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 § 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6, 9-11, & 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2016/0122969A1 (“Noborio”), in view of US 2009/0313860A1 (“Breiner”).
As per claim 1 Noborio discloses
A work machine comprising (see at least Noborio, para. [0030]: As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bulldozer 100 includes a vehicle body 10, a traveling apparatus 20, a lift frame 30, a blade 40, a lift cylinder 50, an angle cylinder 60, a tilt cylinder 70….):
a vehicle body (see at least Noborio, para. [0030]: As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bulldozer 100 includes a vehicle body 10, a traveling apparatus 20, a lift frame 30, a blade 40, a lift cylinder 50, an angle cylinder 60, a tilt cylinder 70….);
a lift frame rotatably supported around a lift axis with respect to the vehicle body (see at least Noborio, para. [0030]: As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bulldozer 100 includes a vehicle body 10, a traveling apparatus 20, a lift frame 30, a blade 40, a lift cylinder 50, an angle cylinder 60, a tilt cylinder 70….);
a blade rotatably supported around a pitch axis with respect to the lift frame (see at least Noborio, para. [0031]: The bulldozer 100 further includes a blade control apparatus 200. The blade control apparatus 200 controls the height of a blade tip 40P of the blade 40.);
a lift actuator connected to the lift frame and the vehicle body, the lift actuator being configured to cause the lift frame to perform a lift motion up and down around the lift axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0034]: The lift frame 30 is arranged within the traveling apparatus 20 along the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the vehicle. The vehicle body 10 supports the lift frame 30, allowing the lift frame30 to pivot in the up-and-down direction about the axis X which is parallel to the width direction of the vehicle. The lift frame 30 supports the blade 40 via a ball joint 31, a pitch support link 32, and a supporting part 33.);
a pitch actuator connected to the blade and the lift frame, the pitch actuator being configured to cause the blade to perform a pitching motion around the pitch axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0038]: The angle cylinder 60 is a hydraulic cylinder to move the blade 40 in rotational direction (angle direction). The angle cylinder 60 is coupled to the lift frame 30 and the blade 40. The angle cylinder 60extracts and contracts to make the blade 40 pivot about the axis Y that intersects with each of the rotation axis of the universal joint 41 and the pitching joint 42.);
a sensor configured to detect a height of the blade from a reference height determined based on the vehicle body (see at least Noborio, para. [0071]: The vehicle body dimensional data is a known data and is stored in the blade controller 210 in advance. The blade controller 210 calculates the position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P in the global coordinate system according to the GPS data representing the absolute position of the GPS receiver 80 in the global coordinate system, the local position data representing the position of the blade tip 40P relative to the GPS receiver 80 in the local coordinate system, and the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10. That is, the blade controller 210 calculates the actual position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P according to the GPS data (absolute position data) representing the GPS position (absolute position) of the vehicle body 10,the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10, and the lift cylinder length data representing the stroke distance of the lift cylinder 50.).
Noborio does not explicitly disclose
a controller configured to control the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade.
Breiner teaches
a controller configured to control the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of a controller configured to control the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 2 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed.
Breiner teaches
wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 3 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
wherein when the blade is positioned above the reference height, the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction to tilt the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade.
Breiner teaches
wherein when the blade is positioned above the reference height, the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction to tilt the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of wherein when the blade is positioned above the reference height, the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction to tilt the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 6 Noborio discloses
wherein the vehicle body includes a crawler belt (see at least Noborio, para. [0033]: The traveling apparatus 20 includes a crawler 21. The traveling apparatus 20 is arranged below the vehicle body 10.), and
the reference height is a height of a ground contact surface of the crawler belt (see at least Noborio, para. [0070-0071]: The vehicle body dimensional data is a known data and is stored in the blade controller 210 in advance. The blade controller 210 calculates the position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P in the global coordinate system according to the GPS data representing the absolute position of the GPS receiver 80 in the global coordinate system, the local position data representing the position of the blade tip 40P relative to the GPS receiver 80 in the local coordinate system, and the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10. That is, the blade controller 210 calculates the actual position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P according to the GPS data (absolute position data) representing the GPS position (absolute position) of the vehicle body 10,the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10, and the lift cylinder length data representing the stroke distance of the lift cylinder 50.).
As per claim 9 Noborio discloses
A method for controlling a work machine , the work machine including a vehicle body (see at least Noborio, para. [0030]: As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bulldozer 100 includes a vehicle body 10, a traveling apparatus 20, a lift frame 30, a blade 40, a lift cylinder 50, an angle cylinder 60, a tilt cylinder 70….),
a lift frame rotatably supported with respect to the vehicle body around a lift axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0030]: As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bulldozer 100 includes a vehicle body 10, a traveling apparatus 20, a lift frame 30, a blade 40, a lift cylinder 50, an angle cylinder 60, a tilt cylinder 70….),
a blade rotatably supported with respect to the lift frame around a pitch axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0031]: The bulldozer 100 further includes a blade control apparatus 200. The blade control apparatus 200 controls the height of a blade tip 40P of the blade 40.),
a lift actuator connected to the lift frame and the vehicle body, the lift actuator being configured to cause the lift frame to perform a lift motion up and down around the lift axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0034]: The lift frame 30 is arranged within the traveling apparatus 20 along the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the vehicle. The vehicle body 10 supports the lift frame 30, allowing the lift frame30 to pivot in the up-and-down direction about the axis X which is parallel to the width direction of the vehicle. The lift frame 30 supports the blade 40 via a ball joint 31, a pitch support link 32, and a supporting part 33.), and
a pitch actuator connected to the blade and the lift frame, the pitch actuator being configured to case the blade to perform a pitching motion around the pitch axis (see at least Noborio, para. [0038]: The angle cylinder 60 is a hydraulic cylinder to move the blade 40 in rotational direction (angle direction). The angle cylinder 60 is coupled to the lift frame 30 and the blade 40. The angle cylinder 60extracts and contracts to make the blade 40 pivot about the axis Y that intersects with each of the rotation axis of the universal joint 41 and the pitching joint 42.), the method comprising:
detecting a height of the blade from a reference height determined based on the vehicle body (see at least Noborio, para. [0071]: The vehicle body dimensional data is a known data and is stored in the blade controller 210 in advance. The blade controller 210 calculates the position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P in the global coordinate system according to the GPS data representing the absolute position of the GPS receiver 80 in the global coordinate system, the local position data representing the position of the blade tip 40P relative to the GPS receiver 80 in the local coordinate system, and the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10. That is, the blade controller 210 calculates the actual position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P according to the GPS data (absolute position data) representing the GPS position (absolute position) of the vehicle body 10,the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10, and the lift cylinder length data representing the stroke distance of the lift cylinder 50.).
Noborio does not explicitly disclose
controlling the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade.
Breiner teaches
controlling the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of controlling the pitch actuator to change a pitch angle of the blade according to the height of the blade of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 10 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed.
Breiner teaches
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more forward when the blade is positioned above the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 11 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade when the blade is positioned above the reference height.
Breiner teaches
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade when the blade is positioned above the reference height (see at least Breiner, para. [0034]: Therefore, the maintenance means may also be configured to respond to lifting of blade 14 by adjusting the pitch of blade 14. In the equation set forth above, first depth D1 and second depth D2 may be measured by a sensor, such as a sensor mounted at pivot point 36 or hydraulic lift cylinder 34. After receiving information from the sensor, control system 30 calculates an angular adjustment and operates pitching mechanism 37 to maintain blade 14 at a desired pitch, such as by returning blade 14 to the desired pitch. The incidental depth change when pitching blade 14 may be more significant than the incidental pitch change of blade 14 when raising and lowering blade 14 due to the shorter distance between pivot point 42 and blade 14 than between pivot point 36 and blade 14.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade forward according to increasing in the height of the blade when the blade is positioned above the reference height of Breiner, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically maintain a depth of the blade during pitching of the blade (see at least Breiner, para. [0006]).
As per claim 14 Noborio discloses
wherein the vehicle body includes a crawler belt (see at least Noborio, para. [0033]: The traveling apparatus 20 includes a crawler 21. The traveling apparatus 20 is arranged below the vehicle body 10.), and
the reference height is a height of a ground contact surface of the crawler belt (see at least Noborio, para. [0070-0071]: The vehicle body dimensional data is a known data and is stored in the blade controller 210 in advance. The blade controller 210 calculates the position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P in the global coordinate system according to the GPS data representing the absolute position of the GPS receiver 80 in the global coordinate system, the local position data representing the position of the blade tip 40P relative to the GPS receiver 80 in the local coordinate system, and the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10. That is, the blade controller 210 calculates the actual position (actual height) of the blade tip 40P according to the GPS data (absolute position data) representing the GPS position (absolute position) of the vehicle body 10,the vehicle body inclination angle data representing the inclination angle of the vehicle body 10, and the lift cylinder length data representing the stroke distance of the lift cylinder 50.).
Claim(s) 4-5, & 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noborio, in view of Breiner, in view of US 2016/0230366A1 (“Hendron”).
As per claim 4 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed
Hendron teaches
wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed (see at least Hendron, para. [0037]: If the ground feature is at a lower elevation than the surrounding ground surface, work vehicle 100 may continue backward without pitching until the center of gravity of work vehicle 100 is vertically above the edge of the downward ground feature. At that point, work vehicle 100 may pitch backward until rearmost engaging point 132 contacts the ground.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of wherein the controller is configured to control the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed of Hendron, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order for stabilizing a ground-engaging blade of a work vehicle (see at least Hendron, para. [0001]).
As per claim 5 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
wherein when the blade is positioned below the reference height, the controller is configured to control the actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade backward in accordance with decreasing in the height of the blade
Hendron teaches
wherein when the blade is positioned below the reference height, the controller is configured to control the actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade backward in accordance with decreasing in the height of the blade (see at least Hendron, para. [0037]: If the ground feature is at a lower elevation than the surrounding ground surface, work vehicle 100 may continue backward without pitching until the center of gravity of work vehicle 100 is vertically above the edge of the downward ground feature. At that point, work vehicle 100 may pitch backward until rearmost engaging point 132 contacts the ground.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of wherein when the blade is positioned below the reference height, the controller is configured to control the actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade backward in accordance with decreasing in the height of the blade of Hendron, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order for stabilizing a ground-engaging blade of a work vehicle (see at least Hendron, para. [0001]).
As per claim 12 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed.
Hendron teaches
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed (see at least Hendron, para. [0037]: If the ground feature is at a lower elevation than the surrounding ground surface, work vehicle 100 may continue backward without pitching until the center of gravity of work vehicle 100 is vertically above the edge of the downward ground feature. At that point, work vehicle 100 may pitch backward until rearmost engaging point 132 contacts the ground.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed of Hendron, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order for stabilizing a ground-engaging blade of a work vehicle (see at least Hendron, para. [0001]).
As per claim 13 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade backward in accordance with decreasing in the height of the blade when the blade is positioned below the reference height.
Hendron teaches
further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade in a direction of tilting the blade backward in accordance with decreasing in the height of the blade when the blade is positioned below the reference height (see at least Hendron, para. [0037]: If the ground feature is at a lower elevation than the surrounding ground surface, work vehicle 100 may continue backward without pitching until the center of gravity of work vehicle 100 is vertically above the edge of the downward ground feature. At that point, work vehicle 100 may pitch backward until rearmost engaging point 132 contacts the ground.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: controlling the pitch actuator to tilt the blade more rearward when the blade is positioned below the reference height than when the pitching motion of the blade is fixed of Hendron, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order for stabilizing a ground-engaging blade of a work vehicle (see at least Hendron, para. [0001]).
Claim(s) 7, & 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noborio, in view of Breiner, in view of US 2013/0004282A1 (“Grimes”).
As per claim 7 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
wherein the controller is configured to store pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and a target pitch angle of the blade, determine the target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to the pitch angle data, and control the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle.
Grimes teaches
wherein the controller is configured to store pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and a target pitch angle of the blade, determine the target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to the pitch angle data, and control the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle (see at least Grimes, para. [0042-0043]: To operate the machine 10, an operator may move the lift adjustment controller 20 to raise or lower the work tool 30, and may move the tilt adjustment controller 22 to adjust the angular orientation, or pitch, of the work tool 30, as described above. If desired, the operator may use a control system 83to select and store an operator selected orientation and one or more operator selected heights of the work tool. The operator selected orientation and operator selected heights, which may be selected and stored as described above, may correspond to particular work tool positions to which the operator may wish to return. For example, for a repeated work cycle, the operator may wish to store an operator selected height and operator selected orientation corresponding to ground and level. Thus, during the repeated work cycle, the operator can request the control system 83 return the implement assembly24 to the ground and level position, such as by actuating a button, lever, or device, without having to manually manipulate the lift and tilt adjustment controllers 20 and 22 to return the implement assembly24 to the repeated position of the work cycle.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of wherein the controller is configured to store pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and a target pitch angle of the blade, determine the target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to the pitch angle data, and control the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle of Grimes, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to assist operators in more efficiently and accurately performing work operations, including, for example, manual, remote control, autonomous, and semi-autonomous operations (see at least Grimes, para. [0046]).
As per claim 15 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: determining a target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and the target pitch angle of the blade; and controlling the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle.
Grimes teaches
further comprising: determining a target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and the target pitch angle of the blade; and controlling the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle (see at least Grimes, para. [0042-0043]: To operate the machine 10, an operator may move the lift adjustment controller 20 to raise or lower the work tool 30, and may move the tilt adjustment controller 22 to adjust the angular orientation, or pitch, of the work tool 30, as described above. If desired, the operator may use a control system 83to select and store an operator selected orientation and one or more operator selected heights of the work tool. The operator selected orientation and operator selected heights, which may be selected and stored as described above, may correspond to particular work tool positions to which the operator may wish to return. For example, for a repeated work cycle, the operator may wish to store an operator selected height and operator selected orientation corresponding to ground and level. Thus, during the repeated work cycle, the operator can request the control system 83 return the implement assembly24 to the ground and level position, such as by actuating a button, lever, or device, without having to manually manipulate the lift and tilt adjustment controllers 20 and 22 to return the implement assembly24 to the repeated position of the work cycle.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: determining a target pitch angle from the height of the blade with reference to pitch angle data that defines a relationship between the height of the blade and the target pitch angle of the blade; and controlling the pitch actuator so that the pitch angle of the blade becomes the target pitch angle of Grimes, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to assist operators in more efficiently and accurately performing work operations, including, for example, manual, remote control, autonomous, and semi-autonomous operations (see at least Grimes, para. [0046]).
Claim(s) 8 & 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noborio, in view of Breiner, in view of US 2017/0114522A1 (“Maifield”).
As per claim 8 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade, the controller being configured to acquire an operation signal indicating an operation of the operating device, control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device, and control the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated.
Maifield teaches
further comprising: an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade, the controller being configured to acquire an operation signal indicating an operation of the operating device, control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device, and control the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated (see at least Maifield, para. [0048-0051]: The ROC 54b, in the illustrated example, has a blade pitch control 70b and an auxiliary implement control 72b (e.g., for a scarifier attachment) located at a forward area of the grip 58b that are within the natural reach of the index and middle fingers, respectively, of the operator's right hand. The blade pitch control 70b and the implement control 72b may each be a proportional roller type switch with a paddle and that is spring-biased to return to center (i.e., a neutral input position). For example, when the operator moves the roller control of the blade pitch control 70b forward (away from the operator), the controller 56 may cause the blade actuator(s) to tilt an upper edge of blade 42forward with respect to its lower edge. Moving the roller control in the opposite direction (toward the operator) may cause the blade 42 to tilt the upper edge rearward with respect to its lower edge.….The other, slave set of IGC up/down controls will be disabled temporarily and the controller 56 will control the associated lift actuator as needed to maintain the slope of the blade 42 in the state it was before the IGC mode was activated.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade, the controller being configured to acquire an operation signal indicating an operation of the operating device, control the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device, and control the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated of Maifield, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improved controls that allow the operator to execute certain operations without manipulating the control input (e.g., switch or joystick movement) for the duration of the operation cycle time (see at least Maifield, para. [0034]).
As per claim 16 Noborio does not explicitly disclose
further comprising: obtaining an operation signal indicating operation of an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade; controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device; and controlling the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated.
Maifield teaches
further comprising: obtaining an operation signal indicating operation of an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade; controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device; and controlling the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated (see at least Maifield, para. [0048-0051]: The ROC 54b, in the illustrated example, has a blade pitch control 70b and an auxiliary implement control 72b (e.g., for a scarifier attachment) located at a forward area of the grip 58b that are within the natural reach of the index and middle fingers, respectively, of the operator's right hand. The blade pitch control 70b and the implement control 72b may each be a proportional roller type switch with a paddle and that is spring-biased to return to center (i.e., a neutral input position). For example, when the operator moves the roller control of the blade pitch control 70b forward (away from the operator), the controller 56 may cause the blade actuator(s) to tilt an upper edge of blade 42forward with respect to its lower edge. Moving the roller control in the opposite direction (toward the operator) may cause the blade 42 to tilt the upper edge rearward with respect to its lower edge.….The other, slave set of IGC up/down controls will be disabled temporarily and the controller 56 will control the associated lift actuator as needed to maintain the slope of the blade 42 in the state it was before the IGC mode was activated.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Noborio to incorporate the teaching of further comprising: obtaining an operation signal indicating operation of an operating device for manually operating the pitch angle of the blade; controlling the pitch actuator to change the pitch angle of the blade according to the operation of the operating device; and controlling the pitch actuator to maintain the pitch angle of the blade when the operating device is not operated of Maifield, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improved controls that allow the operator to execute certain operations without manipulating the control input (e.g., switch or joystick movement) for the duration of the operation cycle time (see at least Maifield, para. [0034]).
Conclusion
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/MOHAMED ABDO ALGEHAIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3668