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 § 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(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duquesne et al (10721865), in view of Scholer et al (10318138).
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Duquesne teaches the claimed invention, except as noted:
“This material falls onto a grain pan from where it is further transported towards a set of sieves, where the grains are separated from light chaff not previously removed in the threshing process.”
“The invention is related to a combine harvester with a laterally moving grain pan. The present invention is related to a combine harvester including one or more threshing rotors mounted in the harvester, a grain pan and a set of sieves, wherein the harvester comprises a drive mechanism configured to drive a longitudinal reciprocating motion of the grain pan, and further capable of superimposing on said longitudinal reciprocating motion a lateral reciprocating motion component, i.e. a motion component directed towards the sides of the harvester. The grain pan can lack longitudinal partitions. The invention is equally related to a method for controlling the lateral grain pan motion based on a measurement of the grain portion of a stratified grain/chaff layer advancing on the grain pan.”
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“(20) Besides capacitive sensors, other types of sensors may be used as the sensor elements 22, such as, for example, eddy current sensors, radar sensors, ultrasonic sensors, potentiometers, load cells, etc. Existing types of commercially available sensors may be used where appropriate.”
“(27) According to one possible embodiment, the amplitude of the lateral motion component imposed on the grain pan 7 is determined on the basis of the output of one or more sensors configured to measure operational parameters of the harvester. These parameters may be one or more of the following non-limiting list of parameters: layer thickness of the grain-chaff layer on the grain pan 7, stratification of the layer on the grain pan, and thickness of the grain portion of the stratified layer at or in the vicinity of the exit edge 11 of the grain pan, distribution of grains in the width direction of the grain pan.”
“(29) The amplitude of the lateral motion component may be controlled automatically on the basis of these one or more parameters according to a suitable algorithm, implemented in a control unit that is electrically coupled to and receives inputs from one or more sensors and produces an output signal calculated by the algorithm. The invention is specifically related to a method for controlling the reciprocating motion of the grain pan of a harvester according to the invention, wherein the thickness is measured of the grain portion of the stratified layer in the vicinity of exit edge 11 of the grain pan 7, at a plurality of locations across the width of the grain pan (e.g. by a sensor arrangement as shown in FIG. 7). The amplitude of the lateral motion component imposed on the grain pan is controlled by the control unit, in order to minimize the difference between the measured grain layer thicknesses at the plurality of locations.”
1. A combine harvester comprising:
a grain pan (7) arranged to catch a crop stream, the grain pan being driven in an fore and aft oscillating manner to convey the crop stream rearwardly across a conveyance surface to a rear edge (taught above),
the grain pan being provided with an upright panel extending in a fore and aft direction on the conveyance surface;
a grain cleaning system arranged to receive the crop stream from the grain pan (see quote above); and,
a crop stream analysis system comprising:
a vertical array of photoelectric (not specified) sensing devices mounted to the panel,
wherein each photoelectric sensing device is configured to sense a reflectance of crop material disposed against the panel (as noted above, it is not specified); and,
a processor (control unit) configured to receive reflectance signals from the photoelectric sensing devices and determine a material stratification status from the reflectance signals (as noted above, the photoelectric sensor is not specified, however the stratification status and signals received from the sensor(s) is taught above).
Scholer teaches that it has been known to use photoelectric / diode / light source or LEDs to capture light source reflected back from the crop:
“(86) FIG. 2C again shows the lens 204, the filter 260, and the photosite array 209, as before. In addition to these components, light sources 211 are added to FIG. 2C. These light sources 211 may be light emitting diodes (LEDs) or any other appropriate lighting source. The number of light sources 211 may vary from one embodiment to another, and the frequency of light emitted by each light source 211 may be of a different wavelength, as may be required to capture the appropriate photon data reflected back from the crop sample 200.”
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention provide the sensor of Duquesne with the teachings of Scholer, with a reasonable expectation of success since it would be within the skill of one in the art to pick and choose the type of sensor used, to more accurately collect data from the crop material passing through the grain pan.
2. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein each photoelectric sensing device comprises a photodiode (taught in the combination, see Scholer).
3. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the crop stream analysis system further comprises a light source (taught in the combination, see Scholer).
4. A combine harvester according to claim 3, wherein the light source comprises a vertical array of LEDs adjacent the photoelectric sensing devices (taught in the combination, see Scholer).
5. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein panel forms one of a plurality of crop material dividers disposed away from lateral edges of the conveyance surface (taught in the combination, see Duquesne).
“According to one embodiment, the vertical support 21 consists of or comprises a PCB board that incorporates the sensor elements 22 as well as the conductors that connect the sensor elements to the read-out and power means 23/24.” (Duquesne)
6. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the processor is mounted to the panel (taught in the combination, see Duquesne, PCB board incorporates the sensor).
7. A combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the array of photoelectric sensing devices and processor are encapsulated between a cover and the panel (obvious arrangement, see cl. 6).
8. A combine harvester according to claim 7, wherein the cover comprises a window overlaying the array of photoelectric sensing devices (taught in the combination, see Scholer, fig 2B).
9. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the array of photoelectric sensing devices is mounted in a cut-out region of the panel (obvious arrangement of the sensors in the combination).
10. A combine harvester according to claim 1, further comprising threshing apparatus and separating apparatus located upstream of the grain pan with respect to a crop material flow (taught in the combination, see Duquesne, fig 1).
11. A combine harvester according to claim 10, wherein the threshing apparatus are disposed above the grain pan, and wherein at least a portion of threshed crop material falls onto the grain pan (taught in the combination, see Duquesne, fig 1).
12. A combine harvester according to claim 10, further comprising a return pan positioned below the separating apparatus and serving to catch crop material that falls from the separating apparatus and convey said material in a forward direction to a front edge of the return pan from where said material falls under gravity onto the grain pan (taught in the combination, see Duquesne, fig 1).
13. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the grain pan is driven at an oscillation frequency that is dependent upon the stratification status (taught in the combination, see Duquesne, see quote).
14. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the array of photoelectric sensing devices comprises two light sources, each emitting a different colour, and wherein the array is configured to sense reflectance for each of the two different colours (taught in the combination, see Scholer, green & red light sources 211, Step 210A).
15. A combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to periodically analyse the reflectance signals to determine movement of the crop material at different depths, and wherein the stratification status is determined from said movement (obvious use of the combination to periodically analyze at different depths).
16. A combine harvester according to claim 15, wherein said periodic analysis includes correlating a degree of variance in the reflectance signals at respective depths to movement of the crop material at that depth (obvious use of the combination processor / controller).
The following method steps are already addressed in re the apparatus above, unless otherwise noted:
17. A method of controlling a combine harvester comprising the steps of: illuminating and sensing reflectance from a vertical section of a crop material layer disposed on a grain pan in a combine harvester, wherein the grain pan is operable to convey crop material to a grain cleaning system; generating reflectance signals corresponding to the reflectance at different depths through the crop material layer; calculating a material stratification status from the reflectance signals; and, driving the grain pan in a fore and aft oscillating manner at an oscillation frequency that is dependent upon the stratification status (cl. 1).
18. A method according to claim 17, comprising: illuminating the vertical section with light of different colours at different times, sensing the reflectance for each of the different colours; and, from the reflectance signals differentiating between grain and material other than grain in the crop material layer (cl. 14).
19. A method according to claim 17, comprising: periodically analysing the reflectance signals to determine movement of the crop material at different depths; and, calculating the material stratification status from said movement (cl. 15).
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said periodic analysis includes correlating a degree of variance in the reflectance signals at respective depths to movement of the crop material at that depth (cl. 16).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form 892.
Moutton (BE 2014/0402) teaches a stratification measurement:
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“This function allows the sensor to measure not only the thickness of the layer itself, but also the thickness of underlying layers that appear when the layer is separated into different layers, such as when a layer of cereal grains is formed at the bottom and a layer at the top remnants is formed.” (stratification measurement)
“This rocking movement results in the reciprocating movement 7 'of the grain dish 1, in opposite phase with the movement of the upper sieve 2. The movement 7 'moves a grain / remnant layer gradually in the direction of the sieves 2 / 3.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARPAD FABIAN-KOVACS whose telephone number is (571) 272-6990. The examiner can normally be reached Mo-Th.
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/ARPAD FABIAN-KOVACS/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671