing, in response to receiving the setting request, the additional information in a database in association with the device identification information included in the setting request (e.g. Figure 33 with db 411 with association information and paragraph [0193-0194]), the database being separate from both the first device and the second device (e.g. Figure 33 wherein the service providing system 10 that has database is separated from terminal device 30 and image forming apparatus 20); and transmitting, in response to receiving the setting request, the setting information to the first device identified by the device identification information included in the setting request, without transmitting the additional information included in the setting request (e.g. Figure 11 the print setting to the image forming apparatus 20 and paragraphs [0071, 0097, and 0100]); receiving, from the first device, first data including device information transmitted based on the setting information and the device identification information (e.g. Figures 27 and 34 and paragraphs [0193-0194 and 0206-0209]); and obtaining, in response to receiving the first data, the additional information stored in the database in association with the device identification information included in the first data from the database (e.g. Figure 33 with the service providing system 10); and transmitting, in response to receiving the first data, associated data including the device information included in the first data and the additional information obtained from the database to the second device (e.g. Figure 24 with job status and its information returned back to the terminal device and Figures 25, 26 and 29).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-12623079-B1
US-10205846-B1
US-20220272209-A1
US-20190354324-A1
US-20180314482-A1
US-20170094119-A1
US-20150154484-A1
US-20130033727-A1
US-20100088609-A1
US-20090165084-A1
US-20080047020-A1
US-20260155228-A1
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUOC H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3919. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:30 am -3:30 pm.
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/PHUOC H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451
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