DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 9 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: “the step time of the current row m” lacks antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claims recite “determining the step time…depending on whether one or more step times is less…” First, it is not clear as to what exactly “the step time of the current row m" is intended to refer. Moreover, to say that something is determined depending on whether some other condition is met would seem to imply that the determination only happens in some instances, and thus it would seem there is a case where the last clause of the claim does not required completion. Further yet, the claims recite a preset step interval, but it would appear from Figure 5 of the present application that the intervals between steps a1-a7 change from step to step. Clarification is required.
Because all other claims depend from claims 1, 9 and 10, they are also rejected on this basis.
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) 1-5 and 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Muto et al. (2005/0219345).
Regarding claims 1, 9 and 10, Muto teaches a printing method, printing system and computer-readable storage medium of thermal printer, respectively, comprising:
acquiring N step times (fig. 9, decelerating table 2, 8 step times) at a preset step interval (see fig. 9, note intervals between steps) from an acceleration table of a stepper motor (see fig. 9, note that deceleration table 2 is just a reformatting of acceleration table 2), and arranging the N step times in an ascending order to form a deceleration table Gd of the stepper motor (see fig. 9, note ascending times in deceleration table 2), wherein N is a number of row of points to be printed (see fig. 9);
calculating a theoretical step time Tn (fig. 5, S5/S6/S10) of a current row m of points to be printed, wherein m=1, 2, N ([0051], see fig. 5, note that the theoretical step time is being defined as the printing period required to print one line);
determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed depending on whether one or more step times less than the theoretical step time Tn exist in the deceleration table Gd ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed).
Regarding claims 2, 11 and 15, Muto teaches a printing method, printing system and computer-readable storage medium of thermal printer according to claims 1, 9 and 10, respectively, wherein determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed depending on whether one or more step times less than the theoretical step time Tn exist in the deceleration table Gd, by:
determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed as the theoretical step time Tn when there is no one or more step times less than the theoretical step time Tn in the deceleration table Gd ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed);
acquiring a maximum step time Gdi among the one or more step times when one or more step times less than the theoretical step time Tn exist in the deceleration table Gd, where i is an ith value in the deceleration table Gd, i=1, 2, N ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed);
determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed depending on whether N-i is greater than or equal to M, where Mis the number of row of points to be printed, M=N, N 1, 0 ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed).
Regarding claims 3, 12 and 16, Muto teaches a printing method, printing system and computer-readable storage medium of thermal printer according to claims 2, 11 and 15, respectively, wherein determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed depending on whether N-i is greater than or equal to M, by:
acquiring a heating time Ghmof the current row m of points to be printed; determining the step time of current row m of points to be printed as the maximum step time Gdn when N-i is greater than or equal to M ([0051], see figs. 5, 9, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed. Note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time);
acquiring step times Gdn in the deceleration table Gd that is greater than or equal to the maximum step time Gdi when N-i is less than M, and determining whether each of the step times Gdn is greater than or equal to the heating time Ghm, where n=i, i+1, N; determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed as the theoretical step time Tn if each of the step times Gdn is greater than or equal to the heating time Ghm; otherwise, determining the step time of the current row m of points to be printed as Gdi+k, where k=m-1 ([0051], see figs. 5, 9, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed. Note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time).
Regarding claims 4, 13 and 17, Muto teaches a printing method, printing system and computer-readable storage medium of thermal printer according to claims 1, 9 and 10, respectively,
wherein calculating a theoretical step time Tn of a current row m of points to be printed, by acquiring a heating time Ghn of the current row m of points to be printed ([0080]-[0086], fig. 7, note that the energization time for the heating elements is known);
acquiring an acceleration step time T of the current row m of points to be printed in the acceleration table (see fig. 9, note acceleration table 2);
determining whether the acceleration step time T of the current row m of points to be printed is greater than or equal to the heating time Ghn of the current row m of points to be printed ([0051], see figs. 5, 9, note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time);
if yes, determining the theoretical step time Tn of the current row m of points to be printed as the acceleration step time T ([0051], see figs. 5, 9, note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time);
if no, determining the theoretical step time Tn of the current row m of points to be printed as the heating time Ghm ([0051], see figs. 5, 9, note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time).
Regarding claims 5, 14 and 18, Muto teaches a printing method, printing system and computer-readable storage medium of thermal printer according to claims 4, 13 and 17, respectively,
wherein acquiring the acceleration step time T of the current row m of points to be printed in the acceleration table, by:
finding a position of the current row m-1 of points to be printed in the acceleration table, and finding a position of the current row m of points to be printed in the acceleration table according to the position of the current row m-1 of points to be printed ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed. Note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time);
acquiring the acceleration step time T according to the position of the current row m of points to be printed ([0051], see fig. 5, note that if the printing period, i.e., the theoretical step time, is greater than the step time of the current line being printed, the deceleration table is consulted and the step time is made as long as the theoretical step time to allow for the line to be printed. Note that step times are all adjusted according to the whether there is enough time to print one line within the table step time).
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
