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)(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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeran, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2017/0160685.
Regarding independent claim 1, an image-forming device comprising:
a device main body (the main body of 100);
a consumable (120) attachable to the device main body (¶ 17), the consumable including a consumable memory (122, 123, 124, 125) having:
a first area subject to a digital signature (¶ 18, the second portion 127 of second memory 124 can have signed data); and
a second area not subject to a digital signature (¶ 18, the first portion 123 of first memory 122 has an indicator (unsigned data as in 0, 1, 2) that indicates whether or not signed memory is present in the second portion 127 of second memory 124); and
a controller configured to perform a configuration process including:
configuring, when switching information (whether the data are signed) is not stored in the second area of the consumable memory (indicating unsigned data), an operational setting (¶ 18 “information (e.g., data) that dynamically defines how the example printer 100 interacts with the example imaging supply 120 and/or dynamically defines which imaging supplies are compatible with the example printer 100”) of the image-forming device using basic information stored in the first area (that the data are not signed) of the consumable memory, the switching information being for switching reference information (¶ 18, the information provided for reference in “information (e.g., data) that dynamically defines how the example printer 100 interacts with the example imaging supply 120 and/or dynamically defines which imaging supplies are compatible with the example printer 100”) to be used for configuring the operational setting, the basic information being information related to the operational setting (¶ 18, whether the data are signed or unsigned, thus requiring authentication, is related to whether the data regarding the operational settings are readable without authentication); and
configuring, when the switching information (whether the data are signed) is stored in the second area of the consumable memory (indicating signed data), the operational setting using the reference information based on the switching information (¶ 18, when the data are signed, authentication is required before interpreting the operational setting using the reference information ).
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, wherein, in the configuration process the controller uses, as the reference information based on the switching information, the basic information stored in the first area of the consumable memory (¶ 18, using whether or not the data are signed, thus requiring authentication, to properly interpret the reference information).
Regarding claim 3, which depends from claim 1. wherein, in the configuration process the controller uses, as the reference information based on the switching information, both the basic information stored in the first area of the consumable memory (¶ 18, using whether or not the data are signed, thus requiring authentication, to properly interpret the reference information) and adjustment information stored in the second area of the consumable memory (¶ 18, “the second memory 124 includes information (e.g., data) that dynamically defines how the example printer 100 interacts with the example imaging supply 120”) , the adjustment information indicating an adjustment value (¶ 18, the dynamically defined information informing how to interact with the imaging supply) for configuring the operational setting based on the consumable.
Regarding claim 4, which depends from claim 1, wherein, in the configuration process, the controller uses, as the reference information based on the switching information, adjustment information stored in the second area of the consumable memory (¶ 18, “the second memory 124 includes information (e.g., data) that dynamically defines how the example printer 100 interacts with the example imaging supply 120”), the adjustment information indicating an adjustment value (¶ 18, the dynamically defined information informing how to interact with the imaging supply) for configuring the operational setting based on the consumable.
Regarding claim 5, which depends from claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to further perform a determining process including:
determining whether an item meets a predetermined condition whether the data are signed or unsigned, the item being determined by the configuration process and being related to the operational setting (¶ 18, the controller must determine whether the data are signed or unsigned based on the stored information).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 5, further comprising:
a display (110),
wherein the controller is configured to further perform a displaying process when determining that the item does not meet the predetermined condition in the determining process, the displaying process including:
displaying on the display that the consumable is unusable (any one or all of: ¶ 13, as in when consumables are unusable having reached their lifetimes; ¶ 15, 24, 38, as in when user authorization fails; ¶ 19, as in when certain hardware is not available for use; ¶ 34, as in when displaying error messages; or, ¶ 36, as in when data are unusable safely).
Regarding claim 7, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
an image-forming unit including:
a photosensitive drum (¶ 8, the printer using toner, which inherently requires using a photosensitive drum to form latent images);
a developing roller configured to supply toner onto the photosensitive drum (¶ 8, the printer using toner, which inherently requires using a developing roller to develop the latent images);
a transfer belt configured to transfer the toner supplied on the photosensitive drum onto a printing medium (¶ 8, the printer using toner, which inherently requires using a transfer belt to transfer the developed images onto a substrate); and
a fixing device including a heating roller, the fixing device being configured to fix the toner transferred on the printing medium onto the printing medium by heating the printing medium using the heating roller (¶ 8, the printer using toner, which inherently requires using a fixing device to fix the transferred images onto the substrate),
wherein the operational setting is related to a setting for an operation of the image- forming unit (¶ 18, “the second memory 124 includes information (e.g., data) that dynamically defines how the example printer 100 interacts with the example imaging supply 120”; and, ¶ 14 indicating how those data are used to adjust color management; how components are used; and, fixing temperature, as examples).
Regarding independent claim 8, the device of claim 1, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method of claim 8. MPEP 2112.02 (I).
Regarding independent claim 9, the device of claim 1 includes the consumable of claim 9 (supra).
Conclusion
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/SEVAN A AYDIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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