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 Objections
Claims 4 and 16-17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 4 the last line: “or both to drive the tillage implement to a charging station.” Should read: “or both; and/or to drive the tillage implement to a charging station.”
Claims 16 and 17 appear as though they should depend form claim 13.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1-2, 4, 6-7, 9-16 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Treffler (EP 3403479).
Regarding claim 1, Treffler discloses a tillage implement (1), comprising: at least one electric motor (drive motor for wheels and steering motors 17a-d) coupled to a ground engaging tool (harrow 3); a power storage component (battery 19) configured to store power and to provide the power to the at least one electric motor; and a controller (control unit 15) communicatively coupled to the at least one electric motor and the power storage component, wherein the controller comprises a memory and a processor (Both are considered required by an autonomous vehicle controller), and the controller is configured to: provide instructions to adjust an angle of the ground engaging tool relative to a soil surface (Page 5 1st paragraph of the provided translation. Control unit 15 controls impeller 14 to rotate and change the angle and penetration depth of the tines).
Treffler is lacking the means of how the controller rotates the impeller to change the angle of the tines in relationship with the ground.
Treffler must comprise some means to control the tines, as Treffler discloses the use of multiple other electric motors to control the implements functions it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to use a further electric motor to adjust the tines as the system of Treffler is fully electric and some actuation means is required to perform the disclosed function.
Regarding claim 2, Treffler discloses at least one sensor (13), wherein the controller is configured to: receive sensor data from the at least one sensor (Page 5 1st paragraph of the provided translation); determine operational characteristics of the ground engaging tool (angular difference); determine the operational characteristics of the ground engaging tool are outside of a target range (compares actual value to a desired value); and in response, provide the instructions to the at least one electric motor to adjust the angle of the ground engaging tool relative to the soil surface.
Regarding claim 4, Treffler discloses wherein the controller is configured to: receive an indication of an amount of power within the power storage component; compare the amount of power to a power threshold; and in response to the amount of power being below the power threshold, to drive the tillage implement to a charging station (Page 4 paragraphs 3 and 4 disclose the use of charging stations. As the system of Treffler is fully automated the machine would be considered to comprise some form of power recognition to determine travel to the power stations).
Regarding claim 6, Treffler discloses at least one solar panel (18) configured to generate electrical power for use by the at least one electric motor.
Regarding claim 7, Treffler discloses wherein the power storage component is a main power source for the tillage implement, and the at least one solar panel is a backup power source for the tillage implement (Column 4 3rd paragraph. The battery is the main power which is recharged by a backup solar unit and also charging stations).
Regarding claim 9, Treffler discloses a rotary tine (tines are pivotally mounted, abstract).
Regarding claim 10, Treffler discloses a first set of ground engaging tools and a second set of ground engaging tools, wherein the ground engaging tool is part of the first set of ground engaging tools, the first set of ground engaging tools is distributed laterally across the tillage implement to form a first row of ground engaging tools, the second set of ground engaging tools is distributed laterally across the tillage implement to form a second row of ground engaging tools (Figure 1 shows 6 rows of tines).
Regarding claim 11, Treffler discloses comprising a plurality of additional ground engaging tools and a plurality of additional electric motors, wherein each additional ground engaging tool of the plurality of additional ground engaging tools is coupled to at least one respective electric motor of the plurality of additional electric motors, and the power storage component is configured to provide the power to the plurality of additional electric motors (Page 3 paragraph 4 discloses multiple units offset laterally for conditioning a large working width).
Regarding claim 12, Treffler discloses wherein the controller is configured to execute one or more autonomous driving algorithms to drive the tillage implement through the field without real-time inputs from a human operator (page 2 first paragraph).
Regarding claim 13, Treffler discloses a method for operating an autonomous tillage implement (page 2 first paragraph), the method comprising: accessing, using a processor (control unit 15), target operational characteristics (angle and penetration depth of the tines 3) for a plurality of ground engaging tools (Page 3 paragraph 4 discloses multiple units offset laterally for conditioning a large working width) of the autonomous tillage implement; and executing, using the processor, one or more autonomous driving algorithms to provide instructions to adjust the plurality of ground engaging tools (Adjusts an angle based on sensed characteristics) to steer the autonomous tillage implement through a field (drive motor for wheels and steering motors 17a-d) and to maintain the plurality of ground engaging tools at the target operational characteristics (controller monitors to compare penetration depth to a desired value page 5 paragraph 1) to carry out tillage operations as the autonomous tillage implement travels through the field.
Treffler is lacking the means of how the controller changes the angle of the tines in relationship with the ground.
Treffler must comprise some means to control the tines, as Treffler discloses the use of multiple other electric motors to control the implements functions it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to use a further electric motor to adjust the tines as the system of Treffler is fully electric and some actuation means is required to perform the disclosed function.
The combination would be considered to comprise multiple electric motors to adjust tines sections separately when working a wide harrow (Page 3 paragraph 4).
Regarding claim 14, Treffler discloses monitoring, using the processor, a power level of a power storage component (battery 19) that provides power to the plurality of electric motors as the autonomous tillage implements travels through the field; and executing, using the processor, the one or more autonomous driving algorithms to provide the instructions to the plurality of electric motors to adjust the plurality of ground engaging tools to steer the autonomous tillage implement to a recharging station in response to the power level being below a power threshold (Page 4 paragraphs 3 and 4 disclose the use of charging stations. As the system of Treffler is fully automated the machine would be considered to comprise some form of power recognition to determine travel to the power stations).
Regarding claim 15, Treffler discloses comprising instructing, using the processor, operation of a solar panel (18) of the autonomous tillage implement to provide power to the plurality of electric motors (The solar provides power to the motors via the battery system).
Regarding claim 16, Treffler discloses receiving, at the processor, sensor data (sensor 13) indicative of operational characteristic (angular difference) of the plurality of ground engaging tools as the autonomous tillage implement travels through the field; and providing, using the processor, the instructions to the plurality of electric motors to adjust the plurality of ground engaging tools based on the sensor data to maintain the operational characteristics of the plurality of ground engaging tools at the target operational characteristics (compares actual value to a desired value, page 5 first paragraph).
Regarding claim 18, Treffler discloses an autonomous tillage implement (1), comprising: a power storage component (battery 19) coupled to a frame of the autonomous tillage implement and configured to store power; a plurality of ground engaging tools (Page 3 paragraph 4 discloses multiple units offset laterally for conditioning a large working width) coupled to the frame; a plurality of electric motors (17a-d), wherein each electric motor of the plurality of electric motors coupled to the power storage component and a controller (15) coupled to the power storage component and the plurality of electric motors, and comprising a memory and a processor (Both are considered required by an autonomous vehicle controller) and the controller is configured to: provide instructions to adjust an angle of the ground engaging tool relative to a soil surface (Page 5 1st paragraph of the provided translation. Control unit 15 controls impeller 14 to rotate and change the angle and penetration depth of the tines).
Treffler is lacking the means of how the controller rotates the impeller to change the angle of the tines in relationship with the ground.
Treffler must comprise some means to control the tines, as Treffler discloses the use of multiple other electric motors to control the implements functions it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to use a further electric motor to adjust the tines as the system of Treffler is fully electric and some actuation means is required to perform the disclosed function.
The combination would be considered to comprise multiple electric motors to adjust tines sections separately when working a wide harrow (Page 3 paragraph 4).
Regarding claim 19, Treffler discloses a solar panel (18) coupled to the frame, and wherein the controller is configured to provide additional power generated by the solar panel to operate the plurality of electric motors (The solar provides power to the motors via the battery system).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 8, 17 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cavender-Bares (USPN 10528048).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM J BEHRENS whose telephone number is (303)297-4336. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-2pm MST.
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/ADAM J BEHRENS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671