Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/108,132

MULTI-SEGMENT EDGE CORRECTION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Feb 28, 2025
Priority
Sep 02, 2022 — provisional 63/374,463 +1 more
Examiner
HUNTSINGER, PETER K
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Kateeva Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
29%
Grant Probability
At Risk
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
Est. Remaining
47%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 29% of cases
29%
Career Allowance Rate
101 granted / 348 resolved
-31.0% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+17.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 6m
Avg Prosecution
47 currently pending
Career history
391
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
9.4%
-30.6% vs TC avg
§103
53.5%
+13.5% vs TC avg
§102
16.8%
-23.2% vs TC avg
§112
19.0%
-21.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 348 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. The title should include reference to inkjet printing. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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 1-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madigan et al. US Publication 2017/0157949 (hereafter “Madigan”) and Hirano US Publication 2005/0286066 (hereafter “Hirano”). Referring to claim 1, Madigan discloses a method of defining edge treatment of a layer of material to be formed on a substrate by inkjet printing, the method comprising: obtaining a base image (paragraph 51, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the layer is to have a flat top surface and a specifically desired (even) thickness in the specified target region, and the instructions cause the control system to select a baseline volume per unit area of ink, as is represented by numeral 111); defining a raster pixelation of the base image (paragraph 52, In order to improve layer homogeneity, smoothness, printing time and other layer characteristics, the system plans printing according to principles discussed herein (117) which includes planning droplet landing position); populating a map table (paragraph 85, As indicated in FIG. 6B, the depicted process assumes a baseline print grid definition (633)) with indices of an edge profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); defining an edge treatment zone using the raster pixelation (paragraph 120, Substrate geography where the encapsulation layer is to be deposited is seen to comprise areas 943 and 945); defining an edge treatment profile representing a thickness profile to be applied to the layer at an edge thereof (paragraph 120, scaling within region 945 can be increased as depicted by grayscale values seen at the left of FIG. 9D so as to optionally increase ink volume in areas approaching the boundary, or a correction factor can be added to planned in volumes. Note in this regard that each unit area of the substrate (each represented by a value of 0-255) can initially be associated with a particular thickness); populating the edge profile table with image values representing the edge treatment profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); obtaining the indices from cells of the map table corresponding to the edge treatment zone (paragraph 120, Note that it is also possible for software to automatically provide for adjusted droplet size/density scaling any time the software detects print cells within a defined distance from a layer edge); retrieving an image value from the edge profile table for each index obtained from the map table (paragraph 121, adjustment of droplet density may make sense if typical layer thickness is predicated (for a particular layer deposition process) on print head scans that involve intermediate densities relative to the print grid, i.e., such that there exists headroom to modify ink volume/area (e.g., without compromising “blanket” substrate coverage in the area of the edge)); and storing the image values in an image file (paragraph 120, Corrections can be pre-stored as a correction image or firing map (e.g., as the corrections might, depending on application, vary as a function of process, temperature, ink and other factors), or they can otherwise be incorporated into the original nozzle firing instructions or other stored data). While Madigan discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile, Madigan does not disclose expressly an edge profile table. Hirano discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile table (paragraph 125, In S105, the correcting section 114 performs correction of the density values of the pixels located in the extracted edge vicinity for each color based on correction values stored in advance, by referring to the correction value table 113). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide values in the form of a table. The motivation for doing so would have been to structure information in an organized form that is widely adopted and easy to incorporate. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Hirano with Madigan to obtain the invention as specified in claim 1. Referring to claim 2, Hirano discloses wherein the edge profile table is a 1-dimensional table (paragraph 133, The correction values stored in the correction value table 113 such as that that shown in FIG. 11 [correction values are listed in a single row]). Referring to claim 3, Hirano discloses wherein the edge profile table is also populated with passthrough values (paragraph 130, FIG. 10 is a pattern diagram showing for the images with 3 halftone % levels, the case where there is no correction). Referring to claim 4, Madigan discloses wherein the edge treatment zone is a first edge treatment zone, the indices are a first set of indices, and the image file is a first image file, and further comprising: defining a second edge treatment zone using the raster pixelation; obtaining a second set of indices from cells of the map table corresponding to the second edge treatment zone; retrieving an image value from the edge profile table for each index of the second set of indices; and storing the image value retrieved for each index of the second set of indices in a second image file (paragraph 96, In one application, the apparatus 701 is adapted for bulk production of liquid crystal display screens or OLED display screens, for example, the fabrication of an array of (e.g.) eight screens at once on a single large substrate). Referring to claim 5, Madigan discloses defining a third image file from the map table using the first edge treatment zone and the second edge treatment zone as a mask (paragraph 100, this firing map can be made dependent on measured, per-nozzle or per-nozzle-waveform combination means and spread measures, and can optionally be filtered so as to provide for multiple maps that correspond to scans which deposit interleaved droplets); and adding the first image file, the second image file, and the third image file to form a composite image file of the layer; and storing the composite image file (paragraph 52, When planning is complete, the result is a set of control data (129) that can be stored in system memory (127) and/or immediately applied to printing; for example, as referenced above, printing can be performed according to the control data (i.e., according to the adjusted filter/data, as reference by numeral 131, upon a new substrate 132)) Referring to claim 6, Madigan discloses defining an edge basis profile and populating a map table with indices of an edge profile table is performed using the edge basis profile (paragraph 81, FIG. 5B shows thickness profiles of fabricated films obtained with a stylus profilometer, useful in connection with the calibration process and scaling a baseline ink volume per unit area or droplet density as discussed above). Referring to claim 7, Madigan discloses wherein the image values are values from a scale (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954). Referring to claim 9, Madigan discloses transforming the image file into print data for an inkjet printer (paragraph 50, These techniques include the use of at least one processor (represented by computer icon 103) to plan and/or control printing by an industrial fabrication printer 105). Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madigan et al. US Publication 2017/0157949 and Hirano US Publication 2005/0286066 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kaneko et al. US Publication 2022/0147779 (hereafter “Kaneko”). Referring to claim 8, Madigan discloses wherein defining the edge treatment zone comprises accepting user input of an edge treatment zone (paragraph 83, As before, a value for layer thickness for at least one target region is first retrieved (603). Such retrieval can be from machine-accessible digital memory, for example, responsive to an operator input), but does not disclose expressly accepting user input of an edge treatment zone using a drawing function of a graphical user interface. Kaneko discloses wherein defining the edge treatment zone comprises accepting user input of an edge treatment zone using a drawing function of a graphical user interface (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow a user to input the edge treatment zone on a display. The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the user greater control in creating and editing images with specified a three-dimensional thickness. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kaneko with Madigan and Hirano to obtain the invention as specified in claim 8. Claims 10-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madigan et al. US Publication 2017/0157949, Kaneko et al. US Publication 2022/0147779 and Hirano US Publication 2005/0286066. Referring to claim 10, Madigan discloses a method of defining edge treatment of a layer of material to be formed on a substrate by inkjet printing, the method comprising: obtaining a base image of the layer (paragraph 51, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the layer is to have a flat top surface and a specifically desired (even) thickness in the specified target region, and the instructions cause the control system to select a baseline volume per unit area of ink, as is represented by numeral 111); accepting user input of an edge treatment zone (paragraph 83, As before, a value for layer thickness for at least one target region is first retrieved (603). Such retrieval can be from machine-accessible digital memory, for example, responsive to an operator input), defined using a raster pixelation, from an input of the digital processing system (paragraph 120, Substrate geography where the encapsulation layer is to be deposited is seen to comprise areas 943 and 945); accepting user input of an edge treatment profile (paragraph 83, As before, a value for layer thickness for at least one target region is first retrieved (603). Such retrieval can be from machine-accessible digital memory, for example, responsive to an operator input), representing a thickness profile to be applied to the layer at an edge thereof, from the input of the digital processing system (paragraph 120, scaling within region 945 can be increased as depicted by grayscale values seen at the left of FIG. 9D so as to optionally increase ink volume in areas approaching the boundary, or a correction factor can be added to planned in volumes. Note in this regard that each unit area of the substrate (each represented by a value of 0-255) can initially be associated with a particular thickness); and using the digital processing system to, define the raster pixelation of the base image (paragraph 120, Substrate geography where the encapsulation layer is to be deposited is seen to comprise areas 943 and 945); populate a map table (paragraph 85, As indicated in FIG. 6B, the depicted process assumes a baseline print grid definition (633)) with indices of an edge profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); populate the edge profile with image values representing the edge treatment profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); obtain the indices from cells of the map table corresponding to the edge treatment zone (paragraph 120, Note that it is also possible for software to automatically provide for adjusted droplet size/density scaling any time the software detects print cells within a defined distance from a layer edge); retrieve an image value from the edge profile for each index obtained from the map table (paragraph 121, adjustment of droplet density may make sense if typical layer thickness is predicated (for a particular layer deposition process) on print head scans that involve intermediate densities relative to the print grid, i.e., such that there exists headroom to modify ink volume/area (e.g., without compromising “blanket” substrate coverage in the area of the edge)); and store the image values in an image file (paragraph 120, Corrections can be pre-stored as a correction image or firing map (e.g., as the corrections might, depending on application, vary as a function of process, temperature, ink and other factors), or they can otherwise be incorporated into the original nozzle firing instructions or other stored data). While Madigan discloses a base image of the layer, Madigan does not disclose expressly displaying a base image of the layer on a display of a digital processing system. Kaneko discloses displaying a base image of the layer on a display of a digital processing system (paragraph 38, The PC 5 includes, as functions of the PC 5, an image data creating/editing portion 11 for creating and editing image data, and a printer control portion 12 for converting the image data sent from the image data creating/editing portion 11 into printing data and sending the printing data to the printer 4); and accept user input of an edge treatment zone (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow a user to input the edge treatment zone on a display. The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the user greater control in creating and editing images with specified a three-dimensional thickness. While Madigan discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile, Madigan does not disclose expressly an edge profile table. Hirano discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile table (paragraph 125, In S105, the correcting section 114 performs correction of the density values of the pixels located in the extracted edge vicinity for each color based on correction values stored in advance, by referring to the correction value table 113). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide values in the form of a table. The motivation for doing so would have been to structure information in an organized form that is widely adopted and easy to incorporate. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Kaneko and Hirano with Madigan to obtain the invention as specified in claim 10. Referring to claim 11, Madigan discloses the edge treatment profile (paragraph 120, scaling within region 945 can be increased as depicted by grayscale values seen at the left of FIG. 9D so as to optionally increase ink volume in areas approaching the boundary, or a correction factor can be added to planned in volumes. Note in this regard that each unit area of the substrate (each represented by a value of 0-255) can initially be associated with a particular thickness). Kaneko discloses displaying, on the display of the digital processing system, a graphical representation of the edge treatment profile (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Referring to claim 12, Madigan discloses the edge treatment zone (paragraph 120, Substrate geography where the encapsulation layer is to be deposited is seen to comprise areas 943 and 945). Kaneko discloses displaying, on the display of the digital processing system, a graphical representation of the edge treatment zone (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Referring to claim 13, Kaneko discloses wherein the user input of the edge treatment zone is a shape definition created by the user (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Referring to claim 14, Kaneko discloses wherein the user input of the edge treatment zone is a digital file created by the user (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Referring to claim 15, Madigan discloses the base image (paragraph 51, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the layer is to have a flat top surface and a specifically desired (even) thickness in the specified target region, and the instructions cause the control system to select a baseline volume per unit area of ink, as is represented by numeral 111), the map table (paragraph 85, As indicated in FIG. 6B, the depicted process assumes a baseline print grid definition (633)), and the edge profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954). Hirano discloses the edge profile table (paragraph 125, In S105, the correcting section 114 performs correction of the density values of the pixels located in the extracted edge vicinity for each color based on correction values stored in advance, by referring to the correction value table 113). Kaneko discloses in response to a user selection, displaying data of the base image, the map table, and the edge profile table (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Referring to claim 16, Madigan discloses a method of defining edge treatment of a layer of material to be formed on a substrate by inkjet printing, the method comprising: obtaining a base image (paragraph 51, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the layer is to have a flat top surface and a specifically desired (even) thickness in the specified target region, and the instructions cause the control system to select a baseline volume per unit area of ink, as is represented by numeral 111); defining a raster pixelation of the base image (paragraph 52, In order to improve layer homogeneity, smoothness, printing time and other layer characteristics, the system plans printing according to principles discussed herein (117) which includes planning droplet landing position); populating a map table (paragraph 85, As indicated in FIG. 6B, the depicted process assumes a baseline print grid definition (633)) with indices of an edge profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); accepting user input (paragraph 83, As before, a value for layer thickness for at least one target region is first retrieved (603). Such retrieval can be from machine-accessible digital memory, for example, responsive to an operator input) defining an edge treatment zone using the raster pixelation (paragraph 120, Substrate geography where the encapsulation layer is to be deposited is seen to comprise areas 943 and 945); defining an edge treatment profile, the edge treatment profile representing a thickness profile to be applied to the layer at an edge thereof (paragraph 120, scaling within region 945 can be increased as depicted by grayscale values seen at the left of FIG. 9D so as to optionally increase ink volume in areas approaching the boundary, or a correction factor can be added to planned in volumes. Note in this regard that each unit area of the substrate (each represented by a value of 0-255) can initially be associated with a particular thickness); populating the edge profile table with image values representing the edge treatment profile (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954); obtaining the indices from cells of the map table corresponding to the edge treatment zone (paragraph 120, Note that it is also possible for software to automatically provide for adjusted droplet size/density scaling any time the software detects print cells within a defined distance from a layer edge); retrieving an image value from the edge profile table for each index obtained from the map table (paragraph 121, adjustment of droplet density may make sense if typical layer thickness is predicated (for a particular layer deposition process) on print head scans that involve intermediate densities relative to the print grid, i.e., such that there exists headroom to modify ink volume/area (e.g., without compromising “blanket” substrate coverage in the area of the edge)); depositing the image values in an image table (paragraph 120, Corrections can be pre-stored as a correction image or firing map (e.g., as the corrections might, depending on application, vary as a function of process, temperature, ink and other factors), or they can otherwise be incorporated into the original nozzle firing instructions or other stored data); and outputting the image table to an image file (paragraph 120, Corrections can be pre-stored as a correction image or firing map (e.g., as the corrections might, depending on application, vary as a function of process, temperature, ink and other factors), or they can otherwise be incorporated into the original nozzle firing instructions or other stored data). While Madigan discloses defining an edge treatment profile, Madigan does not disclose expressly accepting digital user input defining an edge treatment profile. Kaneko discloses accepting digital user input defining an edge treatment zone based on the raster pixelation (paragraph 38, The PC 5 includes, as functions of the PC 5, an image data creating/editing portion 11 for creating and editing image data, and a printer control portion 12 for converting the image data sent from the image data creating/editing portion 11 into printing data and sending the printing data to the printer 4); accepting digital user input defining an edge treatment profile, the edge treatment profile representing a thickness profile to be applied to the layer at an edge thereof (paragraph 44, when the image data is created and edited by the image data creating/editing portion 11, a spot color in which the thickness information, the shape information, and the spot color name are associated with each other is stored in the image data creating/editing portion 11, and applied to the image data of the thick portion 3d). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow a user to input the edge treatment zone on a display. The motivation for doing so would have been to allow the user greater control in creating and editing images with specified a three-dimensional thickness. While Madigan discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile, Madigan does not disclose expressly an edge profile table. Hirano discloses populating a map table with indices of an edge profile table (paragraph 125, In S105, the correcting section 114 performs correction of the density values of the pixels located in the extracted edge vicinity for each color based on correction values stored in advance, by referring to the correction value table 113). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide values in the form of a table. The motivation for doing so would have been to structure information in an organized form that is widely adopted and easy to incorporate. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Hirano with Madigan to obtain the invention as specified in claim 16. Referring to claim 17, Madigan discloses wherein the edge treatment zone is a first edge treatment zone, the indices are a first set of indices, the image values are first image values, the image table is a first image table, and the image file is a first image file, and further comprising: defining a second edge treatment zone using the raster pixelation; obtaining a second set of indices from cells of the map table corresponding to the second edge treatment zone; retrieving an image value from the edge profile table for each index of the second set of indices; depositing the second image values in a second image table (paragraph 120, Corrections can be pre-stored as a correction image or firing map (e.g., as the corrections might, depending on application, vary as a function of process, temperature, ink and other factors), or they can otherwise be incorporated into the original nozzle firing instructions or other stored data); and outputting a combination of the first image table and the second image table to the image file (paragraph 96, In one application, the apparatus 701 is adapted for bulk production of liquid crystal display screens or OLED display screens, for example, the fabrication of an array of (e.g.) eight screens at once on a single large substrate). Kaneko discloses accepting digital user input defining a second edge treatment zone based on the raster pixelation (paragraph 38, The PC 5 includes, as functions of the PC 5, an image data creating/editing portion 11 for creating and editing image data, and a printer control portion 12 for converting the image data sent from the image data creating/editing portion 11 into printing data and sending the printing data to the printer 4). Referring to claim 18, Madigan discloses defining a third image table from the map table using the first edge treatment zone and the second edge treatment zone as a mask (paragraph 100, this firing map can be made dependent on measured, per-nozzle or per-nozzle-waveform combination means and spread measures, and can optionally be filtered so as to provide for multiple maps that correspond to scans which deposit interleaved droplets); and adding the first image table, the second image table, and the third image table to form a composite image table of the layer; and outputting the composite image table (paragraph 52, When planning is complete, the result is a set of control data (129) that can be stored in system memory (127) and/or immediately applied to printing; for example, as referenced above, printing can be performed according to the control data (i.e., according to the adjusted filter/data, as reference by numeral 131, upon a new substrate 132)) Referring to claim 19, Hirano discloses wherein the edge profile table is a 1-dimensional table (paragraph 133, The correction values stored in the correction value table 113 such as that that shown in FIG. 11 [correction values are listed in a single row]) that also contains passthrough values (paragraph 130, FIG. 10 is a pattern diagram showing for the images with 3 halftone % levels, the case where there is no correction). Referring to claim 20, Madigan discloses wherein the image values are values from a scale (paragraph 120, If it is determined empirically that due to ink spreading, a transition (for example, at the boundary between regions 945 and 947) provides insufficient coverage, the grayscale value can be selectively increased to provide mitigation, for example, by increasing the value (e.g., from “220” to “232” in FIG. 9D) for one or more rows or columns of target regions representing the layer periphery, e.g., corresponding to region 945 and associated scaling values 954). Referring to claim 21, Madigan discloses transforming the image file into print data for an inkjet printer (paragraph 50, These techniques include the use of at least one processor (represented by computer icon 103) to plan and/or control printing by an industrial fabrication printer 105). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER K HUNTSINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-7435. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00. 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, 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /PETER K HUNTSINGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
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Prosecution Timeline

Feb 28, 2025
Application Filed
Sep 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
29%
Grant Probability
47%
With Interview (+17.6%)
4y 6m (~2y 11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
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