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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 9-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Otsu (JP 2014046951).
RE 1, Otsu discloses an information processing device (80, Fig 2) comprising: an image acceptance unit (84e) configured to accept an image to be a print target (par 73); a cutting machine designation unit (83c) configured to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium (par 54, 65); and an arrangement setting unit (83b, Fig 7) configured to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 53).
RE 9, wherein the arrangement setting unit arranges a cutting mark (EM Fig 4 & CL Fig 5) indicating a position serving as a reference when the cutting machine executes a cutting operation, within a cuttable area which is an area where the cutting machine indicated by the cutting machine designation information can execute the cutting operation on the medium (par 22, 35-36, 94).
RE 10, wherein the arrangement setting unit arranges a barcode (EM Fig 4) related to a cutting operation to be executed by the cutting machine, within a cuttable area that is an area where the cutting machine indicated by the cutting machine designation information can execute the cutting operation on the medium (par 22, 35-36, 94).
RE 11, further comprising: a storage unit (83, Fig 2, 6, 7), wherein assuming that a direction in which the medium is transported when the image is printed on the medium is a transport direction, and that a direction intersecting the transport direction is a width direction, the storage unit stores a maximum cuttable range in the transport direction and a maximum cuttable range in the width direction for each type of the cutting machine (par 48-50).
RE 12, Otsu discloses a cutting control method (Fig 16-18, 23, par 76, 126) comprising: causing an image acceptance unit (84e) to accept an image to be a print target (par 73); causing a cutting machine designation unit (83c) to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium (par 54, 65); and causing an arrangement setting unit (83b) to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 53, Fig 7).
RE 13, Otsu discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (83, par 48, 58) storing a cutting control program, the cutting control program causing a computer (84) to function as: an image acceptance unit configured to accept an image to be a print target (par 73); a cutting machine designation unit configured to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium (par 54, 65); and an arrangement setting unit configured to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 53).
Claims 1-8, 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Naruse (JP 2023107074).
RE 1 Naruse discloses an information processing device (1) comprising: an image acceptance unit (30) configured to accept an image to be a print target; a cutting machine designation unit configured to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium; and an arrangement setting unit configured to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 30-35).
Re 2, wherein the arrangement setting unit causes the area on the medium where the image can be arranged, to be different between when the cutting machine designation information indicates that the cutting machine is to be used and when the cutting machine designation information indicates that the cutting machine is not to be used (par 41-44).
RE 3, wherein assuming that an area where an arrangement of the image is limited on the medium is a margin area, when the cutting machine designation information indicates that the cutting machine is to be used, the arrangement setting unit expands the margin area compared with when the cutting machine designation information indicates that the cutting machine is not to be used (par 35-39).
RE 4, wherein the arrangement setting unit causes an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, to be different between when the cutting machine designation information indicates that a first cutting machine is to be used as the cutting machine and when the cutting machine designation information indicates that a second cutting machine is to be used as the cutting machine (fig 6).
RE 5, wherein the arrangement setting unit automatically sets the arrangement of the image on the medium (fig 7).
RE 6, wherein assuming that an area where an arrangement of the image on the medium is limited is a margin area, that a direction in which the medium is transported when the image is printed on the medium is a transport direction, and that a direction intersecting the transport direction is a width direction, the margin area is an area where the image is not arranged in the width direction (fig 9).
RE 7, wherein assuming that an area where an arrangement of the image is limited on the medium is a margin area, and that a direction in which the medium is transported when the image is printed on the medium is a transport direction, the margin area is an area where the image is not arranged in the transport direction (fig 9).
RE 8, wherein when the arrangement setting unit displays a preview screen showing a result of setting the arrangement of the image, and the cutting machine designation unit accepts the cutting machine designation information indicating that the cutting machine is to be used, the preview screen shows an uncuttable area that is an area where the cutting machine cannot execute a cutting operation (fig 10, 11).
RE 11, further comprising: a storage unit, wherein assuming that a direction in which the medium is transported when the image is printed on the medium is a transport direction, and that a direction intersecting the transport direction is a width direction, the storage unit stores a maximum cuttable range in the transport direction and a maximum cuttable range in the width direction for each type of the cutting machine (Fig 6).
Re 12 Naruse discloses a cutting control method (fig 12) comprising: causing an image acceptance unit to accept an image to be a print target; causing a cutting machine designation unit to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium; and causing an arrangement setting unit to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 70-77).
RE 13 Naruse discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a cutting control program, the cutting control program causing a computer to function as: an image acceptance unit configured to accept an image to be a print target; a cutting machine designation unit configured to accept cutting machine designation information which is information about a cutting machine for cutting a medium; and an arrangement setting unit configured to limit an area on the medium where the image can be arranged, based on the cutting machine designation information (par 17-21).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christle I. Marshall whose telephone number is (571) 270-3086. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday – Friday 7:30AM - 4:00PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Paik can be reached on (571) 272-2404. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Christle I Marshall/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876