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 .
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.
Response to Amendment
This non-final office action is in response to After Final Amendment filed 11/12/2025.
Claim 1 is amended.
Claims 2-12, 15, and 16 are previously presented.
Claims 13, 14, and 17-20 are cancelled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-8, 12, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11205337 B1 Derscheid; Daniel E. et al. (hereinafter Derscheid), in view of WO 2023114212 A1 BEINBORN AARON WILLIAM et al. (hereinafter Beinborn), further in view of US 20230192335 A1 HOFFMAN; Thomas Joseph et al. (hereinafter Hoffman).
Regarding claim 1, Derscheid discloses: A method for identifying thermal conditions of components of a baler assembly (see Derscheid at least [col. 2, lines 25-24] The method includes: identifying at least one location in the one or more balers, wherein the at least one identified location generates heat during an operation of a component of the crop feed system or the bale chamber; placing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag at the at least one identified location, wherein the RFID tag includes a temperature sensing feature; receiving transmitted data from the RFID tag; identifying, from the received data, a temperature value of the at least one identified location; and providing an indictor based on the identified temperature value), comprising:
obtaining thermal data of at least one internal component within an internal compartment of the baler assembly from a thermal sensor coupled to the baler assembly within the internal compartment (see Derscheid at least [col. 2, lines 25-31] The method includes: identifying at least one location in the one or more balers, wherein the at least one identified location generates heat during an operation of a component of the crop feed system or the bale chamber; placing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag at the at least one identified location, wherein the RFID tag includes a temperature sensing feature and [col. 2, lines 56-60] Each of the one or more RFID tags is located on, at, or near a component of one the crop feed system, or the bale chamber);
evaluating the thermal data with an evaluation system executed on one or more processor to determine thermal properties of the internal compartment (see Derscheid at least [col. 9, lines 19-22] By locating, the sensor at locations of potential undesirable temperature change, the controller 104, under many conditions, makes a determination of changes in sensed temperature and [col. 2, lines 47-51] the processor is configured to execute the stored program instructions to: receive temperature information from the receiver; identify a fault condition of one or more of the plurality of components based on the received temperature information); and
providing a feedback when the thermal properties are outside of a thermal threshold (see Derscheid at least [col. 9, lines 26-31] the sensed temperature is compared to a threshold temperature that is stored in memory. Because different parts, component, devices, and systems generate different values of temperature, a table of threshold temperature threshold located in a stored lookup table are used to provide an alert);
wherein the feedback comprises stopping a baling procedure when a (see Derscheid at least [abstract] A controller receives the temperatures from the receiver/transmitter and compares the received temperatures to a threshold to determine whether a fault condition exists. If so, the controller transmits an alert signal to a user interface to indicate that a fault condition exists with an identified component, part, device, or system).
Derscheid does not teach: obtaining thermal data from a thermal sensor positioned remotely from the at least one internal component; the thermal sensor is configured to detect the presence of a bale in the internal compartment; wherein the feedback comprises… when a bale temperature data is outside of a bale temperature threshold.
However, Beinborn teaches: obtaining thermal data from a thermal sensor positioned remotely from the at least one internal component (see Beinborn at least [0070] the powertrain performance circuit 408 via the powertrain infrared camera 204 may detect thermal management malfunction by considering the temperature distribution between the input and output of the thermal management system components and [0078] the engine circuit 410 is structured to apply mitigating measures in response to the powertrain performance circuit 408 using the thermal imaging (e.g., the powertrain infrared camera 204) to detect adverse conditions in one or more components (e.g., fuel cell, battery, etc.)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the baler internal component thermal condition identification method disclosed by Derscheid to include the incorporation of a thermal sensor which can capture thermal data of components despite not being located immediately at the component of Beinborn. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because thermal sensors such as infrared cameras can capture thermal data of multiple parts on vehicle interior compartment components within their sensing range, allowing for temperature comparison between multiple components, as suggested by Beinborn (see Beinborn at least [0070] the infrared camera 204 may take an image indicating the presence of heat at an inlet of a conduit and an image indicating the presence of heat at an outlet of the conduit. The images are then analyzed by the controller 140 (e.g., the controller 140 compares the images to determine whether the change of temperature between the inlet and the outlet is below a predetermined threshold) and the controller 140 determines a malfunction via the infrared camera 204 if the change is below the predetermined threshold).
Derscheid and Beinborn do not teach: wherein the thermal sensor is configured to detect the presence of a bale in the internal compartment; wherein the feedback comprises… when a bale temperature data is outside of a bale temperature threshold.
However, Hoffman teaches: wherein the thermal sensor is configured to detect the presence of a bale in the internal compartment (see Hoffman at least [0053] sensor(s) 906 may be applied beneath the film layer 130 such that parameters that can be used to determine bale quality such as temperature, moisture, humidity and further constituents such as fat, protein, sugar, fiber content, etc. of the bale 102 are measured by the sensor(s) 906);
wherein the feedback comprises… when a bale temperature data is outside of a bale temperature threshold (see Hoffman at least [0055] when the temperature of the bale 102 exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature value the processor of the sensor(s) 906 are programmed to transmit instructions to the processor of the vent cap 902 to open the vent holes 904 of the vent cap 902).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the work vehicle temperature evaluation method disclosed by Derscheid and Beinborn to include the determination to alter the circumstances surrounding the bale in order to halt the increasing of a bale temperature when the bale temperature exceeds a threshold of Hoffman. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because desired conditions for the formed bales can be maintained when temperature is monitored and system parameters are adjusted as necessary in response, as suggested by Hoffman (see Hoffman at least [0057] The transmission element can send information on parameters such as internal temperature and humidity of the bale 102 to a further device such as a smart phone for viewing or alerts. These parameters can then be assessed by the user to monitor for an undesired change in storage conditions).
Regarding claim 2, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor comprises one or more of a thermal camera, an infrared sensor, a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, or a semiconductor temperature sensor (see Beinborn at least [0032] The powertrain infrared camera 204 may be configured as an infrared or thermographic camera that utilizes infrared radiation (IR) to acquire information regarding a thermal distribution of an object of the camera 204 (i.e., areas of elevated temperature relative to areas of relatively less elevated temperatures)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the baler internal component thermal condition identification method disclosed by Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman to include the infrared camera of Beinborn. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because infrared cameras can monitor temperatures of various components within a vehicle and then share the temperature information with a controller in order to identify vehicle issues, as suggested by Beinborn (see Beinborn at least [0032] the powertrain infrared camera 204 may take images indicative of an object’s temperature during operation of the object (e.g., crankshaft, etc.). The camera 204 may be used to aid diagnostics and prognostics performed by the controller).
Regarding claim 3, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor comprises a thermal camera (see Beinborn at least [0032] The powertrain infrared camera 204 may be configured as an infrared or thermographic camera that utilizes infrared radiation (IR) to acquire information regarding a thermal distribution of an object of the camera 204 (i.e., areas of elevated temperature relative to areas of relatively less elevated temperatures)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the baler internal component thermal condition identification method disclosed by Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman to include the infrared camera of Beinborn. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because infrared cameras can monitor temperatures of various components within a vehicle and then share the temperature information with a controller in order to identify vehicle issues, as suggested by Beinborn (see Beinborn at least [0032] the powertrain infrared camera 204 may take images indicative of an object’s temperature during operation of the object (e.g., crankshaft, etc.). The camera 204 may be used to aid diagnostics and prognostics performed by the controller).
Regarding claim 4, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, further wherein the thermal data comprises data from a second thermal sensor spaced from the thermal sensor within the internal compartment (see Derscheid at least [col. 6, lines 52-54] one or more temperature sensing radio frequency identification (RFID) tags 102 that identify heat generated by a component);
wherein the second thermal sensor is spaced from the thermal sensor on an opposite side of the internal compartment and configured to provide thermal data for at least one internal component of the baler assembly on the opposite side of a bale when a bale is being formed therein (see Derscheid at least [col. 9, lines 43-46] In addition, one or more of the bale rollers 66 each have an associated RFID sensor 140 to identify the temperature of the roller and/or a support mechanism, such as an associated bearing supporting the roller and Fig. 3, Fig. 3 shows rollers 66 situated at opposite ends of the bale inside the baling chamber, each roller 66 having a respective RFID temperature sensor).
Regarding claim 5, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the thermal data in a database as historical thermal data and identifying a thermal trend in the historical thermal data and generating a second feedback based on the thermal trend (see Derscheid at least [col. 12, lines 2-5] the machine health data not only is used real time to alert the operator at the point of use, but is stored, in some embodiments, for historical reasons and shared to the cloud for remote fleet management and [col. 9, lines 22-28] the controller 104 determines a change in sensed temperature from a non-operating temperature to an operating temperature. If the change is too great, then an alert is generated at the component alert 126. In other embodiments, the sensed temperature is compared to a threshold temperature that is stored in memory).
Regarding claim 7, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback comprises an audio, visual, or sensory output (see Derscheid at least [col. 8, lines 13-15] The alert device 126 includes, but is not limited to, a visual alert, a sound alert, or a transmitted alert to a remote receiver).
Regarding claim 8, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 7, further comprising providing the feedback through a user interface in a cab of a work machine (see Derscheid at least [col. 7, lines 61-65] An operator user interface 120 is operatively connected to the controller 104 and is located in the cab 26 to display machine information to an operator, located in the cab 26, as well as to enable the operator to control operations of the tractor 10, the baler 20, or other work machines).
Regarding claim 12, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal data comprises one or more of thermal properties for a roller and thermal properties for a bale (see Derscheid at least [col. 9, lines 43-46] In addition, one or more of the bale rollers 66 each have an associated RFID sensor 140 to identify the temperature of the roller and/or a support mechanism).
Regarding claim 16, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal data comprises temperature values (see Derscheid at least [col. 2, lines 31-33] receiving transmitted data from the RFID tag; identifying, from the received data, a temperature value of the at least one identified location).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Derscheid, in view of Beinborn, further in view of Hoffman, and further in view of WO 2020023269 A1 ZEMENCHIK ROBERT A (hereinafter Zemenchik).
Regarding claim 6, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 5.
Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman do not teach: wherein the second feedback comprises a maintenance suggestion when the thermal trend is within a trend threshold.
Zemenchik teaches: wherein the second feedback comprises a maintenance suggestion when the thermal trend is within a trend threshold (see Zemenchik at least [0087] In certain embodiments, the remote device/base station controller 156 may recommend a maintenance action in response to determining that the temperature of the target object is above a threshold temperature. For example, if the temperature of the target object is above a first threshold temperature, the controller 156 may recommend a maintenance action, and if the temperature of the target object is above a second threshold temperature, higher than the first threshold temperature, the controller 156 may instruct the user interface 158 to present a notification and/or determine an estimated cost associated with repairing or replacing the target object. The maintenance operator may include applying grease, making an adjustment, another suitable action, or a combination thereof. After the maintenance operation is performed, the controller 156 may determine whether the operation was successful (e.g., during subsequent field operations). If the maintenance operation is not successful (e.g., the temperature of the target object increases, remains the same, or does not decrease below the first threshold temperature), the controller 156 may recommend performing a stationary inspection of the target object (e.g., using the LIDAR system of the UAV, as described above with reference to FIG. 1)).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the work vehicle temperature evaluation method of Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman by recommending maintenance procedures based on temperature trends as taught by Zemenchik, in order to identify parts which may need servicing (i.e., monitoring temperatures of components in agricultural vehicles helps identify which components need repair or further analysis -- see Zemenchik at least [0086] If the maximum temperature or the average temperature of the target object is above the threshold reference temperature, the target object may not be working efficiently).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Derscheid, in view of Beinborn, further in view of Hoffman, and further in view of WO 2015108757 A1 PLATZ CHERYL N et al. (hereinafter Platz).
Regarding claim 9, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1.
Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman do not teach: further comprising providing the feedback when the baler assembly is transitioned to a parked configuration.
Platz teaches: further comprising providing the feedback when the baler assembly is transitioned to a parked configuration (see Platz at least [0053] for youth-oriented vehicles, when the vehicle is shifted into park, this may be used as a factor in determining that a point appropriate for notification point is occurring and Fig. 6 Fig. 6 shows a screen indicating that the vehicle is parked, and feedback regarding driving behavior).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the -----baler assembly of Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman by providing notifications after the vehicle is parked as taught by Platz, in order to avoid unnecessarily distracting the driver (i.e., saving notifications until the vehicle is parked ensures that the operator of the vehicle has concluded their driving responsibilities and can safely attend to the feedback -- see Platz at least [0041] In an implementation, while a vehicle is stopped, the vehicle being stopped may not by itself be sufficient to justify displaying a non-critical notification).
Claim(s) 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Derscheid, in view of Beinborn, further in view of Hoffman, and further in view of US 9930834 B2 Chaney; Nathan A. et al. (hereinafter Chaney).
Regarding claim 10, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1
Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman do not teach: further comprising evaluating position data provided by a positioning sensor and providing position recommendations with the feedback.
However, Chaney teaches: further comprising evaluating position data provided by a positioning sensor and providing position recommendations with the feedback (see Chaney at least [col. 12, lines 6-13] At block 456, the method determines a different position, that is spaced apart from the current position, on which to deposit the bale. In one example, block 456 accesses terrain slope data for the terrain near the baler and selects an optimal or near optimal location for depositing the bale. For example, the selected position can comprise a location that has an inclination angle below a threshold and is the closest to the current position of the baler).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the -----baler assembly of Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman by considering the current location of the baler and nearby environmental constraints as taught by Chaney, in order to recommend bale placements that work best for the environment and are easy to collect later (i.e., considering the slope angles of the areas near the baler’s current position lets the system decide where is best to deposit bales -- see Chaney at least [col. 4, lines 45-51] block 144 operates to discourage or prevent bales from being placed on terrain having a slope that is likely to result in cylindrical bales rolling down the slope and/or difficulty in subsequent pickup of the bales (i.e., even in the case of square or rectangular bales it may be difficult for bale pickup equipment to traverse terrain with a large inclination angle)).
Regarding claim 11, Derscheid, Beinborn, Hoffman, and Chaney disclose: The method of claim 10, further comprising considering prior bale locations before providing position recommendations (see Chaney at least [col. 12, lines 13-20] block 456 considers the paths where the material is yet to be baled. This is represented by block 460. For example, using information obtained during the raking operation, block 456 can determine that the baler is yet to pass over a windrow that is located on one side of the baler. As such, block 456 selects a location on the field that has already been baled).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the -----baler assembly of Derscheid, Beinborn, Hoffman, and Chaney by considering whether or not areas have been baled yet as taught by Chaney, in order to recommend bale placements that support future baling operations (i.e., considering where bales have been dropped and where bales have not yet been created allows the placement of bales to processing of future material without delay -- see Chaney at least [col. 12, line 20] so the bale is not dropped on unbaled material).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Derscheid, in view of Beinborn, further in view of Hoffman, and further in view of WO 2023055753 A1 SEGELMARK LUKAS et al. (hereinafter Segelmark).
Regarding claim 15, Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal data comprises an image (see Beinborn at least [0064] thermal image data from one or more infrared cameras 204 may then identify/determine an approximate heat or temperature value in various regions).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the baler internal component thermal condition identification method disclosed by Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman to include the thermal images of Beinborn. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because thermal images collected by infrared cameras can monitor temperatures of various components within a vehicle and then share the temperature information with a controller in order to identify vehicle issues, as suggested by Beinborn (see Beinborn at least [0032] the powertrain infrared camera 204 may take images indicative of an object’s temperature during operation of the object (e.g., crankshaft, etc.). The camera 204 may be used to aid diagnostics and prognostics performed by the controller).
Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman do not teach: and the thermal threshold corresponds with colors in the image.
Segelmark teaches: the thermal threshold corresponds with colors in the image (see Segelmark at least [0019] to alert the user in equipment inspection applications, a sound may be emitted when any portion of a scene (e.g., an object detected in the scene) exhibits a potential fault (e.g., temperature above a safety threshold, shape determined to be that of a broken wire) and/or an appropriate palette(s) (e.g., palette having vibrant colors at higher temperatures) may be applied to image data at and around the potential fault and/or areas away from the potential fault. In one example case, one or more color palettes may be used for problem areas and one or more grayscale palettes may be used everywhere else).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the -----baler assembly of Derscheid, Beinborn, and Hoffman by representing the thermal data with a colored image as taught by Segelmark, in order to identify and respond to potential fault areas (i.e., the colorful representation of temperature data helps assess the severity of system faults -- see Segelmark at least [0087] the trained machine learning model(s) may determine a palette(s) (e.g., color palettes, greyscale palettes) to appropriately represent scene content, a fault severity assessment(s) based on any detected faults, and a recommended action(s) based on any fault severity assessments).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/12/2025 have been fully considered.
Applicant's amendments overcome the 35 U.S.C. §101 rejection for claims 1-12, 15, and 16 by amending the independent claim 1 to incorporate the patent-eligible subject matter of previously presented dependent claim 14.
Applicant’s arguments (remarks pg. 2) with respect to the 35 U.S.C. §112(a) rejection for claims 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive, in light of the interview between Applicant and Examiner on 11/13/2025. The 35 U.S.C. §112(a) rejection of claims 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Regarding the arguments provided for the 35 U.S.C. §103 rejections of claims 1-12, 15, and 16 (remarks pages 6-9), the applicant's arguments have been considered but are moot because of new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WO 2020064993 A1
US 20120210888 A1
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/ELLE ROSE KNUDSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
11/19/25
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