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
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)(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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Crowe (US 20100052888 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Crowe discloses a display device for displaying an operating state of a hybrid system that drives a propelling machine which propels a ship, the display device comprising comprising: a display screen for displaying the operating state (Element 92), and wherein the display screen includes: a symbol (Element 332, Fig. 3a) that represents a constituent element included in the hybrid system; and a linear section (Element 324) that connects between a plurality of the symbols, and that, according to an operating mode of the hybrid system, changes an illumination state (paragraph 12, highlight).
Regarding Claim 2, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of symbols includes a symbol representing an engine, a symbol representing a motor, a symbol representing a battery, and a symbol representing a propelling machine. (paragraph 4)
Regarding Claim 3, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a color of the linear section is different between a first energy flow which shows a flow of an energy for driving the propelling machine, and a second energy flow which shows a flow of an energy for charging the battery. (paragraph 51)
Regarding Claim 4, Crowe discloses a display device as display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display screen further includes a status display section that shows a status of the constituent element of the hybrid system, which corresponds to the symbol. (paragraph 51)
Regarding Claim 5, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display screen further includes an operating mode display section that displays a plurality of types of the operating modes provided for the hybrid system. (Element 340, Fig. 3a)
Regarding Claim 6, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operating mode display section displays, in a distinguishable manner, the operating mode that is selectable at present and the operating mode that is unselectable at present. (The operating modes can be distinguished from what components are highlighted.)
Claims 1, 5, 9, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Balogh (US 8836544 B1).
Regarding Claim 1, Balogh discloses a display device for displaying an operating state of a hybrid system that drives a propelling machine which propels a ship, the display device (Element 100) comprising m comprising: a display screen (Element 102)for displaying the operating state: state, and wherein the display screen includes: a symbol that represents a constituent element included in the hybrid system; (Element 112) and a linear section (Element 11a) that connects between a plurality of the symbols, and that, according to an operating mode of the hybrid system, changes an illumination state. (C6, L22)
Regarding Claim 5, Balogh discloses a display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display screen further includes an operating mode display section that displays a plurality of types of the operating modes provided for the hybrid system. (Element 122)
Regarding Claim 9, Balogh discloses a display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to be switchable to a screen that shows another operating state that is different from the operating state displayed on the display screen.. (see Fig. 9, see Fig 11.)
Regarding Claim 10, Balogh discloses A ship comprising: the display device as claimed in claim 1. (See Claim 1)
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.
Claims 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Crowe (US 20100052888 A1) in view of Oh (US 20180229653 A1).
Regarding Claim 7, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the operating mode display section is placed in an end section of the display screen (top), but does not explicitly disclose a plurality of buttons, which are provided alongside the operating mode display section, and which enable a selection of each of the operating modes, are placed around the display screen.
Oh discloses a plurality of buttons, which are provided alongside the display section, and which enable a selection of each of the functions, are placed around the display screen. (paragraph 65) It would have been obvious at the time of filing for a person of ordinary skill in the marine art to use the buttons of Oh for the function of operating mode selection with the display of Crowe which can be accomplished with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify Crowe is it is well known to provide buttons with a tactile feel to change functions in a vehicle.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Crowe (US 20100052888 A1) in view of Ohta (US 20220144090 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Crowe discloses a display device as claimed in claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the display screen is configured to display an icon that makes a notification about at least one of a warning and an error which are occurring to the hybrid system at present.
Ohta discloses wherein the display screen is configured to display an icon that makes a notification about at least one of a warning and an error which are occurring to the hybrid system at present. (paragraph 123) It would have been obvious at the time of filing for a person of ordinary skill in the marine art to configure the display of Crowe to display an icon that makes a notification about at least one of a warning and an error which are occurring to the hybrid system at present can be accomplished with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify Crowe is to use a known method to provide warning where a user can detect them.
Conclusion
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/ANDREW POLAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615 9 December 2025