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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12-23-2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1, 9 11, and 19 have been amended.
No claims have been canceled.
No new claims have been introduced.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
The official correspondence below is a first action non-final on an RCE.
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.
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, 5, 7-9, 11-13, 15, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bich (US 20090107094 A1) in view of Foster (US 20150325065 A1) and Legault (US 20200245560 A1) in further view of Pickett (US 20030182260 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 1, Bich discloses, an agricultural vehicle (Bich: [FIG. 1]); a database (Bich: [0043] Referring also to FIGS. 7 and 8, as still another feature of the invention, controller 74 can be programmed to store one or more predetermined positions of header 22, cutter bar 30, and/or reel 34, and automatically move them to the predetermined position or positions, responsive to a designated operator input command or commands); and a control system comprising processing circuitry (Bich: [0036] System 56 includes a processor based programmable controller 74) configured to: receive an indication of a crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015] one selectable cutter bar and reel position combination ... and position the reel at a relatively high location in relation to the cutter bar, for instance, so as to have good utility for harvesting taller stands of crops, and another position combination can position the cutter bar more rearwardly and the reel lower, so as to have good utility for harvesting shorter stands of crops or crops down on the ground ... the controller can be programmed such that if the cutter bar is moved, either as a result of an inputted command; [0043-0044] Reel 34 is positioned at a rearward and low position within its fore and aft, and height ranges of movement, respectively. This relationship would be representative of those typically used for harvesting a lower stand of, for instance, crops such as soybeans, having a relatively short height E ... This relationship would be representative of those typically used for harvesting taller stands of crops such as soybeans ... if the operator inputs a command for fore and/or aft movement of cutter bar 30, controller 74 will automatically control actuator 58 and/or actuator 60 to make a corresponding following movement, for maintaining the reel/cutter bar relationship); determine at least one attribute of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]) and a default setting of a parameter of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0010] provide different preset reel and/or cutter bar positions for the various crop types; [0044] additional stored settings for the positions of actuators 58 and 60 can be recalled for positioning reel 34, and a stored setting for actuator 62 can be used for positioning cutter bar 30), at least one of the at least one attribute of the crop or the default setting of the parameter being stored in the database (Bich: [0010] provide different preset reel and/or cutter bar positions for the various crop types; [0043] this new set of positions can be stored, such that subsequently, upon inputting of a predetermined input command, the controller will move the cutter bar and reel to these positions); adjust the parameter of the agricultural vehicle to the default setting (Bich: [ABS] providing features including an automatic reel position control operable to provide at least one selectable predetermined cutter bar and reel position combination; [0010] a combine may be used for harvesting several varieties of crops, or a field to be harvested may contain both standing and downed crops, and, as a result, it would be desirable to have the capability to provide different preset reel and/or cutter bar positions for the various crop types and/or regions, and to be able to select them quickly and easily), the default setting based at least on the at least one attribute of the crop to be harvested (Bich: [ABS] for purposes such as for maintaining and/or optimizing the reel/cutter bar relationship for a particular crop and/or condition; [0010] a combine may be used for harvesting several varieties of crops, or a field to be harvested may contain both standing and downed crops, and, as a result, it would be desirable to have the capability to provide different preset reel and/or cutter bar positions for the various crop types and/or regions, and to be able to select them quickly and easily); operate the agricultural vehicle with the parameter at the default setting (Bich: [0015] the control system includes at least one controller programmed and operable to provide at least one selectable predetermined cutter bar and reel position combination, and which can also automatically control height and/or fore and aft positions of the reel responsive to cutter bar movements ... [0016] the controller being programmed so as to automatically output commands to the at least one reel position actuator for moving the reel so as to follow movements of the cutter bar when the signals outputted by the at least one cutter bar position sensor represent a movement of the cutter bar within a predetermined range); receive an input of a user to adjust the setting of the parameter (Bich: [0003]; [0043]; [0038] Controller 74 is configured and programmed to allow an operator to position cutter bar 30 through a range of fore and aft positions, using a designated one of inputs 76, 78 or 80); store the adjusted setting of the parameter as a secondary setting (Bich: [0003]; [0043]; [0038] responsive to an input command, to store values representative of the cutter bar position and the reel position; [0043-0044] controller 74 can be programmed to store one or more predetermined positions … responsive to a designated operator input command or commands); the secondary setting stored in association with both the crop to be harvested and the at least one attribute (Bich: [0003] The height of the cutter bar, and the position of the reel relative to the cutter bar, both height-wise and fore and aft, are typically variable. For example, for legumes such as soybeans, a lower cutter bar is typically desired so as to cut close to the ground, because some of the bean bearing pods are located there, and it is desirable to harvest as much of the crop as is practical. For other crops, particularly grasses such as wheat, oats, and barley, the cutter bar (and the header) is typically positioned higher, for instance, at a height typically several inches above the ground, because the grain bearing heads are at the top of the plant. And, if the straw is not to be baled, it is typically desirable to cut at an even higher height, to limit the amount of straw which is cut and inducted into the harvesting machine; [0043] programmed to store one or more predetermined positions of header 22, cutter bar 30, and/or reel 34, and automatically move them to the predetermined position or positions ... This relationship would be representative of those typically used for harvesting a lower stand of, for instance, crops such as soybeans, having a relatively short height E. To achieve this positioning, the stored settings for the positions of actuators 58 and 60 can be recalled for positioning reel 34, and a stored setting for actuator 62 can be used for positioning cutter bar 30 ... This feature is advantageous particularly when varying height and other crop stand conditions are encountered); and upon thereafter receiving a second indication of the crop to be harvested (Bich: [0015] one selectable cutter bar and reel position combination ... and position the reel at a relatively high location in relation to the cutter bar, for instance, so as to have good utility for harvesting taller stands of crops, and another position combination can position the cutter bar more rearwardly and the reel lower, so as to have good utility for harvesting shorter stands of crops or crops down on the ground ... the controller can be programmed such that if the cutter bar is moved, either as a result of an inputted command; [0043] Reel 34 is positioned at a rearward and low position within its fore and aft, and height ranges of movement, respectively. This relationship would be representative of those typically used for harvesting a lower stand of, for instance, crops such as soybeans, having a relatively short height E ... [0044] This relationship would be representative of those typically used for harvesting taller stands of crops such as soybeans ... if the operator inputs a command for fore and/or aft movement of cutter bar 30, controller 74 will automatically control actuator 58 and/or actuator 60 to make a corresponding following movement, for maintaining the reel/cutter bar relationship).
Bich discloses receiving a crop indication and displaying setting data ([0045] suitable interfaces, for sharing positional data of the actuators controlled thereby).
Bich does not explicitly disclose, display the default setting and the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting; and transmit a control signal to adjust operation of the agricultural vehicle in accordance with a selection of at least one of the default setting or the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Foster discloses, display the default setting and the secondary setting (Foster: [0032] the manual setting display 80 is also red. However, the current position indicator 82 may be grey to provide a contrasting indication of the current position (e.g., measured/actual state of operation) of the valve. In some embodiments, the numerical display 72 may be the same color as the current position indicator 82 to indicate to the operator that the numerical display 72 represents the current valve position (e.g., the operational state of the valve). In an alternative embodiment, the first gauge 60 may change colors to indicate that a change is being made based on the switch from the automatic mode 76 to the manual mode 78 ... [0033] The idle position indicator 83 enables the operator to compare the current state of operation to the idle position of the valve), and the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting; and transmit a control signal to adjust operation of the agricultural vehicle (Foster: [0032] the manual setting display 80 is also red ... the current position indicator 82 may be grey to provide a contrasting indication of the current position (e.g., measured/actual state of operation) of the valve ... the numerical display 72 may be the same color as the current position indicator 82 to indicate to the operator that the numerical display 72 represents the current valve position (e.g., the operational state of the valve). In an alternative embodiment, the first gauge 60 may change colors to indicate that a change is being made based on the switch from the automatic mode 76 to the manual mode 78 ... [0033] The idle position indicator 83 enables the operator to compare the current state of operation to the idle position of the valve) in accordance with a selection of at least one of the default setting or the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (Foster: [0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the user interface 48 in which the gauges 58 are displaying different operating modes. Turning to the first gauge 60, the operation of the Rear EHR 1 is switched from an automatic mode 76 (e.g., controller 42 controlled) to a manual mode 78 (e.g., operator controlled). As mentioned above, the automatic mode 76 may be the default operating mode), for the benefit of monitoring a current setting on the numerical display and compare it to the desired setting.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by Bich to include displaying default and not default settings taught by Foster. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to monitor a current setting on the numerical display and compare it to the desired setting.
Bich, as modified, discloses displaying two operating modes. Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, displaying the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (in considering the disclosure of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only specific teachings of the reference but also the inferences which one skilled in the art would reasonably be expected to draw therefrom (mpep 2144.01). Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation … a change in form, proportions, or degree “will not sustain a patent” … It is a settled principle of law that a mere carrying forward of an original patented conception involving only change of form, proportions, or degree, or the substitution of equivalents doing the same thing as the original invention, by substantially the same means, is not such an invention as will sustain a patent, even though the changes of the kind may produce better results than prior inventions (mpep 2144.05.II.A)).
However, in the same field of endeavor, Legault discloses, displaying the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (Legault: [0031] Such programming allows master controller 58 to provide various menus on display 54 of user interface 52 to permit the operator to initially set or reset various parameters of the operation of mower 2 that may have different values according to the operator's preferences or the conditions faced by mower 2 at a particular time. The operator can then use the navigation/data entry buttons 56 on user interface 52 to scroll through the screens of a particular menu to select or input a desired value for the parameter to which that menu is directed. Some of the parameters which can be set or reset), for the benefit of operating at a preferred ground speed setting based on preference.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display disclosed by a modified Bich to include displaying user settings taught by Legault. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to operating at a preferred ground speed setting based on preference.
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, at least one attribute includes at least a moisture content of the crop to be harvested.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Pickett discloses, at least one attribute includes at least a moisture content of the crop to be harvested (Pickett: [0105] The growing information may include at least one of chemical data, fertilizer data nutrient data, pesticide data, herbicide data, fungicide data, irrigation data, water data, temperature data, sunlight data; and rate of application of at least one of a chemical, fertilizer, nutrient, pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, water, or another crop input; and rate of application versus location of application of at least one of a chemical, fertilizer, nutrient, pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, water, or another crop input. [0106] The harvesting information about further characteristics of the crop may include at least one of the date harvested, the harvesting location, the yield of the harvested crop, the moisture content of the harvested crop, the physical condition of the harvested crop, and settings of a harvesting machine used to harvest the crop. The harvesting location where harvested is electronically recorded or stored during, substantially contemporaneously with or after the harvesting. The harvesting information is collected or stored prior to, during, substantially contemporaneously with, or after harvesting; [0147] a moisture sensor, a capacitive moisture sensor; [0163] a crop-moisture sensor 140), for the benefit of providing a data profile associated with a particular crop for a defined geographic area.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include moisture data taught by Pickett. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a data profile associated with a particular crop for a defined geographic area.
REGARDING CLAIM 2, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Foster also discloses, the agricultural vehicle is one of a self-propelled windrower or towed mower-conditioner (Foster: [0018] The agricultural implement 10 is towed behind the work vehicle 12 across the ground 22, as shown in FIG. 1 ... the agricultural implement 10 may be a self-contained self-propelled machine).
REGARDING CLAIM 3, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich also discloses, receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle comprises receiving a user input from a display of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]; [0036] and inputs 76, 78 and 80 via conductive paths 84, which can comprise, for instance, wires of a wiring harness, or a wireless interface).
REGARDING CLAIM 5, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich also discloses, the database is hosted by the processing circuitry, the processing circuitry hosted locally on the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0043] Referring also to FIGS. 7 and 8, as still another feature of the invention, controller 74 can be programmed to store one or more predetermined positions of header 22, cutter bar 30, and/or reel 34, and automatically move them to the predetermined position or positions, responsive to a designated operator input command or commands).
REGARDING CLAIM 7, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich also discloses, the at least one attribute of the crop further includes one of a type of the crop, a height (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]), an age, a diameter of a stalk, an angle of the crop, a color, spacing, movement, root depth, species, germination period, growth stage, structural integrity, calculated harvest loss, planted date, soil fertilizer content, and temperature.
REGARDING CLAIM 8, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich also discloses, the parameter of the agricultural vehicle includes one of header height, a header tilt angle, a header roll angle, an auger speed, a roller speed, a knife speed, a disc speed, a roll gap, a roll tension, a vehicle speed, and a reel speed (Bich: [0030] this upward movement is sensed to provide information to one or more systems of the combine, such as an automatic header height control, a feeder height and/or angle control, a header tilt control, and/or other control, which may result in some action by the control or controls, which in the instance of a header height control, can include automatically raising the header, as is well-known. Apparatus for sensing upward movements of a cutter bar are well-known in the art).
REGARDING CLAIM 9, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich also discloses, the control signal is transmitted to at least one actuator of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0016] the controller being programmed so as to automatically output commands to the at least one header position actuator for moving the header upwardly or downwardly).
REGARDING CLAIM 11, Bich discloses, receiving, by a processing circuitry, an indication of a crop to be harvested by an agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]); determining, by the processing circuitry, at least one attribute of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]) and a default setting of a parameter of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0010]; [0044]), at least one of the at least one attribute of the crop or the default setting of the parameter being stored in a database (Bich: [0010]; [0043]); adjusting, by the processing circuitry, the parameter of the agricultural vehicle to the default setting (Bich: [ABS]; [0010]), the default setting based at least on the at least one attribute of the crop to be harvested (Bich: [ABS]; [0010]); operating, by the processing circuitry, the agricultural vehicle with the parameter at the default setting (Bich: [0015-0016]); receiving, by the processing circuitry, an input of a user to adjust the setting of the parameter (Bich: [0038]); storing, by the processing circuitry within a storage database, the adjusted setting of the parameter as a secondary setting (Bich: [0038]; [0043-0044]) the secondary setting stored in association with both the crop to be harvested and the at least one attribute (Bich: [0003]; [0043]); and upon thereafter receiving, by the processing circuitry, a second indication of the crop to be harvested (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]).
Bich discloses receiving a crop indication and displaying setting data ([0045] suitable interfaces, for sharing positional data of the actuators controlled thereby).
Bich does not explicitly disclose, display the default setting and the secondary setting.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Foster discloses, display the default setting and the secondary setting (Foster: [0032] the manual setting display 80 is also red. However, the current position indicator 82 may be grey to provide a contrasting indication of the current position (e.g., measured/actual state of operation) of the valve. In some embodiments, the numerical display 72 may be the same color as the current position indicator 82 to indicate to the operator that the numerical display 72 represents the current valve position (e.g., the operational state of the valve). In an alternative embodiment, the first gauge 60 may change colors to indicate that a change is being made based on the switch from the automatic mode 76 to the manual mode 78 ... [0033] The idle position indicator 83 enables the operator to compare the current state of operation to the idle position of the valve), and the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting; and transmit a control signal to adjust operation of the agricultural vehicle (Foster: [0032] the manual setting display 80 is also red ... the current position indicator 82 may be grey to provide a contrasting indication of the current position (e.g., measured/actual state of operation) of the valve ... the numerical display 72 may be the same color as the current position indicator 82 to indicate to the operator that the numerical display 72 represents the current valve position (e.g., the operational state of the valve). In an alternative embodiment, the first gauge 60 may change colors to indicate that a change is being made based on the switch from the automatic mode 76 to the manual mode 78 ... [0033] The idle position indicator 83 enables the operator to compare the current state of operation to the idle position of the valve) in accordance with a selection of at least one of the default setting or the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (Foster: [0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the user interface 48 in which the gauges 58 are displaying different operating modes. Turning to the first gauge 60, the operation of the Rear EHR 1 is switched from an automatic mode 76 (e.g., controller 42 controlled) to a manual mode 78 (e.g., operator controlled). As mentioned above, the automatic mode 76 may be the default operating mode), for the benefit of monitoring a current setting on the numerical display and compare it to the desired setting.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by Bich to include displaying default and not default settings taught by Foster. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to monitor a current setting on the numerical display and compare it to the desired setting.
Bich, as modified, discloses displaying two operating modes. Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, displaying the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (in considering the disclosure of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only specific teachings of the reference but also the inferences which one skilled in the art would reasonably be expected to draw therefrom (mpep 2144.01). Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation … a change in form, proportions, or degree “will not sustain a patent” … It is a settled principle of law that a mere carrying forward of an original patented conception involving only change of form, proportions, or degree, or the substitution of equivalents doing the same thing as the original invention, by substantially the same means, is not such an invention as will sustain a patent, even though the changes of the kind may produce better results than prior inventions (mpep 2144.05.II.A)).
However, in the same field of endeavor, Legault discloses, displaying the adjusted setting stored within the storage database as the secondary setting (Legault: [0031] Such programming allows master controller 58 to provide various menus on display 54 of user interface 52 to permit the operator to initially set or reset various parameters of the operation of mower 2 that may have different values according to the operator's preferences or the conditions faced by mower 2 at a particular time. The operator can then use the navigation/data entry buttons 56 on user interface 52 to scroll through the screens of a particular menu to select or input a desired value for the parameter to which that menu is directed. Some of the parameters which can be set or reset), for the benefit of operating at a preferred ground speed setting based on preference.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the display disclosed by a modified Bich to include displaying user settings taught by Legault. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to operating at a preferred ground speed setting based on preference.
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, at least one attribute includes at least a moisture content of the crop to be harvested.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Pickett discloses, at least one attribute includes at least a moisture content of the crop to be harvested (Pickett: [0105] The growing information may include at least one of chemical data, fertilizer data nutrient data, pesticide data, herbicide data, fungicide data, irrigation data, water data, temperature data, sunlight data; and rate of application of at least one of a chemical, fertilizer, nutrient, pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, water, or another crop input; and rate of application versus location of application of at least one of a chemical, fertilizer, nutrient, pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, water, or another crop input. [0106] The harvesting information about further characteristics of the crop may include at least one of the date harvested, the harvesting location, the yield of the harvested crop, the moisture content of the harvested crop, the physical condition of the harvested crop, and settings of a harvesting machine used to harvest the crop. The harvesting location where harvested is electronically recorded or stored during, substantially contemporaneously with or after the harvesting. The harvesting information is collected or stored prior to, during, substantially contemporaneously with, or after harvesting; [0147] a moisture sensor, a capacitive moisture sensor; [0163] a crop-moisture sensor 140), for the benefit of providing a data profile associated with a particular crop for a defined geographic area.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include moisture data taught by Pickett. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a data profile associated with a particular crop for a defined geographic area.
REGARDING CLAIM 12, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Foster also discloses, the agricultural vehicle is one of a self- propelled windrower or towed mower-conditioner (Foster: [0018]).
REGARDING CLAIM 13, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich also discloses, receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle comprises receiving, by the processing circuitry, a user input from a display of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]; [0036]).
REGARDING CLAIM 15, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich also discloses, the database is hosted by the processing circuitry, the processing circuitry hosted locally on the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0043]).
REGARDING CLAIM 17, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich also discloses, the at least one attribute of the crop further includes one of a type of the crop, a height (Bich: [0015]; [0043-0044]), an age, a diameter of a stalk, an angle of the crop, a color, spacing, movement, root depth, species, germination period, growth stage, structural integrity, calculated harvest loss, planted date, soil fertilizer content, and temperature.
REGARDING CLAIM 18, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich also discloses, the parameter of the agricultural vehicle includes one of header height, a header tilt angle, a header roll angle, an auger speed, a roller speed, a knife speed, a disc speed, a roll gap, a roll tension, a vehicle speed, and a reel speed (Bich: [0030]).
REGARDING CLAIM 19, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich also discloses, the control signal is transmitted to at least one actuator of the agricultural vehicle (Bich: [0016]).
Claim(s) 4, 6, 14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bich (US 20090107094 A1) in view of Foster (US 20150325065 A1) in further view of Legault (US 20200245560 A1) and Pickett (US 20030182260 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of Steen (US 20240349644 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 4, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle includes receiving, by the processing circuitry, an image data from a sensor, analyzing the image data, and determining the crop based at least on the image data.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, the receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle includes receiving, by the processing circuitry, an image data from a sensor, analyzing the image data, and determining the crop based at least on the image data (Steen: [0027] the respective crop type to be harvested can be manually input to the evaluation electronics before the start of harvesting, or the evaluation electronics run through an operating loop of the automated crop type recognition, in which they first recognize the respective crop type by means of the image evaluation, and then the programming required for the respective crop-type-specific image evaluation is activated), for the benefit of automatically activating programming according to crop type.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include automated crop type recognition taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically activating programming according to crop type.
REGARDING CLAIM 6, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the database is hosted by a server, the server remote to the agricultural vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, the database is hosted by a server, the server remote to the agricultural vehicle (Steen: [0041] the interface can also be an interface to the cloud. The cloud is a computer network that provides shared computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort, if required-usually via the Internet and in a manner independent of the device. Usage access to application programs or function inputs can be provided via the cloud. Programming or runtime environments with flexible, dynamically adaptable computing and data capacities are also possible; [0043] The accessible image data sets can also be stored remotely in the cloud. Especially in the case of self-learning artificial intelligence systems, the recognition quality and reliability of the algorithms can be continuously improved by the algorithms integrating the information obtained from the various image data sets for the identification of lost grains in a running image evaluation and storing it for subsequent evaluation of new image data sets), for the benefit of continuously improving recognition quality and reliability.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include cloud computing/backend server taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to continuously improving recognition quality and reliability.
REGARDING CLAIM 14, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle comprises: receiving, by the processing circuitry, an image data from a sensor; analyzing, by the processing circuitry, the image data; and determining, by the processing circuitry, the crop based at least on the image data.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, the receiving the indication of the crop to be harvested by the agricultural vehicle comprises: receiving, by the processing circuitry, an image data from a sensor; analyzing, by the processing circuitry, the image data; and determining, by the processing circuitry, the crop based at least on the image data (Steen: [0027]), for the benefit of automatically activating programming according to crop type.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include automated crop type recognition taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically activating programming according to crop type.
REGARDING CLAIM 16, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the database is hosted by a server, the server remote to the agricultural vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, the database is hosted by a server, the server remote to the agricultural vehicle (Steen: [0041]; [0043]), for the benefit of continuously improving recognition quality and reliability.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include cloud computing/backend server taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to continuously improving recognition quality and reliability.
Claim(s) 10 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bich (US 20090107094 A1) in view of Foster (US 20150325065 A1) in further view of Legault (US 20200245560 A1) and Pickett (US 20030182260 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of Steen (US 20240349644 A1) and Ferrari (US 20170200393 A1).
REGARDING CLAIM 10, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 1, and further, Bich, as modified, discloses storing a default setting and a user setting (Bich: [0038]; [0043-0044]).
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, a plurality of agricultural vehicles have access to the default setting and the secondary setting.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, a plurality of agricultural vehicles have access to the default setting and the secondary setting (Steen: [0041] the interface can also be an interface to the cloud. The cloud is a computer network that provides shared computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort, if required-usually via the Internet and in a manner independent of the device. Usage access to application programs or function inputs can be provided via the cloud. Programming or runtime environments with flexible, dynamically adaptable computing and data capacities are also possible), for the benefit of shared computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort in a manner independent of the device.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include shared computer resources as a service in the form of servers, data memories, application programs, or function inputs taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to share computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort in a manner independent of the device.
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the agricultural vehicle is one of a plurality of agricultural vehicles in a fleet.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ferrari discloses, the agricultural vehicle is one of a plurality of agricultural vehicles in a fleet (Ferrari: [0006] The handheld wireless electronic device may be in communication with a database server, which may access compatibility and/or configuration data concerning the agricultural tractor and implement combination; [0035] Specific or further detailed information regarding the agricultural tractor 12 or the agricultural implement 14 may be specifically pushed to the operator by a farm or fleet manager through the database server wireless connection 42 or by other wireless connections through the handheld wireless electronic device 30; see [0038-0039] for environment specific data), for the benefit of automatically identifying and obtaining configuration and user preference information for the agricultural tractor and/or agricultural implement used to enforce functional safety via a farm or fleet manager.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Birch to include a fleet manager taught by Ferrari. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically identifying and obtaining configuration and user preference information for the agricultural tractor and/or agricultural implement used to enforce functional safety via a farm or fleet manager.
REGARDING CLAIM 20, Bich, as modified, remains as applied above to claim 11, and further, Bich, as modified, discloses storing a default setting and a user setting (Bich: [0038]; [0043-0044]).
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, a plurality of agricultural vehicles have access to the default setting and the secondary setting.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Steen discloses, a plurality of agricultural vehicles have access to the default setting and the secondary setting (Steen: [0041]), for the benefit of shared computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort in a manner independent of the device.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Bich to include shared computer resources as a service in the form of servers, data memories, application programs, or function inputs taught by Steen. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to share computer resources as a service, for example, in the form of servers, data memories, or applications, in a timely manner and with little effort in a manner independent of the device.
Bich, as modified, does not explicitly disclose, the agricultural vehicle is one of a plurality of agricultural vehicles in a fleet.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ferrari discloses, the agricultural vehicle is one of a plurality of agricultural vehicles in a fleet (Ferrari: [0006]; [0035]; see [0038-0039] for environment specific data), for the benefit of automatically identifying and obtaining configuration and user preference information for the agricultural tractor and/or agricultural implement used to enforce functional safety via a farm or fleet manager.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the control system disclosed by a modified Birch to include a fleet manager taught by Ferrari. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to automatically identifying and obtaining configuration and user preference information for the agricultural tractor and/or agricultural implement used to enforce functional safety via a farm or fleet manager.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, beginning on page 8, received 12-23-2025, with respect to the rejection of claim(s) 1 and 11 under 35 USC §103, obviousness, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the reference combination applied in the prior rejection of record for matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Vandike (US 20220113734 A1)
Borry (US 20180014462 A1)
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/A.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ANGELA Y ORTIZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663
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