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 § 102
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- is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kettler et al (US Patent 9874476).
Regarding claims 1 and 12, Kettler et al teach A color formulation system and method comprising a transformation engine, a formulation engine , and a first database, wherein the color formulation system (100) is configured to receive spectral target data (spectra R(exp)) that are representative of a spectral response of a target sample (matt color standard) under a first set of measurement conditions (d/8), the first set of measurement conditions including at least one first measurement geometry (d/8 geometry) and at least one first illumination characteristic, wherein the first database comprises optical data (col. 8, lines 12-39) that are representative of light transport characteristics (based upon wavelength scattering and absorption coefficients) of a plurality of colorants under a second set of measurement conditions (specular excluded under d/8 where specular included/excluded), the second set of measurement conditions including at least one second measurement geometry and at least one second illumination characteristic (d/8 sphere specular direction excluded), at least one of the measurement conditions in the second set being different from at least one of the measurement conditions in the first set, wherein the transformation engines configured to receive spectral input data and to carry out a transformation of said spectral input data into transformed spectral data (delta R, column 7, line 65), the spectral input data being the spectral target data and the transformed spectral data being transformed target data representing a predicted spectral response (R(spin)-delta R, which is the predicated specular excluded) of the target sample under the second set of measurement conditions, and wherein the formulation engine is configured to predict a recipe (see figure 4) for a candidate material that is expected to match an appearance of the target sample, using the transformed target data and the optical data in the first database.
Regarding claim 6, Kettler et al teach wherein the transformation engine is configured to receive material information and to take the material information into account when carrying out said transformation, wherein the material information comprise-comprises at least one of the following items of information:- information about colorant types associated with the spectral input data;- information about one or more binders of a material associated with the spectral input data;- information about surface properties of a material associated with the spectral input data; information about refraction properties of a material associated with the spectral input data; - information about scattering properties of a material associated with the spectral input data; - information about fluorescence properties of a material associated with the spectral input data; - information about polarization properties of a material associated with the spectral input data; - information about a substrate on which a material associated with the spectral input data has been applied; and - information about one or more pre-existing recipes that yield an approximate match to the appearance of the target sample. That is, Kettler et al teach taking into consideration of the material used (refractive n as seen in column 7) and about its binder (see step B1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 11, 13-20 are allowed.
Claims 2, 5, 7-10 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 3, prior art of record does not teach the transformation engine is configured to receive spectral input data and to carry out a transformation of the said spectral input data into transformed spectral data, the spectral input data being the spectral calibration data in the second data based an the transformed spectral data being transformed calibration data representing a predicated spectral response of the calibration samples under the first set of measurement conditions wherein the calibration engine is configured to compute optical data based on the transformed calibration data and to store the computed optical data(404 in the first database, the computed optical data being representative of light transport characteristics of a plurality of colorants under the first set of measurement conditions, and wherein the formulation engine is configured to predict a recipe for a candidate material that is expected to match an appearance of the target sample, using the spectral target data and the optical data in the first database.
Regarding claim 11, prior art of record does not teach A system for determining optical data to be used in color formulation, the optical data being representative of light transport characteristics of a plurality of colorants under a first set of measurement conditions, the first set of measurement conditions including at least one first measurement geometry and at least one first illumination characteristic, the system comprising: a transformation engine, a calibration engine, a first database, and a second database, wherein the second database comprises spectral calibration data that are representative of spectral responses of a plurality of calibration samples under a second set of measurement conditions, the second set of measurement conditions including at least one second measurement geometry and at least one second illumination characteristic, at least one of the measurement conditions in the second set being different from at least one of the measurement conditions in the first set, wherein the transformation engine is configured to receive spectral input data and to carry out a transformation of said spectral input data into transformed spectral data, the spectral input data being the spectral calibration data in the second database and the transformed spectral data being transformed calibration data representing a predicted spectral response of the calibration samples under the first set of measurement conditions, wherein the calibration engine is configured to compute optical data based on the transformed calibration data and to store the computed optical data(=1-4)in the first database, the computed optical data being representative of light transport characteristics of a plurality of colorants under the first set of measurement conditions.
Regarding claim 13, prior art of record does not teach the second set of measurement conditions including at least one second measurement geometry and at least one second illumination characteristic, at least one of the measurement conditions in the second set being different from at least one of the measurement conditions in the first set; carrying out a transformation of the spectral calibration data into transformed calibration data representing an expected spectral response of the calibration samples under the first set of measurement conditions, computing optical data based on the transformed calibration data and storing the computed optical data in the first database, the computed optical data being representative of light transport characteristics of a plurality of colorants under the first set of measurement conditions, and predicting a recipe for a candidate material that is expected to match an appearance of the target sample, using the spectral target data and the optical data in the first database.
Regarding claim 14, prior art of record does not teach the method comprising: retrieving, from the second database, spectral calibration data that are representative of spectral responses of a plurality of calibration samples under a second set of measurement conditions, the second set of measurement conditions including at least one second measurement geometry and at least one second illumination characteristic, at least one of the measurement conditions in the second set being different from at least one of the measurement conditions in the first set; carrying out a transformation of the spectral calibration data in the second database into transformed calibration data representing a predicted spectral response of the calibration samples under the first set of measurement conditions; and computing optical data based on the transformed calibration data and storing the computed optical data in the first database, the computed optical data being representative of light transport characteristics of a plurality of colorants under the first set of measurement conditions.
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Conclusion
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/TONY KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
TK
