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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sandstrom (5,727,900).
Regarding claim 1, Sandstrom teaches a vibratory compaction machine (Column 1, Lines 5-15) comprising: a chassis; at least one drum (7) rotatable about an axis that faces in a Y-axial direction and mounted to the chassis to allow rotation of the drum over a work surface; at least one vibration mechanism configured to generate vibrations that are transmitted as impacts directed in a Z-axial direction by the at least one drum (7) to the work surface, the at least one vibration mechanism provided with a plurality of different amplitude settings (1201; amplitude start); and a control system (1) configured to measure acceleration forces (via 3,5) of the at least one drum in a direction that substantially corresponds to an X-axial direction, wherein the acceleration forces are generated by the vibration mechanism and the X-axial direction extends in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the Y-axial direction and the Z-axial direction (3, 5; accelerometers record the acceleration of the compacting drum in directions perpendicular to the drum axis), the control system determining which of the plurality of drum amplitude settings the vibration mechanism is operating at from the measured acceleration forces of the at least one drum in the direction that substantially
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corresponds to an X-axial direction (Column 5, Lines 25-67).
Regarding claim 2, Sandstrom teaches the at least one vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of different frequency settings (1201, Fnom); the control system (1) selects a frequency setting from the plurality of different frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Lines 50-Column 6, Line 7), whereby different determined amplitude settings result in selection of different frequency settings; and the control system operates the vibration system at the selected frequency (Column 12, Lines 45-65).
Regarding claim 3, Sandstrom teaqches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings (Figure 3) such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 6, Lines 1-40); the control system selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Colum 5, Line 60-67); and the control system operates the vibration system at the one selected frequency (Column 12, Lines 45-65).
Regarding claim 4, Sandstrom teaches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Line 60-Colum 6, Line 40); the control system (1): selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Lines 40-67); operates the vibration system at the selected frequency; selects a new frequency setting in response to a change to the determined amplitude and operates the vibration system at the new selected frequency (Column 11, Lines 44-62).
Regarding claim 5, Sandstrom teaches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Line 60-Colum 6, Line 40); the control system: selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Lines 50-Column 6, Line 7); operates the vibration system at the selected frequency; remeasures acceleration forces generated by the vibration mechanism in the direction that substantially corresponds to the X-axial direction; re-determines which of the plurality of drum amplitude settings the vibration mechanism is operating at from the remeasured acceleration forces generated by the vibration mechanism in a direction that substantially corresponds to an X-axial direction; select a different one of the plurality of frequency settings when the re-determined amplitude setting is different from the determined amplitude setting and corresponds to the selected different one of the plurality of frequency settings; and operates the vibration system at the different selected frequency (Column 12, Line 54-Column 13, Line 44).
Regarding claim 6, Sandstrom teaches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting; the control system (Column 5, Lines 50-Column 6, Line 7): selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting; operates the vibration system at the selected frequency; remeasures acceleration forces acceleration forces of the at least one drum in the direction that substantially corresponds to an X-axial direction; re-determines which of the plurality of drum amplitude settings the vibration mechanism is operating at from the remeasured acceleration forces; selects a different one of the plurality of frequency settings that is greater than the frequency of the selected frequency when the re-determined amplitude setting is less than the amplitude of the determined amplitude setting and corresponds to the selected different one of the plurality of frequency settings; and operates the vibration system at the different selected frequency (Column 12, Line 54-Column 13, Line 44).
Regarding claim 7, Sandstrom teachesthe control system (1) includes accelerometers (3, 5) located on a carrier plate (9) that supports a drum axle rotation bearing (Figure 2; Column 5, Lines 25-45) of the at least one drum in a manner that allows for rotation of the at least one drum relative to the carrier plate; and the carrier plate is located inside the at least one drum axially inward from vibration isolators (Column 5, lines 40-42), which are interposed between carrier plate and a frame so that drum vibrations imparted to the carrier plate by the drum axle rotation bearings are damped and reduced after being measured by the accelerometers and before being transmitted to a frame of the vibration compactor (Column 5, Lines 25-60).
Regarding claim 8, Sandstrom teaches the control system includes a controller (1) and at least one accelerometer (3, 5).
Regarding claim 9, Sandstrom teaches a method for operating a vibratory compaction machine (Column 1, Lines 5-15) provided with a chassis, at least one drum (7) rotatable about an axis that faces in a Y-axial direction and mounted to the chassis to allow rotation of the drum over a work surface (Column 4, Lines 14-25), and at least one vibration mechanism provided with a plurality of different amplitude settings (1201) and configured to generate vibrations that are transmitted as impacts directed in a Z-axial direction by the at least one drum to the work surface, the at least one vibration mechanism, and comprising the steps of: operating the vibration mechanism to generate acceleration forces in the drum in an X- axial direction, wherein the X-axial direction extends in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the Y-axial direction and the Z-axial direction (Figure 5); using a control system (1) provided on the vibratory compaction machine to measure acceleration forces (3, 5) of the at least one drum (7) in a direction that substantially corresponds to the X- axial direction, wherein the acceleration forces are generated by the vibration mechanism; and using the control system (1) to determine which of the plurality of drum amplitude settings the vibration mechanism is operating at from the measured acceleration forces (Column 3, Lines 60-65) of the at least one drum in the direction that substantially corresponds to an X-axial direction (Column 5, Lines 25-67).
Regarding claim 10, Sandstrom teaches the at least one vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of different frequency settings (1201, Fnom); the control system (1) selects a frequency setting from the plurality of different frequency settings according to the determined amplitude
Regarding claim 11, Sandstrom teaqches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings (Figure 3) such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 6, Lines 1-40); the control system selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Colum 5, Line 60-67); and the control system operates the vibration system at the one selected frequency (Column 12, Lines 45-65).
Regarding claim 12, Sandstrom teaches the vibration mechanism is provided with a plurality of frequency settings, wherein each of the plurality of frequency settings corresponds to one of the plurality of amplitude settings such that each of the plurality of different frequency settings may be selectively applied according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Line 60-Colum 6, Line 40); the control system (1): selects one of the plurality of frequency settings according to the determined amplitude setting (Column 5, Lines 40-67); operates the vibration system at the selected frequency; selects a new frequency setting in response to a change to the determined amplitude and operates the vibration system at the new selected frequency (Column 11, Lines 44-62).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is listed on the attached PTO-892. Oetkin teaches a vibratory compactor with a control system for selecting frequency and amplitude.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABIGAIL ANNE RISIC whose telephone number is (571)270-7819. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5, M-Th.
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/ABIGAIL A RISIC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 November 29, 2025