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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on October 17th, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed February 18th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-7, and 21-34 remain pending in the application.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 1. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 4 appears to recite the same subject matter as the amended limitations of claim 1, so it fails to further limit the subject matter of claim 1. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-7, and 21-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van De Woestyne (U.S. Patent Publication 2021/0299692) in view of Krosschell (U.S. Patent Publication 2021/0219538).
Regarding claim 1, Van De Woestyne discloses a system (102, Figs. 1-2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (Paragraphs 0088, 0090), the system (102, Figs. 1-2) comprising:
a boom assembly (118, Fig. 1);
a nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) positioned along the boom assembly (shown in Figs. 1-2);
a flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) operably coupled with the nozzle (112, valves can have an associate nozzle or placed along the fluid conduit, Figs. 1-2, Paragraph 0059) and configured to control a flow of agricultural product through the nozzle (controllable valves can be controllably operated and control the flow of substance through them, Paragraph 0059);
a sensor (128, 238, Figs. 1-3) configured to capture sensor data indicative of a spray exhausted from the nozzle (sensors 128 sense various characteristics of an agricultural environment to adjust application of the sprayed substance, and include spray pattern sensor(s) 238, which can be used to detect and control the coverage of the sprayed substance from spray nozzles 112, Paragraphs 0024-0025, 0039-0042, 0052), wherein the sensor (128, 238, Figs. 1-3) comprises an imaging device (sensor(s) 128, which include sensor(s) 238, can be imaging sensors, Paragraph 0057) supported on the boom assembly (shown in Fig. 2) such that a fan of the agricultural product being dispensed by the nozzle (112, shown in Fig. 2) is positioned within a field of view of the imaging device (imaging sensors of sensor(s) 128, 238, spray pattern sensor(s) 238 can be used to sense the spray coverage and spray pattern shape of the spray coming from spray nozzles 112, which indicates that the fan of the agricultural product dispensed by nozzles 112 is positioned within a field of view of the sensor(s) 128 and 238, or otherwise they would not be detected or measured, shown in Fig. 2, Paragraphs 0052, 0057);
an overlap control system (310, Fig. 4) configured to minimize duplicative application to a common area of the field during subsequent passes (sensors 128, spray control system 224, and sprayer operation system 310 help a user determine if the substance being sprayed is not adequately covering a certain area to prevent duplicative application, Paragraphs 0039, 0073); and
a spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) communicatively coupled to the sensor (control system 208, sensor(s) 128, and spray control system 224 communicate information to one another, Paragraph 0047), the controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) configured to:
receive flow data from the flow regulator indicative of a demanded application rate (control signals from sensors 128 are sent to one or more of the controllable subsystems, which includes valves within sprayer system 102, and valves are controllably operated to control various spray characteristics which can include a demanded application rate, and the user can receive flow data from the valves from an operation with a certain demanded application rate, and data is communicated to the controller, shown in Figs. 3-4, 6, 9, Paragraphs 0029, 0059);
receive the sensor data as the agricultural vehicle travels across the field (control system 208 is configured to received sensor signals from sensor(s) 128, shown in Fig. 9, Paragraph 0065);
determine whether the overlap control system is in a restricted flow state or an unrestricted flow state (interpreting unrestricted as not having limits and restricted as not intended for general circulation or release, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, system 224 includes sprayer operation system 310, and sends control signals to the sprayer operation system 310 to send control signals to control the operations of the components of the agricultural sprayer which would include controlling it to be in a restricted flow state or an unrestricted flow state, such as one or more of the spray nozzle(s) 112 within system 224 operating between an open and a closed position, Paragraphs 0072-0073);
activate the flow regulator to allow the flow of the agricultural product through the nozzle at a demanded application rate (system 224 generates control signals to activate and control the one or more controllable valves between an open position or a closed position, control signals from sensors 128 are sent to one or more of the controllable subsystems, which includes valves within sprayer system 102, and valves are controllably operated to control various spray characteristics which can include a demanded application rate, and it can further control the flow of the substance flowing through the controllable valves for an operation with a certain demanded application rate, Paragraphs 0029, 0073); and
detect a restriction of the flow of the agricultural product through the nozzle based on an inconsistency in spray parameters between two or more spray fans relative to one another as detected from the sensor data, wherein the restriction is detected based on an inconsistency in spray parameters between two or more spray fans relative to one another, the spray parameters comprising at least one of fan shape, droplet size, or droplet distribution (flow rate and various other characteristics can be determined from the flow data from the valves and sensors, and based on the flow rate data, the user can indicate a restriction of the flow and whether the current flow rate meets a flow rate that is controlled by the user, and sensors such as spray pattern sensor(s) 238 may be used to sense spray pattern shape, such as a fan, from the spray nozzles 112, which is at least two shown in Fig. 1, along with various other characteristics relative to a sprayed substance, and using the sensed data from the sensor(s) 238, the user can determine an inconsistency between two spray fans relative to one another, Paragraphs 0052, 0059, 0065).
However, Van De Woestyne does not disclose the controller configured to generate a first notification based on the detected flow restriction when the overlap control system is in an unrestricted flow state and generate a second notification based on the detected flow restriction when the overlap control system is in a restricted flow state, wherein the first notification is different from the second notification. Krosschell teaches a system (200, Fig. 2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (100, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004) comprising the controller (606, Fig. 6) configured to:
generate a first notification based on the detected flow restriction when the overlap control system is in an unrestricted flow state (interpreting unrestricted as not having limits, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, controller 606 transmits a notification to a user interface indicating when a valve operator is open, which indicates that the flow does not have limits and the flow is in an unrestricted flow state, Paragraphs 0003, 0103); and
generate a second notification based on the detected flow restriction when the overlap control system is in a restricted flow state, wherein the first notification is different from the second notification (interpreting restricted as not intended for general circulation or release, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, controller 606 transmits another notification to a user interface indicating when a valve operator is closed, which indicates that the flow is not intended to be released and the flow is in a restricted flow state, and this notification is different from the notification to a user interface indicating when a valve operator is open, Paragraphs 0003, 0103).
Krosschell’s controller would be combined to Van De Woestyne’s controller to allow Van De Woestyne’s controller to generate a first notification and generate a second notification based on the detected flow restriction. Van De Woestyne’s sensor(s) 128 would capture sensor data through sensing of various agricultural environment characteristics and coverage of the sprayed substance, which communicates to Van De Woestyne's controller 208 and 224 flow rate and other characteristics of the flow data to detect a restriction of the flow of the agricultural product by indicating an inconsistency in spray parameters when compared to a controlled spray parameter set by the user. This would provide information to Van De Woestyne’s controller 208 and 224 to generate a first notification indicating when the overlap control system is in an unrestricted flow state and generate a second notification indicating when the overlap control system is in a restricted flow state, based on the detected flow restriction.
Van De Woestyne and Krosschell are considered to be analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of systems for monitoring spray quality of agricultural vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the controller taught in Krosschell’s system to the controller taught in Van De Woestyne’s system, to have the motivation to provide information to the user when the valves are operating or not (Krosschell, Paragraphs 0003, 0103).
With respect to claim 3, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 1. Van De Woestyne discloses the flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) is configured to selectively exhaust the agricultural product from the nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) based on a presence of a weed proximate to a fan of agricultural product (it will be interpreted that a fan of agricultural product is a nearby range, shown in Fig. 2) exhausted from the nozzle (valves control the flow of the substance based on sensor signals generated by sensor(s) 128 on the presence of pests and their position and each sensor is associated with a spray nozzle to detect nearby pests, Paragraphs 0030, 0034, 0073).
In regards to claim 4, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 1. Van De Woestyne discloses the sensor (128, Figs. 1-3) comprises an imaging device (sensor(s) 128 can be imaging sensors, Paragraph 0057) supported on the boom assembly (shown in Fig. 2) such that a fan of the agricultural product being dispensed by the nozzle (112, shown in Fig. 2) is positioned within a field of view of the imaging device (128, shown in Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 5, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 1. Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) is further configured to receive data indicative of a spray quality parameter and calculate a spray quality based on the spray quality parameter and the sensor data (128, control system 208 is configured to received signals from sensor(s) 128 indicative of various characteristics and a model generator creates a predictive model that can be used by control system 208 based on current data collected from the sensor(s) 128, spray control system can generate a control signal to control spraying based on sensor signal, Figs. 1-3, 9, Paragraphs 0060, 0065, 0073, 0084).
Regarding claim 6, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 5. Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality parameter is one of an application rate of agricultural product (spray quality parameter can be flow rate of the substance, Paragraphs 0029, 0065).
In regards to claim 7, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 1. Van De Woestyne discloses the system (102, Figs. 1-2) further comprising a positioning system (244, Fig. 3, Paragraph 0055) communicatively coupled to a vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, shown in Fig. 3), the vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, Fig. 3) being configured to receive location data from the positioning system associated with the boom assembly (Paragraph 0063) and correlate the location data to the flow data and the sensor data to generate or update an application field map associated with the field (machine steering controller 266 can generate control signals to adjust the sprayer system 102 to comply with a desired course based on a spray application map, Paragraph 0063).
Regarding claim 21, Van De Woestyne discloses a system (102, Figs. 1-2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (Paragraphs 0088, 0090), the system (102, Figs. 1-2) comprising:
a boom assembly (118, Fig. 1);
a nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) positioned along the boom assembly (shown in Figs. 1-2);
a flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) operably coupled with the nozzle (112, valves can have an associate nozzle or placed along the fluid conduit, Figs. 1-2, Paragraph 0059) and configured to control a flow of agricultural product through the nozzle (controllable valves can be controllably operated and control the flow of substance through them, Paragraph 0059);
a sensor (128, Figs. 1-3) configured to capture sensor data indicative of a spray of the agricultural product after it is exhausted from the nozzle (112, sensors 128 sense various characteristics of an agricultural environment to adjust application of the sprayed substance, and sensors 128 can be used to detect and control the coverage of the sprayed substance from spray nozzles 112, Figs. 1-2, Paragraphs 0024-0025, 0039-0042);
a mobile weather station (242, Fig. 3) configured to capture data indicative one or more weather conditions (weather sensors sense various weather characteristics such direction and speed of wind, humidity, temperature, and other characteristics, Paragraph 0054); and
a spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) communicatively coupled to the sensor (control system 208, sensor(s) 128, and spray control system 224 communicate information to one another, Paragraph 0047), the controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) configured to:
operate the flow regulator at a demanded application rate (control signals from sensors 128 are sent to one or more of the controllable subsystems, which includes valves within sprayer system 102, system 224 generates control signals to control the one or more controllable valves between an open position or a closed position, valves are controllably operated to control various spray characteristics and the flow of the substance flowing through the valves, which can include a demanded application rate, shown in Figs. 3-4, 6, 9, Paragraphs 0029, 0059, 0073);
receive the sensor data as the agricultural vehicle travels across a field (control system 208 is configured to received sensor signals from sensor(s) 128 during operation of system 102 which includes as the sprayer system 102 is traveling across a field, shown in Fig. 9, Paragraphs 0042, 0053-0054, 0065, 0115);
calculate one or more spray quality parameters based on the sensor data indicative of the spray exhausted from the nozzle (sensors 128 include sensors 236 and sensors 238, which are substance operation sensors and spray pattern sensors respectively, which generate sensor signals for the control system to receive, and the control system uses these sensor signals to calculate and generate control signals to control one or more of the controllable subsystems of the sprayer system 102, Paragraphs 0029, 0042, 0051-0052); and
determine one or more weather conditions based on the data from the mobile weather station (weather sensors sense various weather characteristics such direction and speed of wind, humidity, temperature, and other characteristics, Paragraph 0054).
However, Van De Woestyne does not disclose the controller is configured to determine a defined minimum agricultural product size based on the one or more weather conditions and the one or more spray quality parameters, generate a first notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is equal to or greater than the defined minimum agricultural product size, and generate a second notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is less than the defined minimum agricultural product size, the first notification different from the second notification. Krosschell teaches a system (200, Fig. 2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (100, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004) comprising the controller (606, Fig. 6) configured to:
determine a defined minimum agricultural product size based on the one or more weather conditions and the one or more spray quality parameters (a desired droplet size of the agricultural product can be generated at the nozzles 106, which can be based on environmental conditions and user preference, as well as pressure of the fluid, where a lower pressure leads to decreased flow and a higher pressure leads to increased flow, Paragraph 0031);
generate a first notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is equal to or greater than the defined minimum agricultural product size (controller 606 can use duty cycle determination to relay information to a user as an indicator that there are differences relative to an actual droplet size to a specified or desired droplet size, such as the droplet size being equal to or greater than the specified or desired droplet size, Paragraph 0110); and
generate a second notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is less than the defined minimum agricultural product size, the first notification different from the second notification (controller 606 can use duty cycle determination to relay information to a user as an indicator that there are differences relative to an actual droplet size to a specified or desired droplet size, such as the droplet size being less than the specified or desired droplet size, and the duty cycle indicating the droplet size being less than the specified or desired droplet size would be different than the duty cycle indicating the droplet size being equal to or greater than the specified or desired droplet size, Paragraph 0110).
Van De Woestyne and Krosschell are considered to be analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of systems for monitoring spray quality of agricultural vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the controller taught in Krosschell’s system to the controller taught in Van De Woestyne’s system, to have the controller is configured to determine a defined minimum agricultural product size based on the one or more weather conditions and the one or more spray quality parameters, generate a first notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is equal to or greater than the defined minimum agricultural product size, and generate a second notification when a defined agricultural product size of the agricultural product exhausted from the nozzle is less than the defined minimum agricultural product size, the first notification different from the second notification. There is a motivation to combine the controller as taught in Krosschell to Van De Woestyne’s system because doing so prevents misapplication of the agricultural product to the crop (Krosschell, Paragraph 0006).
Regarding claim 22, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 21. Van De Woestyne further discloses the flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) is configured to selectively exhaust the agricultural product from the nozzle based on an overlap control system (310, sensor(s) 128 are used to detect and control the coverage of the applied substance and send signals to spray control system 224 and sprayer operation system 310 that can control the operation of a valve to control the flow of substance, Fig. 4, Paragraphs 0039, 0059, 0066, 0073), the overlap control system (310, Fig. 4) configured to minimize duplicative application to a common area of the field (sensor(s) 128, spray control system 224, and sprayer operation system 310 help a user determine if the substance being sprayed is not adequately covering a certain area to prevent duplicative application, Paragraphs 0039, 0073).
With respect to claim 23, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 21. Van De Woestyne discloses the flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) is configured to selectively exhaust the agricultural product from the nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) based on a presence of a weed proximate to a fan of agricultural product (it will be interpreted that a fan of agricultural product is a nearby range, shown in Fig. 2) exhausted from the nozzle (valves control the flow of the substance based on sensor signals generated by sensor(s) 128 on the presence of pests and their position and each sensor is associated with a spray nozzle to detect nearby pests, Paragraphs 0030, 0034, 0073).
In regards to claim 24, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 21. Van De Woestyne discloses the sensor (128, Figs. 1-3) comprises an imaging device (sensor(s) 128 can be imaging sensors, Paragraph 0057) supported on the boom (shown in Fig. 2) such that a fan of the agricultural product being dispensed by the nozzle (112, shown in Fig. 2) is positioned within a field of view of the imaging device (128, shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 25, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 21. Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) is further configured to receive data indicative of a spray quality parameter and calculate a spray quality based on the spray quality parameter and the sensor data (128, control system 208 is configured to received signals from sensor(s) 128 indicative of various characteristics and a model generator creates a predictive model that can be used by control system 208 based on current data collected from the sensor(s) 128, spray control system can generate a control signal to control spraying based on sensor signal, Figs. 1-3, 9, Paragraphs 0060, 0065, 0073, 0084).
Regarding claim 26, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 25. Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality parameter is one of an application rate of agricultural product (spray quality parameter can be flow rate of the substance, Paragraphs 0029, 0065).
In regards to claim 27, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 21. Van De Woestyne discloses the system (102, Figs. 1-2) further comprising a positioning system (244, Fig. 3, Paragraph 0055) communicatively coupled to a vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, shown in Fig. 3), the vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, Fig. 3) being configured to receive location data from the positioning system associated with the boom assembly (Paragraph 0063) and correlate the location data to the flow data and the sensor data to generate or update an application field map associated with the field (machine steering controller 266 can generate control signals to adjust the sprayer system 102 to comply with a desired course based on a spray application map, Paragraph 0063).
In regards to claim 28, Van De Woestyne discloses a system (102, Figs. 1-2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (Paragraphs 0088, 0090), the system (102, Figs. 1-2) comprising:
a boom assembly (118, Fig. 1);
a nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) positioned along the boom assembly (shown in Figs. 1-2);
a flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) operably coupled with the nozzle (112, valves can have an associate nozzle or placed along the fluid conduit, Figs. 1-2, Paragraph 0059) and configured to control a flow of agricultural product through the nozzle (controllable valves can be controllably operated and control the flow of substance through them, Paragraph 0059);
a sensor (128, 238, Figs. 1-3) configured to capture sensor data indicative of a spray exhausted from the nozzle (Paragraphs 0024-0025, 0039-0042, 0052);
an object detection spray system (240, 310, 316, Fig. 5) configured to receive the sensor data and detect an object within a fan of the nozzle (agricultural surface characteristics determination system 316, which is a part of sprayer operation system 310, collects sensor data from sensors 128 and 240 to determine agricultural surface characteristics such as a position of a plant, Paragraphs 0042, 0053, 0076); and
a spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) communicatively coupled to the sensor (control system 208, sensor(s) 128, and spray control system 224 communicate information to one another, Paragraph 0047), the controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) configured to:
operate the flow regulator based on a demanded application rate (system 224 generates control signals to activate and control the one or more controllable valves between an open position or a closed position, control signals from sensors 128 are sent to one or more of the controllable subsystems, which includes valves within sprayer system 102, and valves are controllably operated to control various spray characteristics which can include a demanded application rate, Paragraph 0073);
receive the sensor data as the agricultural vehicle travels across the field (control system 208 is configured to received sensor signals from sensor(s) 128 during operation of system 102 which includes as the sprayer system 102 is traveling across a field, shown in Fig. 9, Paragraphs 0042, 0053-0054, 0065, 0115);
detect whether the object detection spray system is in an restricted flow state or unrestricted flow state (interpreting unrestricted as not having limits and restricted as not intended for general circulation or release, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, system 224 includes sprayer operation system 310 and agricultural surface characteristics determination system 316, and sends control signals to the sprayer operation system 310 to send control signals to control the operations of the components of the agricultural sprayer which would include controlling it to be in a restricted flow state or an unrestricted flow state, such as one or more of the spray nozzle(s) 112 within system 224 operating between an open and a closed position, and would detect whether the object detection spray system is a restricted flow state or an unrestricted flow state, and sensors send signals to the agricultural surface characteristics determination system 316 to activate to detect characteristics of the agricultural surface, Paragraphs 0072-0073, 0075, 0078);
detect a restriction of the flow of the agricultural product through the nozzle based on the sensor data, wherein the restriction of the flow of the agricultural product is based on an inconsistency in spray parameters between two or more spray fans relative to one another (flow rate and various other characteristics can be determined from the flow data from the valves and sensors, and based on the flow rate data, the user can indicate a restriction of the flow and whether the current flow rate meets a flow rate that is controlled by the user, and sensors such as spray pattern sensor(s) 238 may be used to sense spray pattern shape, such as a fan, from the spray nozzles 112, which is at least two shown in Fig. 1, along with various other characteristics relative to a sprayed substance, and using the sensed data from the sensor(s) 238, the user can determine an inconsistency between two spray fans relative to one another, Paragraphs 0052, 0059, 0065); and
generate a notification when the flow regulator is operated at the demanded application rate (system 224 generates control signals to activate and control the one or more controllable valves between an open position or a closed position, control signals from sensors 128 are sent to one or more of the controllable subsystems, which includes valves within sprayer system 102, and valves are controllably operated to control various spray characteristics which can include a demanded application rate, and indication of an operating error is surfaced to a user when spray nozzles 112 are not operating, Paragraphs 0040, 0059, 0065, 0073).
However, Van De Woestyne does not disclose the controller is configured to generate a notification when the flow regulator is operated at the demanded application rate, the restriction of the flow of agricultural product is detected, and the object spray system is in the unrestricted flow state. Krosschell teaches a system (200, Fig. 2) for monitoring spray quality of an agricultural vehicle (100, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004) comprising the controller (606, Fig. 6) configured to:
generate a notification when the flow regulator is operated at the demanded application rate, the restriction of the flow of agricultural product is detected, and the object spray system is in the unrestricted flow state (interpreting restricted as not intended for general circulation or release and interpreting unrestricted as not having limits, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, valves are used to regulate flow to provide a specific target application rate of an agricultural product, and controller 606 can use duty cycle determination to relay information to a user as an indicator that there are differences relative to specified flow rate, controller 606 transmits a notification to a user interface indicating when a valve operator is closed, which indicates that the flow is not intended to be released and the flow is in a restricted flow state, and a notification to a user interface indicating when a valve operator is open, which indicates that the flow does not have limits and the flow is in an unrestricted flow state, Paragraphs 0003, 0052, 0103, 0110).
Van De Woestyne and Krosschell are considered to be analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of systems for monitoring spray quality of agricultural vehicles. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of the controller taught in Krosschell’s system to the controller taught in Van De Woestyne’s system, to have the motivation to provide information to the user when the valves are operating or not, and prevents misapplication of the agricultural product to the crop (Krosschell, Paragraphs 0003, 0006, 0103).
With respect to claim 29, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 28. Van De Woestyne further discloses the flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) is configured to selectively exhaust the agricultural product from the nozzle based on an overlap control system (310, sensor(s) 128 are used to detect and control the coverage of the applied substance and send signals to spray control system 224 and sprayer operation system 310 that can control the operation of a valve to control the flow of substance, Fig. 4, Paragraphs 0039, 0059, 0066, 0073), the overlap control system (310, Fig. 4) configured to minimize duplicative application to a common area of the field (sensor(s) 128, spray control system 224, and sprayer operation system 310 help a user determine if the substance being sprayed is not adequately covering a certain area to prevent duplicative application, Paragraphs 0039, 0073).
Regarding claim 30, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 28. Van De Woestyne discloses the flow regulator (“valve”, valves can be flow regulators, Paragraph 0059) is configured to selectively exhaust the agricultural product from the nozzle (112, Figs. 1-2) based on a presence of a weed proximate to a fan of agricultural product (it will be interpreted that a fan of agricultural product is a nearby range, shown in Fig. 2) exhausted from the nozzle (valves control the flow of the substance based on sensor signals generated by sensor(s) 128 on the presence of pests and their position and each sensor is associated with a spray nozzle to detect nearby pests, Paragraphs 0030, 0034, 0073).
With respect to claim 31, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 28. Van De Woestyne discloses the sensor (128, Figs. 1-3) comprises an imaging device (sensor(s) 128 can be imaging sensors, Paragraph 0057) supported on the boom assembly (shown in Fig. 2) such that a fan of agricultural product being dispensed by the nozzle (112, shown in Fig. 2) is positioned within a field of view of the imaging device (128, shown in Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 32, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 28, Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality controller (208, 224, Figs. 3-4) is further configured to receive data indicative of a spray quality parameter and calculate a spray quality based on the spray quality parameter and the sensor data (128, control system 208 is configured to received signals from sensor(s) 128 indicative of various characteristics and a model generator creates a predictive model that can be used by control system 208 based on current data collected from the sensor(s) 128, spray control system can generate a control signal to control spraying based on sensor signal, Figs. 1-3, 9, Paragraphs 0060, 0065, 0073, 0084).
Regarding claim 33, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 32. Van De Woestyne discloses the spray quality parameter is one of an application rate of agricultural product (spray quality parameter can be flow rate of the substance, Paragraphs 0029, 0065).
In regards to claim 34, Van De Woestyne, as modified by Krosschell, discloses the system of claim 28. Van De Woestyne discloses the system (102, Figs. 1-2) further comprising a positioning system (244, Fig. 3, Paragraph 0055) communicatively coupled to a vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, shown in Fig. 3), the vehicle controller (300, 260, 266, Fig. 3) being configured to receive location data from the positioning system associated with the boom assembly (Paragraph 0063) and correlate the location data to the flow data and the sensor data to generate or update an application field map associated with the field (machine steering controller 266 can generate control signals to adjust the sprayer system 102 to comply with a desired course based on a spray application map, Paragraph 0063).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 18th, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument that Krosshell does not qualify as prior art, see Remarks, pg. 8-9, there is no need to evaluate whether any claim of a U.S. patent document is actually entitled to priority or benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119, 120, 121, 365, or 386 when applying such a document as prior art. "[T]he requirement that one of the claims in the patent [document]…be supported by the written description of the provisional application in compliance with pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph (or AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) ) is not applicable when examining an application subject to the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA ." Penumbra, 2023 USPQ2d at 15. In other words, the requirement stated in Dynamic Drinkware, LLC, v. National Graphics, Inc., 800 F.3d 1375, 116 USPQ2d 1045 (Fed. Cir. 2015) does not apply to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d). See MPEP § 2136.03 for the reference date under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e) of U.S. patents, U.S. application publications, and international application publications entitled to the benefit of the filing date of prior application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, or 365(c).
AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d) requires that a prior-filed application to which a priority or benefit claim is made must describe the subject matter from the U.S. patent document relied upon in a rejection. However, AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d) does not require that this description meet the enablement requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a). As discussed previously with respect to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), the Office does not view the AIA as changing the extent to which a claimed invention must be described for a prior art document to anticipate the claimed invention under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102. See MPEP 2154.01(b).
In response to applicant’s argument that Van De Woestyne does not disclose specific features of claim 1, see Remarks, pg. 11-12, Van De Woestyne, in view of Krosschell, does disclose these features as noted above in the rejection for claim 1. Additionally, applicant’s arguments are merely conclusory and do not explain how Van De Woestyne and Krosschell do not teach the specific structures of claim 1 and how the relied structures of Van De Woestyne and Krosschell do not teach these specific limitations.
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references in independent claims 1, 21, and 28, see Remarks, pg. 10-15, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
In this case, Krosshell provides a motivation to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the features taught in Krosshell to Van De Woestyne’s system because Krosshell states doing so provides information to the user when the valves are operating or not, and prevents misapplication of the agricultural product to the crop, which can cause too much agricultural product being wasted (Krosschell, Paragraphs 0003, 0006, 0103). Van De Woestyne similarly discusses wastage of pesticide occurs due to misapplication and can lead to increased costs and reduced yields (Paragraph 0016). Using the advantages and motivation provided in Van De Woestyne, one of ordinary skill in the art would pursue using a structure that further prevents misapplication of agricultural product and wastage.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Anna T Ho whose telephone number is (571)272-2587. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, First Friday of Pay Period off.
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/ANNA THI HO/Examiner, Art Unit 3752
/STEVEN M CERNOCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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