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 § 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.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsukada et al. (US PG Pub 2022/0134795) in view of Arai (US PG Pub 2017/0308014).
For claim 1: Tsukada et al. teaches an image forming apparatus 100 comprising: an input unit (see paragraph 53-54, Fig. 4A, Fig. 4B) configured to accept a selection of a predetermined print mode for forming a toner image for adhering foil onto a sheet via the toner image and an input of information related to a grammage of the sheet; an image forming unit Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd, 130, 11 configured to form the toner image on the sheet (see paragraphs 26 and 27); and a display unit 700 (see Fig. 1) configured to display a warning according to the information related to the grammage of the sheet (see paragraph 69, display a warning screen when the recording material is not recording material that can be handled by pressure sealing apparatus) in a case where the predetermined print mode is selected (see Fig. 6, in a case where a print mode is selected, display warning).
Tsukada et al. does not the predetermined print mode to be adhering foil to the sheet in addition to printing. However, Arai teaches an image forming device wherein a predetermined mode is a foil pressing mode onto a sheet (see Fig. 7, step S201, paragraph 114) and displaying a warning regarding the printing mode (see paragraph 20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Tsukada et al. to provide adhering foil mode and foil adhering function as taught by Arai for the purpose of applying foil to sheets only in cases where foil application is practicable.
For claim 2: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 and Tsukada et al. teaches that the display unit is configured to display the warning in a case where the grammage is a non-recommended grammage in the image forming apparatus or foil printer (see paragraph 57, smaller grammages are warned against).
For claim 3: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2 and Tsukada et al. teaches that wherein the input unit is further configured to accept an input of instruction information indicating whether to continue formation of the toner image on the sheet by the image forming apparatus in a case where the grammage is the non-recommended grammage (see Fig. 6, paragraph 69, printing and processing execution option).
For claim 4: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is further configured to continue forming the toner image on the sheet of the non-grammage recommended in a case where the instruction information indicating that the formation of the toner image on the sheet is continued (see paragraph 70, in a case where the user selects YES, printing and processing occurs, in a case where printing only is selected, printing only occurs).
For claim 5: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit is further configured to accept an input of instruction information related to whether to change the grammage of the sheet in a case where the grammage is the non-recommended grammage (see Fig. 6, selecting cancel, arriving at Fig. 8, arriving at Fig. 10, selection of sheets for a subsequent printing operation).
For claim 6: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display unit is further configured to display a screen for changing or resetting the grammage of the sheet in a case where the instruction information indicating that the grammage of the sheet is changed is input (see Fig. 10).
For claim 7: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 2, and Tsukada et al. teaches that the input unit is further configured to acquire the grammage of the sheet on which the toner image through a screen for setting the grammage of the sheet (see paragraph 54, determining the grammage of the sheet based on the inputted sheet type).
For claim 8: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 6, and Tsukada et al. teaches that wherein the screen is further configured to display and visually distinguish between a grammage that is not recommended in the image forming apparatus or the foil printer and a grammage that is recommended in the image forming apparatus and the foil printer (see paragraph 59, display of the two modes is different).
For claim 9: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, and Tsukada et al. teaches that the grammage which is not recommended in image forming apparatus or foil printer is the grammage which causes conveyance failure in image forming apparatus or the foil printer, or the grammage which causes wrinkles in the sheet in image forming apparatus or the foil printer (see paragraph 63, the non-handled recording material can cause a failure in the apparatus).
For claim 10: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to image forming apparatus according to claim 2 but does not specify that a recommended grammage range recommended in the image forming apparatus and the foil printer is 90g/m^2 or more and 350g/m^2 or less, and a grammage not recommended in the image forming apparatus or the foil printer is a grammage outside the recommended grammage range. However, this range can be arrived at through routine experimentation. In the instant case, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Tsukada et al. and Arai to provide a recommended grammage range of 90g/m^2 or more and 350g/m^2 through routine experimentation for the purpose of increasing the likelihood of foil printing being successful.
For claim 11: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the apparatus of claim 2. The additional recitation of claim 11 do not impact the structure of the apparatus but recite that ranges in the system are recommended ranges from routine measuring and testing. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Tsukada et al. and Arai to provide a non-recommended grammage range based on an overlap of a foil printer and image forming apparatus non-recommended ranges and the recommended grammage as a common part of the recommended ranges of the foil printer and image forming apparatus for the purpose of ensuring that printing and stamping is only recommended on papers which is suitable for both.
For claim 12: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to image forming apparatus according to claim 2 and Tsukada et al. further comprising a controller configured to control the input unit such that an input of the non-recommended grammage is restricted (see paragraph 61, non-selectable option).
For claim 13: The combination of Tsukada et al. and Arai teaches the image forming apparatus according to image forming apparatus according to claim 2 and Tsukada et al. teaches that the display unit is further configured to display a screen for accepting an input of grammage information indicating a grammage of the sheet on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit (see Figs. 4A, 4B, displaying the inputs with the grammage information), and the display unit is further configured to not display the non-recommended grammage as a selectable candidate on the screen (see paragraph 61, Fig. 4B, non-selectable option), but to display the recommended grammage as a selectable candidate in a case where the warning is displayed (see paragraph 79, Fig. 10).
For claim 14-16: Tsukada et al. teaches an image forming system 100 and information processing apparatus 100, 102 comprising: an image forming apparatus; the image forming apparatus 100 comprising: an input unit 700 configured to accept a selection of a predetermined print mode (see Fig. 4A, 4B) for forming a toner image on a sheet via the toner image and an input of information related to a grammage of the sheet (see Fig. 4A, 4B, grammage information associated with the sheets); an image forming unit Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd, 130, 11 configured to form the toner image on the sheet; and a display unit 700 configured to display a warning according to the information related to the grammage of the sheet in a case where the predetermined print mode is selected (see Fig. 6, paragraph 69).
Tsukada et al. does not teach a foil printer configured to adhere foil to the sheet via a toner image formed on the sheet by the image forming unit. However, Arai teaches a foil printer 34 configured to adhere foil to the sheet (see Fig. 1, paragraph 61 and Fig. 7, step S201, paragraph 114) and displaying a warning regarding the printing mode (see paragraph 20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Tsukada et al. to provide adhering foil mode and foil adhering function as taught by Arai for the purpose of applying foil to sheets only in cases where foil application is practicable.
For claim 17: The rejection above to claim 16 is applicable to claim 17 and Tsukada et al. teaches that that differs from the first grammage is unselectable in a case where the predetermined print mode is selected when accepting information related to the grammage of the sheet (paragraph 59, Fig. 4B, non-selectable recording material).
Conclusion
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/DAVID H BANH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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