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 .
Acknowledgment is made of the amendment filed August 26, 2025. The application has been updated accordingly.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 6, 2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bean et al. (2005/0224439) hereinafter Bean, in view of Bodtke et al. (2003/0173151) hereinafter Bodtke.
Bean discloses:
Claim 1: A vehicle with an aerial work platform, comprising:
a vehicle body (Fig. 1; 12);
a boom (Fig. 1; 24) provided on the vehicle body so as to be capable of vertically swinging (Fig. 1; 24, Para. [0026]), and extending and contracting (Fig. 1; 24, Para. [0026]);
a work platform (Fig. 1; 28) provided at a tip of the boom;
an operation device (Fig. 1; 30, 32, Para. [0028]) for operating the boom (Fig. 1; 24);
an operation control device for controlling vertically swinging, and extending and contracting the boom based on an operation signal from the operation device (Fig. 1; 26, Para. [0026]),
wherein the operation control device comprises:
a designation device (Fig. 2; 44, 46) for designating an allowable work range of the work platform including a maximum allowable height of the work platform from the ground and a maximum allowable horizontal turning radius from a turning center axis of the boom to the work platform; (Paras. [0012-0013 and 0029-0031]);
an operation preventing device for preventing the operations of the boom by the operation control device so that the work platform does not exceed the allowable work range designated by the designation device (Fig. 1; 34, Para. [0031]);
an allowable work range setting switch (Fig. 1; controlled by multi-switch 36 when the operator selects a capacity mode, Para. [0031-0033]) for setting the allowable work range (Fig. 3; Para. [0012-0013 and 0033]); and
a work platform position detection device for detecting a position of the work platform (Para. [0012-0013]) including a height of the work platform from the ground and a horizontal turning radius from the turning center axis of the boom to the work platform (Fig. 2; Para. [0029-0030 and 0032]),
wherein when the allowable work range setting switch is turned on, the designation device newly designates the height of the work platform from the ground detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable height and the horizontal turning radius detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable horizontal turning radius (Paras. [0012-0013 and 0029-0032]), each time the operator makes a new mode selection with 36 the control system defines a new work envelope based on the location of the platform - Para. [0012-0013]).
Bean fails to disclose a boom capable of rotating.
However, Bodtke discloses a rotating boom (Fig. 2; via 220, Para. [0015]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the base of Bean to include the turntable, as taught by Bodtke, with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for a wider range of motion without the need to reposition the base.
Claim 4: Bean discloses the vehicle with an aerial work platform according to Claim 1, comprising a prevention release switch for instructing release of an operation prevention of the boom (Fig. 1; controlled by multi-switch 36 when the operator selects a capacity mode, Para. [0031-0033]),
while the prevention release switch gives a release instruction, the operation preventing device releases the operation prevention of the boom (Fig. 1; controlled by multi-switch 36 when the operator selects a capacity mode, Para. [0031-0033]),
when the prevention release switch provides no release instruction, the operation preventing device prevents operation of the boom (Fig. 1; controlled by multi-switch 36 when the operator selects a capacity mode, Para. [0031-0033]).
Claim 5: Bean discloses the vehicle with an aerial work platform according to Claim 4, comprising:
an alarm device wherein the operation control device generates an alarm sound when the operation prevention of the boom by the operation preventing device is released in response to a release instruction by the prevention release switch so that operation control of the boom beyond the allowable work range is performed (Para. [0033]).
Claim 6: Bean discloses a vehicle with an aerial work platform, comprising:
a vehicle body (Fig. 1; 12);
a boom (Fig. 1; 24) provided on the vehicle body so as to be capable of vertically swinging (Fig. 1; 24, Para. [0026]), and extending and contracting (Fig. 1; 24, Para. [0026]);
a work platform (Fig. 1; 28) provided at a tip of the boom;
an operation device (Fig. 1; 30, 32, Para. [0028]) for operating the boom (Fig. 1; 24);
an operation control device for controlling vertically swinging, and extending and contracting the boom based on an operation signal from the operation device (Fig. 1; 26, Para. [0026]),
wherein the operation control device comprises:
a designation device (Fig. 2; 44, 46) for designating an allowable work range of the work platform including a maximum allowable height of the work platform from the ground and a maximum allowable horizontal turning radius from a turning center axis of the boom to the work platform (Fig. 2; 44, 46, Paras. [0012-0013 and 0029-0031]));
a display device for displaying the allowable work range designated by the designation device (Para. [0033] describes display devices),
a renewal device for renewing the allowable work range displayed in the display device when the allowable range is renewed by the designation device (Fig. 1; controlled by multi-switch 36 when the operator selects a new or renewed capacity mode, Para. [0031-0033]),
an operation preventing device for preventing operation of the boom by the operation control device so that the work platform does not exceed the allowable work range designated by the designation device and displayed in the display device (Fig. 1; 34, Para. [0031]);
an allowable work range setting switch (Fig. 1; 36 is a multi-switch allowing the operator to choose between a plurality of capacity modes) for setting the allowable work range (Fig. 3; Para. [0012-0013 and 0033]); and
a work platform position detection device for detecting a position of the work platform including a height of the work platform from the ground and a horizontal turning radius from the turning center axis of the boom to the work platform,
wherein when the allowable work range setting switch is turned on, the designation device newly designates the height of the work platform from the ground detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable height and the horizontal turning radius detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable horizontal turning radius (Paras. [0012-0013 and 0029-0031]) - each time the operator makes a new mode selection with 36 the control system defines a new work envelope based on the location of the platform - Para. [0012-0013]).
Bean fails to disclose a boom capable of rotating.
However, Bodtke discloses a rotating boom (Fig. 2; via 220, Para. [0015]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the base of Bean to include the turntable, as taught by Bodtke, with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for a wider range of motion without the need to reposition the base.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 26, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With respect to the prior art rejections, applicant argues that the primary reference of Bean fails to disclose “when the allowable work range setting switch is turned on, the designation device newly designates the height of the work platform from the ground detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable height and the horizontal turning radius detected by the work platform position detection device as the maximum allowable horizontal turning radius”. This argument is not persuasive because, as the examiner detailed in the rejection of claims 1 and 6, each time the operator makes a new mode selection with 36 the control system defines a new work envelope based on the location of the platform - Para. [0012-0013 and 0029-0032].
For at least this reason applicant’s remarks are not found persuasive and the claims remain rejected as advanced above.
Conclusion
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/Kathleen M. McFarland/Examiner, Art Unit 3635
Kathleen M. McFarland
Examiner
Art Unit 3635
/BRIAN D MATTEI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3635