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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/22/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 12 and 19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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, 5 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Drake teaches of:
A refuse vehicle (Fig. 3), comprising:
a chassis (312);
a cab (316);
a body (314) assembly coupled with the chassis (314 is coupled to 312), the body assembly defining a refuse compartment (330);
a lift assembly (340) configured to engage a refuse container (340 engages 400);
a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system (¶ [0033]; “the cleaning device 500 is integrated into the vehicle 10 (e.g., within a cab thereof; within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system thereof”) to deliver air to the cab via a plurality of ducts (the HVAC system must have ducts to deliver air to the cab)
Drake fails to explicitly teach:
a controller configured to:
cause, based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode;
receive first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor;
determine, based on the received first data and the received second data, that an interlock condition is present; cause, without an operator input, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode based on the interlock condition while the interlock condition is present;
receive third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
determine, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and cause, without an operator input and based on the determination that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode.
Atchison teaches of:
a controller (Fig. 5, 16) configured to:
cause, based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode (users input desired settings via 126, such as a first default mode);
receive first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor (Fig. 5, sensors 112 and 128 send data to controller 16; ¶ [0042], “the control device 16 includes sensors 112 that are used to collect data. The sensors 112 may include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, sound sensors, infrared sensors, motion sensors, and/or a variety of other sensors”; ¶ [0047], “The secondary input device 102 may include one or more sensors 128, and data collected by the sensors 128 may be processed by the processor 120 and communicated to the control device 16 via the communication circuitry 118”);
determine, based on the received first data and the received second data, that an interlock condition is present (the override mode is the same as an interlock mode; ¶ [0059], “override modes may be activated not only based on user input, but also based on data collected via the sensors 112 and 128”);
cause, without an operator input, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode based on the interlock condition while the interlock condition is present (¶ [0044], “Moreover, the data communicated by the secondary input device 102 to the control device 16 may be utilized in the implementation of an override mode that can occur without direct user input”);
receive third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
determine, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and
cause, without an operator input and based on the determination that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode (the controller receives additional data from sensors 112 and 128 and deactivates the override mode automatically and reimplements the default mode that can be implemented by a user; ¶ [0071], “Additionally, the control device 16 may cancel or deactivate an override mode or implement a different override mode based on data obtained from the sensors 112 and 128 or. That is, the control device 16 may switch from implementing an override mode to implementing the default mode”).
The primary reference can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add an HVAC controller to the HVAC system of Drake and further provide a first sensor and a second sensor that sends data to the controller that upon determination that certain interlock parameters are met by the first and second sensors to implement an override mode that changes the default first mode inputted by a user and when the parameters are no longer met by the first and second sensors deactivating the override mode and returning to the default first mode
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would allow for the controller to manage the HVAC system in certain outlier situations without the need for user input
Regarding claim 5, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the controller is configured to cause the operation of the HVAC system in the interlock mode by at least one of shutting off the HVAC system, altering a rate of heating or cooling, or altering a rate of air circulation until the interlock condition is no longer present (Atchison, the override mode can alter any parameters within the HVAC system until the override mode is deactivated; ¶ [0004], “The HVAC control device is further configured to implement an override mode of the control device based on the signal, wherein the override mode comprises an override temperature set point that differs from the default temperature set points, wherein implementation of the override mode effectuates a change in the operational settings of the HVAC system.”).
Regarding claim 11, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the controller is configured to alter the operation of the HVAC system until the interlock condition is no longer present (Atchison, the override mode can alter any parameters within the HVAC system until the override mode is deactivated; ¶ [0004], “The HVAC control device is further configured to implement an override mode of the control device based on the signal, wherein the override mode comprises an override temperature set point that differs from the default temperature set points, wherein implementation of the override mode effectuates a change in the operational settings of the HVAC system.”)
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and in further view of Kato (US 20050282485 A1).
Regarding claim 2, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
further comprising:
a door configured move between a closed position and an open position, wherein the door provides access to an opening of the cab with the door in the open position (Drake, Fig. 3, see doors on the sides of the cab 316)
The combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the first sensor is a door sensor configured to determine whether the door is in the open position or the closed position,
wherein the received data from the door sensor indicates that the door is in the open position.
Kato teaches of:
wherein the first sensor is a door sensor configured to determine whether the door is in the open position or the closed position (¶ [0035], “The courtesy switch 38 corresponds to a door open/close detector in the present inventio”),
wherein the received data from the door sensor indicates that the door is in the open position (Fig. 2, 28 sends door sensor data to controller 36).
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the HVAC ducting of Drake to supply air to the edge of a door frame of the cab creating an air curtain as shown in Fig. 2 of Kato and further provide a door sensor and connect the door sensor to the HVAC controller so that when a door is detected to be opened an interlock condition is met and air is supplied to the air curtain automatically
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent the ingress of dust and other particles from entering the cab of the refuse vehicle when the door is open
Regarding claim 3, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 2, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the plurality of ducts comprises at least one duct (Kato, Fig. 3, 32) configured to create an air curtain proximate the opening (32 supplies air to create air curtain 3 approximate the opening 12),
wherein the controller causes the HVAC system to create the air curtain proximate the opening (see combination made in the rejection of claim 2 above, the controller controls the HVAC system to supply air to the air curtain when a door is detected to be opened).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and in further view of JP S59149811 A hereinafter referred to as Ref. 1.
Regarding claim 4, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the first sensors is a first temperature sensor, the refuse vehicle further comprising a second temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature within the cab, the second temperature sensor configured to determine an ambient temperature outside of the cab, wherein the interlock condition is present based on a differential between the temperature within the cab and the ambient temperature and the second data from the second sensor.
Ref. 1 teaches of:
wherein the first sensors is a first temperature sensor, the refuse vehicle further comprising a second temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature within the cab (1 is an inside air thermistor), the second temperature sensor configured to determine an ambient temperature outside of the cab (5 is an outside air thermistor), wherein the interlock condition is present based on a differential between the temperature within the cab and the ambient temperature and the second data from the second sensor (Pgs. 2-3, “For example, when the ignition switch or air conditioner switch is turned on and the temperature inside the vehicle is higher than the temperature outside the vehicle, the resistance value of inside air thermistor 1 decreases, and the potential of the + (plus) input of amplifier 2 becomes higher than the potential of the - (minus) input. Then, the transistor 3 is turned on, and the solenoid valve 4 is turned on. When the solenoid valve 4 is turned on, an actuator (not shown) for the inside air/outside air switching damper is activated to introduce outside air”).
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add an interior and exterior temperature sensors to the combined teachings and add an interlock condition to the HVAC controller such that when a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is present, particularly that the inside of the vehicle is warmer than the outside, introduce outside air into the vehicle
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
introducing cooler outside air allows for efficient cooling of the cab of the vehicle (Ref. 1, Pg. 3, “This has the effect of automatically operating the inside/outside air switching damper to quickly and efficiently cool down the vehicle interior when the air conditioner is first used in hot weather, reducing the load on the interior of the vehicle as much as possible, and also automatically operating the inside/outside air switching damper to prevent fogging of the front windshield when the heater is used in cold weather.”)
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and in further view of Doescher (US 20030156043 A1)
Regarding claim 6, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the controller is further configured to provide, an indication to an operator of the refuse vehicle that the operation of the HVAC system will operate in the interlock mode until the interlock mode is no longer present (Atchison, ¶ [0053], “As another example, if an override mode is active, the icon 142 is indicative of the override mode being active”)
The combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
providing the indication to the user prior to the causing the operation of the HVAC system in the interlock mode that the HVAC system will operate in an interlock mode
Doescher teaches of:
providing the indication to the user prior to the causing the operation of the HVAC system in the interlock mode that the HVAC system will operate in an interlock mode (¶ [0028], “The apparatus may further include an indicator and, in some cases, when the first alarm signal is generated, the processor may be programmed to activate the indicator and time out a delay period prior to disrupting vehicle operation.”).
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the system of the combined teachings so that a user is warned by an indicator that the normal HVAC system is about to be altered
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
warning a user ahead of interrupting operations within the vehicle allows a user to prepare accordingly
Claim(s) 7-9, 12-13 and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and in further view of Rhee (US 5765635 A)
Regarding claim 7, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the first sensor is a first occupancy sensor, the refuse vehicle further comprising a second occupancy sensor, the first occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a first zone of the cab is occupied, the second occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a second zone of the cab is occupied.
Rhee teaches of:
wherein the first sensor is a first occupancy sensor, the refuse vehicle further comprising a second occupancy sensor, the first occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a first zone of the cab is occupied, the second occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a second zone of the cab is occupied (Fig. 1, 700 represents a plurality of sensors for each of the seats within the cab of the vehicle, each seat representing a zone; Col. 10, lines 51-55, “temperature/recognition sensor 700 monitors the corresponding zone of the passengers together with the temperature information signal and provides the passenger recognition signal to microprocessor 800. The passenger is recognized by sensing the weight, infrared rays or the amount of oxygen”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add weight sensors to each of the seats in the cab of the refuse vehicle of Drake and connect each of the seats to the HVAC controller of the combined teachings, further add ducts with outlets for forming air curtains between each of the zones that the seats occupy, as shown in Fig. 5 of Rhee, and further modify the HVAC controller so that one of the interlock modes is when the system detects a seat is occupied and the activation of said interlock mode results in the activation air curtains surrounding the zone of the occupied seat
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent the transmission of toxins or fumes from spreading between each zone
Regarding claim 8, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 7, and the combined teachings further teach of:
wherein the received first data indicates that one of the first zone or the second zone is unoccupied (in Rhee the sensors determined if the sear is occupied or unoccupied)
Regarding claim 9, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 8, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein causing the HVAC system to operate in the interlock mode comprises causing an air circulation system to create an air curtain between the first zone and the second zone within the cab (see combination made in the rejection of claim 7 above, the interlock mode is activated based on the presence of a user in a seat)
Regarding claim 12, Drake teaches of:
A refuse vehicle (Fig. 3)
A cab of a refuse vehicle (Fig. 3, 312)
A HVAC system for a refuse vehicle (¶ [0033]; “the cleaning device 500 is integrated into the vehicle 10 (e.g., within a cab thereof; within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system thereof”)
Drake fails to explicitly teach:
A control system for a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a controller configured to control an operation of the HVAC system of the refuse vehicle, the HVAC system configured to provide heating or cooling energy to a cab of the refuse vehicle, the controller comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
cause, based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode;
receive first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor, at least one of the first data and the second data regarding a condition of the cab of the refuse vehicle;
detect, based on the received first data and the received second data, that an interlock condition is present;
cause, without an operator input and based on the detected interlock condition, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode while the interlock condition is present;
receive third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
determine, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and cause, without an operator input and based on the determination that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode.
Atchison teaches of:
A control system for a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system (Fig. 5, 100), comprising:
a controller configured to control an operation of the HVAC system of the refuse vehicle (Fig. 5, 16), the HVAC system configured to provide heating or cooling energy to a cab of the refuse vehicle (the HVAC system of Drake must inherently perform these tasks), the controller comprising one or more processors (Fig. 5, 106) and a memory storing instructions that (Fig. 5, 108), when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations (¶ [0040], “the control device 16 includes a processor 106 that can execute instructions such as software or firmware that are stored in memory 108 that, when executed, enables the control device 16 to manage characteristics of the air delivered to a structure by the HVAC system 100”) comprising:
cause, based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode (users input desired settings via 126, such as a first default mode);
receive first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor (Fig. 5, sensors 112 and 128 send data to controller 16; ¶ [0042], “the control device 16 includes sensors 112 that are used to collect data. The sensors 112 may include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, sound sensors, infrared sensors, motion sensors, and/or a variety of other sensors”; ¶ [0047], “The secondary input device 102 may include one or more sensors 128, and data collected by the sensors 128 may be processed by the processor 120 and communicated to the control device 16 via the communication circuitry 118”);
detect, based on the received first data and the received second data, that an interlock condition is present (the override mode is the same as an interlock mode; ¶ [0059], “override modes may be activated not only based on user input, but also based on data collected via the sensors 112 and 128”);
cause, without an operator input and based on the detected interlock condition, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode while the interlock condition is present (¶ [0044], “Moreover, the data communicated by the secondary input device 102 to the control device 16 may be utilized in the implementation of an override mode that can occur without direct user input”);
receive third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
determine, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and
cause, without an operator input and based on the determination that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode (the controller receives additional data from sensors 112 and 128 and deactivates the override mode automatically and reimplements the default mode that can be implemented by a user; ¶ [0071], “Additionally, the control device 16 may cancel or deactivate an override mode or implement a different override mode based on data obtained from the sensors 112 and 128 or. That is, the control device 16 may switch from implementing an override mode to implementing the default mode”).
The primary reference can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add an HVAC controller to the HVAC system of Drake and further provide a first sensor and a second sensor that sends data to the controller that upon determination that certain interlock parameters are met by the first and second sensors to implement an override mode that changes the default first mode inputted by a user and when the parameters are no longer met by the first and second sensors deactivating the override mode and returning to the default first mode
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would allow for the controller to manage the HVAC system in certain outlier situations without the need for user input
Rhee teaches of:
at least one of the first data and the second data regarding a condition of the cab of the refuse vehicle (Fig. 1, 700 represents a plurality of sensors for each of the seats within the cab of the vehicle, each seat representing a zone and as such regarding a condition of the cab; Col. 10, lines 51-55, “temperature/recognition sensor 700 monitors the corresponding zone of the passengers together with the temperature information signal and provides the passenger recognition signal to microprocessor 800. The passenger is recognized by sensing the weight, infrared rays or the amount of oxygen”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add weight sensors to each of the seats in the cab of the refuse vehicle of Drake and connect each of the seats to the HVAC controller of the combined teachings, further add ducts with outlets for forming air curtains between each of the zones that the seats occupy, as shown in Fig. 5 of Rhee, and further modify the HVAC controller so that one of the interlock modes is when the system detects a seat is occupied and the activation of said interlock mode results in the activation air curtains surrounding the zone of the occupied seat
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent the transmission of toxins or fumes from spreading between each zone
Regarding claim 13, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 12, and the combined teachings further teach of:
wherein the HVAC system comprises an air circulation system configured to create an air curtain within the cab of the refuse vehicle, wherein causing the operation of the HVAC system to operate in the interlock condition includes causing the air circulation system to create the air curtain (Rhee, Col. 10, table 1, various air curtains are activated and deactivated from modes 1-7).
Regarding claim 17, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 12, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the first sensor comprises a first occupancy sensor the control system further comprising a second occupancy sensor, the first occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a first zone of the cab is occupied, the second occupancy sensor configured to determine whether a second zone of the cab is occupied (Rhee, Col. 10, lines 51-55, temperature/recognition sensor 700 monitors the corresponding zone of the passengers together with the temperature information signal and provides the passenger recognition signal to microprocessor 800. The passenger is recognized by sensing the weight, infrared rays or the amount of oxygen)
Regarding claim 18, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 17, and the combined teachings further teach of:
wherein the received first data indicates that the first zone is unoccupied, wherein altering the operation of the HVAC system comprises causing an air circulation system to create an air curtain between the first zone and the second zone within the cab (Rhee, Col. 10, table 1, in the automatic mode the controller selects from modes 1-7 which recognizes when zones I-III are occupied or unoccupied; Fig. 5, air curtain a5 creates an air curtain between the first and second zones)
Regarding claim 19, Drake teaches of:
A method of operating a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system of a refuse vehicle (¶ [0033]; “the cleaning device 500 is integrated into the vehicle 10 (e.g., within a cab thereof; within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system thereof”)
Drake fails to explicitly teach:
causing, by a controller and based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode;
receiving, by the controller, first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor, at least one of the first data and the second data regarding a condition of an interior of a cab of the refuse vehicle;
detecting, by the controller and based on the first data and the second data, that an interlock condition is present; [[and]] causing, by the controller without operator input and based on the detected interlock condition, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode while the interlock condition is present;
receiving third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
detecting, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and
causing, without an operator input and based on the detection that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode.
Atchison teaches of:
causing, by a controller and based on an operator input, the HVAC system to operate in a first mode (Fig. 5, 16; users input desired settings via 126, such as a first default mode);
receiving, by the controller, first data from a first sensor and second data from a second sensor (Fig. 5, sensors 112 and 128 send data to controller 16; ¶ [0042], “the control device 16 includes sensors 112 that are used to collect data. The sensors 112 may include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, sound sensors, infrared sensors, motion sensors, and/or a variety of other sensors”; ¶ [0047], “The secondary input device 102 may include one or more sensors 128, and data collected by the sensors 128 may be processed by the processor 120 and communicated to the control device 16 via the communication circuitry 118”), at least one of the first data and the second data regarding a condition of an interior of a cab of the refuse vehicle;
detecting, by the controller and based on the first data and the second data, that an interlock condition is present (the override mode is the same as an interlock mode; ¶ [0059], “override modes may be activated not only based on user input, but also based on data collected via the sensors 112 and 128”);
causing, by the controller without operator input and based on the detected interlock condition, the HVAC system to temporarily operate in an interlock mode while the interlock condition is present (¶ [0044], “Moreover, the data communicated by the secondary input device 102 to the control device 16 may be utilized in the implementation of an override mode that can occur without direct user input”);
receiving third data from the first sensor and fourth data from the second sensor;
detecting, based on at least one of the received third data and the received fourth data, that the interlock condition is no longer present; and
causing, without an operator input and based on the detection that the interlock condition is no longer present, the HVAC system to operate in the first mode (the controller receives additional data from sensors 112 and 128 and deactivates the override mode automatically and reimplements the default mode that can be implemented by a user; ¶ [0071], “Additionally, the control device 16 may cancel or deactivate an override mode or implement a different override mode based on data obtained from the sensors 112 and 128 or. That is, the control device 16 may switch from implementing an override mode to implementing the default mode”).
The primary reference can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add an HVAC controller to the HVAC system of Drake and further provide a first sensor and a second sensor that sends data to the controller that upon determination that certain interlock parameters are met by the first and second sensors to implement an override mode that changes the default first mode inputted by a user and when the parameters are no longer met by the first and second sensors deactivating the override mode and returning to the default first mode
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would allow for the controller to manage the HVAC system in certain outlier situations without the need for user input
Rhee teaches of:
at least one of the first data and the second data regarding a condition of the cab of the refuse vehicle (Fig. 1, 700 represents a plurality of sensors for each of the seats within the cab of the vehicle, each seat representing a zone and as such regarding a condition of the cab; Col. 10, lines 51-55, “temperature/recognition sensor 700 monitors the corresponding zone of the passengers together with the temperature information signal and provides the passenger recognition signal to microprocessor 800. The passenger is recognized by sensing the weight, infrared rays or the amount of oxygen”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add weight sensors to each of the seats in the cab of the refuse vehicle of Drake and connect each of the seats to the HVAC controller of the combined teachings, further add ducts with outlets for forming air curtains between each of the zones that the seats occupy, as shown in Fig. 5 of Rhee, and further modify the HVAC controller so that one of the interlock modes is when the system detects a seat is occupied and the activation of said interlock mode results in the activation air curtains surrounding the zone of the occupied seat
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent the transmission of toxins or fumes from spreading between each zone
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and in further view of Ostermeier (US 20100222929 A1).
Regarding claim 10, the combined teachings teach of the refuse vehicle of claim 1, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
further comprising one or more batteries, wherein the interlock condition is present based on a state of charge of the one or more batteries.
Drake in a further embodiment teaches of:
further comprising one or more batteries (¶ [0038], “According to an alternative embodiment, the engine 318 additionally or alternatively includes one or more electric motors coupled to the frame 312 (e.g., a hybrid refuse vehicle, an electric refuse vehicle, etc.). The electric motors may consume electrical power from an on-board storage device (e.g., batteries, ultra-capacitors, etc.)”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
make the refuse vehicle of the first embodiment of Drake aa hybrid electric refuse vehicle with a battery
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it is described as a possible alternative embodiment within Drake and further would be more environmentally friendly than a standard gas powered refuse vehicle
Ostermeier teaches of:
wherein the interlock condition is present based on a state of charge of the one or more batteries (¶ [0028], “In this way, the charge state LZ of the electric storage unit is continuously queried so that the air preconditioning process can be optionally interrupted in the event that the charge state LZ falls below the limit value GW. If the charge state LZ is sufficient, the interior of the vehicle is heated by the heating and air conditioning unit VHKA, which is activated in the first heating output stage LS1h.”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the control scheme of the combined teachings so that the vehicle is capable of being preconditioned relying on the charge of the hybrid battery and further so that one of the interlock conditions of the control device is to deactivate the air conditioning system if the charge level of the battery in the hybrid electric refuse vehicle is below a predetermined threshold
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
Preconditioning the cab of a vehicle allows for the internal climate of the cab to be at a desired level as soon as the user enters the vehicle and further stopping the preconditioning process if the charge level of the battery is below a predetermined amount prevents the battery from being drained prior to the vehicle being started (Ostermeier, ¶ [0021], “If the inventive method is implemented in a vehicle of the type, in which the energy to start the motor vehicle is drawn from the same electric storage unit, then it is especially important to monitor the charge state of the electric storage unit. In one advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the heating and/or cooling unit should not be activated or deactivated in the case of a charge state of the electric storage unit that is or falls below a predetermined limit value so that the start-up process remains guaranteed.”)
Claim(s) 14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and Rhee (US 5765635 A) and in further view of Kato (US 20050282485 A1)
Regarding claim 14, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 12, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the first sensor comprises a door sensor configured to determine when a door of the cab is ajar (¶ [0035], “The courtesy switch 38 corresponds to a door open/close detector in the present inventio”), wherein the interlock condition is present based on the received first data indicating that the door is ajar (¶ [0036], “When a signal (called an "open signal" below) corresponding to the fact that the door opening 12 has been opened is inputted to the air conditioning ECU 36 from the courtesy switch 38, the air conditioning ECU 36 drives the drive motor 28A to activate the switch 34 and open the air supply path 32. Thus, the air blown by the air conditioning blower 28 is continuously supplied from the in-vehicle air conditioner 24 to the air blowout portion 22, and the air curtain C is formed.”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the HVAC ducting of Drake to supply air to the edge of a door frame of the cab creating an air curtain as shown in Fig. 2 of Kato and further provide a door sensor and connect the door sensor to the HVAC controller so that when a door is detected to be opened an interlock condition is met and air is supplied to the air curtain automatically
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent contaminated outside air from entering into the cabin of the vehicle when a door to the cab is open
Regarding claim 16, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 12, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the first sensors comprises a door sensor configured to determine when a door of the cab is ajar, wherein the received first data indicates that the door is ajar, wherein causing the HVAC system to operate in the interlock mode comprises causing an air circulation system to create an air curtain between the door and an interior of the cab.
Kato teaches of:
wherein the first sensors comprises a door sensor configured to determine when a door of the cab is ajar, wherein the received first data indicates that the door is ajar (¶ [0035], “The courtesy switch 38 corresponds to a door open/close detector in the present inventio”), wherein causing the HVAC system to operate in the interlock mode comprises causing an air circulation system to create an air curtain between the door and an interior of the cab (¶ [0036], “When a signal (called an "open signal" below) corresponding to the fact that the door opening 12 has been opened is inputted to the air conditioning ECU 36 from the courtesy switch 38, the air conditioning ECU 36 drives the drive motor 28A to activate the switch 34 and open the air supply path 32. Thus, the air blown by the air conditioning blower 28 is continuously supplied from the in-vehicle air conditioner 24 to the air blowout portion 22, and the air curtain C is formed.”)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the HVAC ducting of Drake to supply air to the edge of a door frame of the cab creating an air curtain as shown in Fig. 2 of Kato and further provide a door sensor and connect the door sensor to the HVAC controller so that when a door is detected to be opened an interlock condition is met and air is supplied to the air curtain automatically
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would * have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would prevent contaminated outside air from entering into the cabin of the vehicle when a door to the cab is open
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1), Rhee (US 5765635 A) and Kato (US 20050282485 A1) and in further view of Ref. 1 (JP S59149811 A)
Regarding claim 15, the combined teachings teach of the control system of claim 14, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the received first data indicates that the door is ajar (See rejection of claim 14)
The combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the second sensors comprises a temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature within the cab and that the temperature within the cab is beyond a threshold temperature (Pgs. 2-3, “For example, when the ignition switch or air conditioner switch is turned on and the temperature inside the vehicle is higher than the temperature outside the vehicle, the resistance value of inside air thermistor 1 decreases, and the potential of the + (plus) input of amplifier 2 becomes higher than the potential of the - (minus) input. Then, the transistor 3 is turned on, and the solenoid valve 4 is turned on. When the solenoid valve 4 is turned on, an actuator (not shown) for the inside air/outside air switching damper is activated to introduce outside air”).
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add an interior and exterior temperature sensors to the combined teachings and add an interlock condition to the HVAC controller such that when a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is present, particularly that the inside of the vehicle is warmer than the outside, introduce outside air into the vehicle
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
introducing cooler outside air allows for efficient cooling of the cab of the vehicle (Ref. 1, Pg. 3, “This has the effect of automatically operating the inside/outside air switching damper to quickly and efficiently cool down the vehicle interior when the air conditioner is first used in hot weather, reducing the load on the interior of the vehicle as much as possible, and also automatically operating the inside/outside air switching damper to prevent fogging of the front windshield when the heater is used in cold weather.”)
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Drake (US 20200289985 A1) in view of Atchison (US 20180031264 A1) and Rhee (US 5765635 A) and in further view of Tanaka (US 20160272038 A1)
Regarding claim 20, the combined teachings teach of the method of claim 19, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein operating the HVAC system in the interlock mode includes causing a seat ventilation system to circulate air through a plurality of ducts within a seat positioned within the cab
Tanaka teaches of:
wherein operating the HVAC system in the interlock mode includes causing a seat ventilation system to circulate air through a plurality of ducts within a seat positioned within the cab (Figs. 4-5, see air circulating through ducts in a seat based on detection from an occupancy sensor)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
utilize the occupancy weight sensors already described and available in Rhee to determine a person is in a seat in the vehicle, modify the seats in the vehicle to have air ducts with air outlets facing out of the seat and further modify the control scheme of the combined teachings so that when a user is detected to be occupying a seat in a vehicle, the normal interlock operations occur and further air is output through the ducts in the seat onto the user
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would allow for temperature controlled air to be supplied to a user increasing their comfort
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL JAMES GIORDANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/VIVEK K SHIRSAT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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