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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/3/2026 has been entered.
Notice to Applicant
Claims 1-5, 7-14 have been examined in this application. This communication is a non-final rejection in response to the “Amendments to the claims” and “Remarks” filed 9/3/2025.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 USC 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Number 2024/0025528 by Derginer.
Regarding claim 1, Derginer discloses a boat maneuvering system comprising:
An operating unit including an operator (joystick 40); and
A controller configured or programmed to control a magnitude and a direction of a propulsion force generated by a propulsion device of a boat in response to an operation on the operating unit (paragraph 89 discloses the correlation between the magnitude of joystick movement with the magnitude and direction of movement, and paragraph 90 discloses control system 33 controlling the propulsion system depending on the movements of the joystick); wherein
When a hold start operation is performed on the operating unit during boat maneuvering using the operator, the controller is configured or programmed to shift to a first boat maneuvering state to perform a hold control to hold a control index that is at least either one of an index correlated with the magnitude of the propulsion force generated by the propulsion device or a velocity of the boat while not holding a bearing and a course of the boat (paragraph 104 discloses “the system may be configured to receive a first user input (e.g., hold button 210a) to engage the full vessel control mode and a second user input to enable joystick adjustment of speed, heading, and/or attitude” using the second user input to enable the joystick to adjust the heading and not the speed holds the speed of the boat while not holding the bearing or course of the boat); and
When a steering operation is performed on the operator in the first boat maneuvering state, the controller is configured or programmed to change the direction of the propulsion force generated by the propulsion device while maintaining the first boat maneuvering state (paragraph 104 goes on to state “and controls trim appropriately based on user inputs and/or based on the commanded and/or measured thrust and/or turn values”); and
When an automatic boat maneuvering start operation is performed on the operating unit in the first boat maneuvering state, the controller is configured or programmed to shift to a second boat maneuvering state in which, in addition to the hold control, and automatic boat maneuvering control is performed to hold a bearing or a course of the boat (paragraph 109 discloses “Once the desired speed and heading are achieved, the user lets go of the joystick and/or trigger 210b (or other adjustment confirmation input), as illustrated at step 222. When the joystick is in the centered position and/or when the trigger 210b (or other adjustment confirmation input) is released, the control system 33 operates the propulsion system to hold the current commanded vessel velocity and heading”).
Regarding claim 2 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the steering operation is at least one of a twisting operation of the operator or a tilting operation of the operator in a steering direction. Paragraph 65 discloses “the system may maintain vessel speed and heading while the joystick remains in the centered position and may interpret a joystick movement (deflection and/or twist) as an instruction to adjust the heading or speed”.
Regarding claim 3 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the controller is configured or programmed to change the magnitude of the control index held during the hold control when an acceleration or deceleration operation is performed on the operator in the first boat maneuvering state. Paragraph 65 discloses “the system may maintain vessel speed and heading while the joystick remains in the centered position and may interpret a joystick movement (deflection and/or twist) as an instruction to adjust the heading or speed”. An adjustment to the speed comprises a change to the magnitude of the speed control index.
Regarding claim 4 (dependent on claim 3), Derginer discloses the controller being configured or programmed to change the magnitude of the control index held during the hold control stepwise in accordance with a number of times the acceleration or deceleration operation is performed in the first boat maneuvering state. Paragraph 65 discloses “the system may maintain vessel speed and heading while the joystick remains in the centered position and may interpret a joystick movement (deflection and/or twist) as an instruction to adjust the heading or speed”. Since there is a corresponding adjustment to the speed each time there is a joystick movement, additional adjustments using the joystick would compound, resulting in a net adjustment to the speed that corresponds to a net change in magnitude of the speed.
Regarding claim 5 (dependent on claim 3), Derginer discloses the acceleration operation is an operation to tilt the operator in a traveling direction of the boat, and the deceleration operation is an operation to tilt the operator in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the boat. Paragraph 105 discloses “a forward/backward aspect of the joystick position may be associated with a thrust change command, where the magnitude and forward or backward direction dictate the magnitude and direction (increase or decrease) of the change in thrust command. For example, a small forward push of the joystick is associated with a smaller increase in the thrust command…Similarly, a small or large backward-direction push of the joystick may be associated with a small or large decrease in the commanded thrust”.
Regarding claim 7 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the controller being configured or programmed to shift to the first boat maneuvering state when the steering operation is performed on the operator in the second boat maneuvering state, and to return to the second boat maneuvering state when the steering operation of the operator is stopped. Paragraph 109 discloses “The controller operates in a hold mode 214’, which may be open-loop or closed-loop as described above, the maintain the vessel speed and heading and controls trim appropriately based on user inputs and/or based on the commanded and/or measured thrust and/or turn values. The autonomous speed and heading maintenance control is effectuated until a subsequent adjustment user input is received at the joystick 40 or user input is received to disengage the full vessel control mode”. The hold mode corresponds to the second boat maneuvering state, and a user input on joystick 40 to change the heading would place the boat in a first boat maneuvering state where the speed is maintained but the heading is changed.
Regarding claim 8 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the controller being configured or programmed to stop the hold control when a hold stop operation is performed on the operator in the first boat maneuvering state. Paragraph 109 discloses “user input is received to disengage the full vessel control mode” and paragraph 110 discloses the ways that full vessel control mode can be disengaged.
Regarding claim 10 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses when the velocity of the boat is less than a predetermined value in the first boat maneuvering state, the controller is configured or programmed to shift to a third boat maneuvering state in which, in addition to the hold control, a pattern control is performed to alternately switch between an on state where the propulsion device generates the propulsion force and an off state where the propulsion device does not generate the propulsion force; and when the velocity of the boat is the predetermined value or more, the controller is configured or programmed to return to the first boat maneuvering state. Paragraph 122 discloses “the thrust commands are further calculated based on a comparison of the measured and target values…The controller 276 is configured to utilize such information to refine the thrust command values to accurately effectuate the desired velocity and acceleration”. When the measured and target values don’t match, this corresponds to a third boat maneuvering state with thrust command values to effectuate the desired velocity, and when the values do match, this corresponds to the first boat maneuvering state which maintains the velocity.
Regarding claim 11 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the hold start operation is an operation to press a predetermined switch for a predetermined time or more. Paragraph 104 discloses “User input is received at step 212 to engage the full vessel control mode, which in the depicted example is pressing a top button 210a on the joystick handle 66”.
Regarding claim 12 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer discloses the operator is a joystick including a stick portion gripped and operable by a user (handle 66) and a support portion supporting the stick portion to enable a tilting operation and a twisting operation (base portion 68).
Regarding claim 13, Derginer discloses a boat maneuvering system comprising:
An operating unit including a first operator (joystick 40) and a second operator (steering wheel 12); and
A controller configured or programmed to control a magnitude and a direction of a propulsion force generated by a propulsion device of a boat in response to an operation on the operating unit (paragraph 89 discloses the correlation between the magnitude of joystick movement with the magnitude and direction of movement, and paragraph 90 discloses control system 33 controlling the propulsion system depending on the movements of the joystick); wherein
The controller includes a first control mode that performs a control in response to operations on the first operator, and a second control mode that performs a control in response to operations on the second operator in which the first operator is not used (paragraph 73 discloses “The rear marine drive 21 is rotated in response to an operator’s manipulation of the steering wheel 12 or joystick 40, which is communicatively connected to the steering actuator 13 to rotate the marine drive 21” and paragraph 83 discloses using the joystick 40 to control the various modes, as well as “engaging or switching between the low-speed and/or high-speed joysticking modes may depend on position(s) of the throttle/shift lever and/or steering wheel, and/or some other user input devices”, controlling the marine drive and the different modes by the joystick comprises a first control mode, and controlling them by the steering wheel comprises a second control mode);
During the first control mode, when a hold start operation is performed on the operating unit during boat maneuvering using the operator, the controller is configured or programmed to shift to a first boat maneuvering state to perform a hold control to hold a control index that is at least either one of an index correlated with the magnitude of the propulsion force generated by the propulsion device or a velocity of the boat while not holding a bearing and a course of the boat (paragraph 104 discloses “the system may be configured to receive a first user input (e.g., hold button 210a) to engage the full vessel control mode and a second user input to enable joystick adjustment of speed, heading, and/or attitude” using the second user input to enable the joystick to adjust the heading and not the speed holds the speed of the boat while not holding the bearing or course of the boat); and
When an operation is performed on the operator in the first boat maneuvering state, the controller is configured or programmed to change at least either one of the magnitude or the direction of the propulsion force generated by the propulsion device while maintaining the first boat maneuvering state (paragraph 104 goes on to state “and controls trim appropriately based on user inputs and/or based on the commanded and/or measured thrust and/or turn values”); and
When an automatic boat maneuvering start operation is performed on the operating unit in the first boat maneuvering state, the controller is configured or programmed to shift to a second boat maneuvering state in which, in addition to the hold control, and automatic boat maneuvering control is performed to hold a bearing or a course of the boat (paragraph 109 discloses “Once the desired speed and heading are achieved, the user lets go of the joystick and/or trigger 210b (or other adjustment confirmation input), as illustrated at step 222. When the joystick is in the centered position and/or when the trigger 210b (or other adjustment confirmation input) is released, the control system 33 operates the propulsion system to hold the current commanded vessel velocity and heading”).
Regarding claim 14 (dependent on claim 1), Derginer disclose a boat comprising:
A boat body (marine vessel 10);
A propulsion device attached to the boat body (marine drive 21); and
The boat maneuvering system according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being obvious over US Patent Application Number 2024/0025528 by Derginer.
Regarding claim 9 (dependent on claim 8), Derginer does not disclose the hold stop operation is an operation to tilt the operator backward for a predetermined time or more while the boat is moving forward, or an operation to tilt the operator forward for a predetermined time or more while the boat is moving backward. However, paragraph 110 discloses “in other embodiments could be any of various user inputs at the joystick or other user interface elements preconfigured for disengaging the full vessel control mode and/or switching to another mode”. It would thus be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Derginer to use different user inputs at the joystick such as tilting the joystick backwards or forwards for a predetermined time or more.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/3/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the argument that Derginer only teaches a low-speed control mode and a full vessel control mode and that the full vessel control mode holds a bearing or a course of the boat, as discussed above, paragraph 104 discloses “the system may be configured to receive a first user input (e.g., hold button 210a) to engage the full vessel control mode and a second user input to enable joystick adjustment of speed, heading, and/or attitude”, therefore the second user input can enable a mode within the full vessel control mode that allows adjustment of speed, heading, and/or attitude, and thus enabling adjustment of heading without enabling adjustment of speed forms a first boat maneuvering state that holds the speed while not holding a bearing and a course of the boat, while the default full vessel control mode also holds the bearing or course of the boat.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL H WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-6554. The examiner can normally be reached 10-6:30.
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MICHAEL H. WANG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3642
/MICHAEL H WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642