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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-8, 12-17, and 20 in the most recent reply filed on 5/4/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
Examiner's consideration of the information disclosure statements is limited to a cursory review of the cited references due to the high number of references listed and the breadth of topics covered by the references. If Applicant is aware of particular references or particular portions of the cited references that are particularly pertinent to the claims, Applicant is invited to highlight those references/portions for more thorough consideration by Examiner.
The fourth information disclosure statement (IDS) filed 4/23/2024 (first listing US 3,675,725 to Schultz) fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed that is not in the English language. Neither a translation nor a concise explanation of DE 1550996 was included. This IDS has been placed in the application file, but the information related to this reference has not been considered.
The fifth IDS filed 4/23/2024 (first listing US 3,299,966 to Clifford) fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. A foreign patent document IN 3625MUM2015 published on 9/24/2015 has not been provided. Although a document for Indian application number 3625/MUM/2015 has been provided, this does not appear to be the number for a foreign patent document itself, and 9/24/2015 is the listed filing date in the document, not a publication date. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. This IDS has been placed in the application file, but the information related to this reference has not been considered.
Additionally, the fifth IDS filed 4/23/2024 (first listing US 3,299,966 to Clifford) fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of each reference listed that is not in the English language. Neither translations nor concise explanations for each of EP 3679774, EP 3501248, EP 3895514, DE 102016000332, EP 3782443, and BR 102019023272 were included. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
Numerous references are repeated among the information disclosure statements. Kind codes should be listed with foreign patent document numbers because different kinds of foreign patent documents are often published under the same number. Due to the various errors in the IDS documents, Applicant is respectfully requested to carefully review such documents before submission.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because it recites "the first pin aperture and a selected pin aperture of the plurality of second pin apertures is configured to receive..." in lines 15-16 (instead of "are configured to receive..."). Appropriate correction is required.
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, 2, 4, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Becker et al. (US 10,595,454) in view of Baker et al. (US 154,001)
Regarding claim 1, Becker discloses a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement, comprising:
a base structure (including or of 38) configured to couple to a frame (including or of 14) of the tillage implement;
a vertical guide plate (46) coupled to the base structure;
a vertical support (including 74) configured to couple to a disc blade support (of 18) of the tillage implement, wherein the disc blade support is configured to pivotally couple to the frame at a pivot point (at 102), and the disc blade support is configured to support a plurality of disc blades (including 26); and
a plurality of rollers (including 90, set forth in plurality in col. 3, lines 26-33) rotatably coupled to the vertical support and disposed within the elongated opening of the vertical guide plate, wherein the plurality of rollers is configured to block rotation of the disc blade support about a longitudinal axis of the disc blade support via engagement with the vertical guide plate.
Becker discloses the plurality of rollers moving along the vertical guide plate, but does not disclose the vertical guide plate having an elongate opening for receiving the plurality of rollers. However, Baker teaches a disc blade adjustment assembly, comprising a vertical guide plate and a pin (s), wherein the vertical guide plate has an elongated opening (t), and wherein the pin is disposed within the elongated opening (see Fig. 2).
Baker is analogous because Baker discloses a disc blade adjustment assembly for a tillage implement, comprising a vertical guide plate having an elongated opening. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Becker with slotted means as taught by Baker in order to allow sliding while preventing binding. (See Baker, col. 2.) Additionally, providing the assembly of Becker with an elongated opening as taught by Baker is also a combination of prior art elements (i.e., the assembly of Becker and the slotted means of Baker) according to known methods to yield predictable results (as taught by Baker). See MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Regarding claim 2, Becker discloses the vertical guide plate (46) having an arcuate shape with a radius of curvature extending from the pivot point (see col. 3, lines 34-50).
Regarding claim 4, Becker discloses each roller of the plurality of rollers (including 90, set forth in plurality in col. 3, lines 26-33) only being coupled to the vertical support (as shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Becker discloses an actuator (130) coupled to the vertical support (via 78) and configured to couple to the frame (via 38), wherein the actuator is configured to drive the disc blade support to rotate about the pivot point (see col. 4, lines 11-55).
Claims 8, 12, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over "Kongskilde 9200 DF Vertical Tillage - Assembly/Parts" (referred to as "Kongskilde" hereinafter; cited in the sixth IDS of 4/23/2024, i.e., that first listing US 2,519,497 to Oerman et al.) in view of Harlan et al. (US 5,462,123)
Regarding claim 8, Kongskilde discloses a disc blade angle adjustment assembly (see figures on p. 22, to which the following reference numerals correspond) for a tillage implement, comprising:
a horizontal base plate (see annotated Fig. A, below) configured to couple to a frame (of or including 1) of the tillage implement;
a guide structure (see annotated Fig. A) coupled to the horizontal base plate;
a vertical support (see annotated Fig. A) configured to couple to a disc blade support of the tillage implement, wherein the disc blade support is configured to pivotally couple to the frame at a pivot point (through 8), and the disc blade support is configured to support a plurality of disc blades (as shown on pp. 30-31);
a plurality of rollers (including first and second 16; see annotated Fig. A) rotatably coupled to the vertical support and disposed on the guide structure, wherein the plurality of rollers is configured to block rotation of the disc blade support about a longitudinal axis of the disc blade support via engagement with the guide structure;
a horizontal protrusion (including or of upper plate of 4) coupled to the vertical support, wherein the horizontal protrusion has a first pin aperture (for 11), and the horizontal base plate has a plurality of second pin apertures (see annotated Fig. A); and
a pin (11) configured to engage the first pin aperture and a selected pin aperture of the plurality of second pin apertures to block rotation of the disc blade support about the pivot point.
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Figure A. Annotated figure from p. 22 of Kongskilde.
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Figure B. Annotated figure from p. 22 of Kongskilde.
Kongskilde does not explicitly disclose the guide structure having an elongated opening. Harlan teaches a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement, comprising a guide structure (including 154, 156, 158, 160, and portion of 152 distal 10a) coupled to a horizontal base plate (including portion of 152 adjacent 10a), wherein the guide structure has an elongated opening for receiving a moving pin (78).
Harlan is analogous because Harlan discloses a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Kongskilde with an elongated opening as taught by Harlan in order to protect and support the structure therein (i.e., the plurality of rollers in the combination). Additionally, providing the assembly of Kongskilde with the elongated opening of Harlan is also a combination of prior art elements (i.e., the assembly of Kongskilde and the elongated opening of Harlan) according to known methods to yield predictable results (as taught by Harlan). See MPEP § 2143(I)(A).
Regarding claim 12, Kongskilde discloses each roller of the plurality of rollers (including first and second 16) being only coupled to the vertical support (see "DETAIL A" on labeled p. 22).
Regarding claim 14, Kongskilde does not explicitly disclose the pin comprising a handle as claimed. However, Harlan teaches a pin (164 or 166) comprising a handle (176) configured to facilitate removal of the pin from apertures.
Harlan is analogous because Harlan discloses a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the pin of the above combination with handle means as taught by Harlan in order to facilitate manual grasping and manipulation thereof. (See Harlan, col. 7.)
Claims 13, 15, 16, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kongskilde in view of Harlan as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Becker.
Regarding claims 13 and 15, Kongskilde and Harlan disclose the disc blade angle adjustment assembly as set forth with respect to claim 8, above. Neither Kongskilde nor Harlan explicitly disclose an actuator or the horizontal protrusion receiving an actuator as claimed. However, Becker teaches a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement, the assembly comprising an actuator (130) having a fastener, wherein a horizontal protrusion (including 78) has a fastener aperture, the fastener of the actuator is engaged with the fastener aperture of the horizontal protrusion, the actuator is configured to couple to a frame (including 14) of the tillage implement (via 38), and the actuator is configured to drive a disc blade support (of 18) to rotate about a pivot point (at 102).
Becker is analogous because Becker discloses a disc blade angle adjustment assembly for a tillage implement. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the above combination with actuating means as taught by Becker in order to hydraulically adjust the angle of the disc blade support. (See Becker, col. 4, lines 11-55.)
Regarding claim 16, in view of the modification made in relation to claims 8 and 15, Harlan teaches the guide structure comprising a vertical guide plate (160).
Regarding claim 20, Kongskilde discloses the pin (11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, and 7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the claim objection (to claim 15, from which claim 17 depends) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. Toennies et al. (US 2024/0065130) and Knoblauch (US 2024/0164240) correspond to the "un-published applications" listed in the fifth IDS of 4/23/2024 (first listing US 3,299,966 to Clifford).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joel F. Mitchell whose telephone number is (571)272-7689. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-6:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Sebesta can be reached at (571)272-0547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JFM/6/27/26
/CHRISTOPHER J SEBESTA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3671
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