DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-18 and 20 of application 18/471,701, filed on 21-September-2023, are presented for examination. The following communication is in response to the RCE filed on 10-February-2026, and the amendment received on 29-January-2026. Claim 19 is canceled. The IDSs received on 11-March-2026 and 17-March-2026 have been considered. Further, the specific arguments as presented in applicant’s 29-January-2026 response, on pages 9-12, are considered persuasive, and therefore the previously applied rejections have been withdrawn. New rejections are provided in response to applicant’s arguments, which are determined to render these arguments moot.
The present application, filed on or after 16-March-2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1)
2.1 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. § 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
2.2.1 Claims 1-3, 5-8 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Green et al, USP Publication 2018/0037424.
2.2.2 Green discloses:
Claim 1: A material loading system [¶0019], comprising:
a material conveyance subsystem configured to convey material from a hopper on a leading vehicle to a receiving vehicle [0020 (seed is illustratively conveyed from semi hopper
bottom 104 to a tank 108 on air seeder 102 using conveyance system 106.); 0021];
a stop condition processing system configured to automatically detect an unloaded condition of the hopper on the leading vehicle [0047 (First and second vehicle container level detectors 238 and 240 illustratively provide a signal indicative of a level of material in the tanks of the two vehicles, respectively.); 0064; 0066 (For instance, vehicle closure mechanism controller 230 can generate a control signal to close the container ( e.g., door 120) on the tender vehicle 104 to stop material from entering the hopper of conveyance system 106. This is indicated by block 332. In one example, this signal is generated such that the conveyor can be run until it is empty)];
and a control signal generator configured to automatically generate a control signal to stop the material conveyance subsystem from conveying the material from the hopper to the receiving vehicle based on the unloaded condition of the hopper [0046 (On/off controller 232 illustratively provides a control signal to on/off actuators 154 on conveyance mechanism 106 in order to turn on and off the conveyance mechanism 114.); 0120 (the equipment control system generates the load quantity control signal to include a conveyor start/stop signal to control starting and stopping of the conveyor.); 0131 (generating a loading quantity control signal to control a quantity of the material loaded from the first vehicle into the second vehicle with the conveyor based on the quantity signal.)].
Claim 2: wherein the stop condition processing system is configured to generate a stop signal based on the unloading condition, and the control signal generator is configured to generate the control signal to stop the material conveyance subsystem from conveying the material from the hopper to the receiving vehicle based on the stop signal [0046; 0120; 0131].
Claim 3: further comprising: a fill level detection system configured to detect a fill level of the material in the receiving vehicle [0005 (The filling operation may need to be visually monitored
and manual intervention may be used to shut off product flow once the tank is filled to the appropriate level, with the commodity.); 0040 (sensors 134 may include a fill level sensor that senses the level of material in the tank 108 on vehicle 102)], wherein the stop condition processing system comprises: a fill level completion component configured to generate the stop signal based on detecting that the fill level detected by the fill level detection system is within a threshold value of a desired fill level [0024 (Once the implement 102 is filled to the appropriate level, and conveyance system 106 is shut off); 0040 (when the fill level sensor provides a signal indicative of a desired fill level, equipment control system 135 can shut off the conveyance
operation.)].
Claim 5: further comprising: a fill strategy control system configured to generate an output signal to control a landing point of the material in the receiving vehicle to fill the receiving vehicle according to a fill strategy and to generate a strategy complete signal indicating completion of the fill strategy [0039 (Equipment control system 135 is described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 3. Briefly, it illustratively receives sensor signals from a variety of sensors and then controls vehicles 102 and 104 so that they are in a desired position relative to one another so that material can be conveyed using conveyance system 106 between the two vehicles. Equipment control system 135 also controls positioning of conveyance system 106 for conveyance of the desired material.)].
Claim 6: wherein the stop condition processing system comprises:
a fill strategy completion component configured to generate the stop signal based on the strategy complete signal [0039 (Equipment control system 135 also illustratively receives one or more sensor signals indicative of when the desired amount of material has been conveyed, and it can then shut off conveyance system 106)].
Claim 7: wherein the stop condition processing system comprises:
a vehicle position processor configured to identify a location of a boundary of the receiving vehicle [0034; 0039];
a landing point processing system configured to generate an output indicative of a location of a landing point of the material [0039 (Equipment control system 135 also controls positioning of conveyance system 106 for conveyance of the desired material.)]; and
a spill occurring processor configured to compare the location of the boundary of the receiving vehicle and the location of the landing point and generate the stop signal when the location of the landing point is outside the boundary of the receiving vehicle [0048 (system 135 can control the positions of vehicles 102 and 104 relative to one another, as described above, and it can automatically position conveyance system 106 to perform the conveyance operation. It then conveys enough material to fill the tank 108 on implement 102 to a desired level.); 0039 (Equipment control system 135 also illustratively receives one or more sensor signals indicative of when the desired amount of material has been conveyed, and it can then shut off conveyance system 106)].
Claim 8: wherein the stop condition processing system comprises:
an acceleration processing system configured to detect a difference in the velocity of the leading vehicle relative to the receiving vehicle [0044 (first and second vehicle position controllers)];
a vehicle position processor configured to identify a location of a boundary of the receiving vehicle [0034; 0039];
a landing point processing system configured to generate an output indicative of a location of a landing point of the material [0039 (Equipment control system 135 also controls positioning of conveyance system 106 for conveyance of the desired material.)]; and
a spill imminent processor configured to detect that a spill is imminent [0048] and generate the stop signal based on the difference in velocity [0044] and the location of the landing point relative to the boundary of the receiving vehicle [0039].
Claim 10: wherein the stop condition processing system comprises:
an unloading condition processor configured to detect a hopper condition characteristic indicative of an unloaded status of the hopper [0047 (First and second vehicle container level detectors 238 and 240 illustratively provide a signal indicative of a level of material in the tanks of the two vehicles, respectively.)] and to generate the stop signal based on the hopper condition characteristic indicating that the hopper is unloaded [0046; 0120; 0131].
Claim 11: wherein the unloading condition processor comprises:
a hopper material level detector configured to detect a level of the material in the hopper and provide, as the hopper condition characteristic, a material level signal indicative of the detected level of material in the hopper [0047 (First and second vehicle container level detectors 238 and 240 illustratively provide a signal indicative of a level of material in the tanks of the two vehicles, respectively.)].
Claim 12: wherein the unloading condition processor comprises:
a material column detector configured to detect a material column exiting the material conveyance subsystem and provide, as the hopper condition characteristic, a column characteristic signal indicative of a characteristic of the detected column of material [0034 (sensors 148 may provide a signal so that the position of the spout 112 of conveyance system 106, relative to the opening in tank 108, can be determined); 0043].
Claim 13: wherein the unloading condition processor comprises:
a mass flow sensor configured to detect a mass flow of material through the material conveyance subsystem and provide, as the hopper condition characteristic, a mass flow signal indicative of the detected mass flow of material [0034 (it may include a mass flow sensor that senses the mass flow or otherwise senses the quantity of material being conveyed.); 0047; 0064].
2.3.1 Claims 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bonefas, USP Publication 2014/0311113.
2.3.2 Bonefas discloses:
Claim 15: A computer implemented method of controlling an unloading operation in which a leading vehicle unloads material into a receiving vehicle [0017 (a harvesting vehicle for managing the unloading of agricultural material from the harvesting vehicle (also referred to herein as a transferring vehicle, a combine, a harvester, and a self-propelled forage harvester) to a receiving vehicle (also referred to herein as a tractor, propelled portion, trailer, grain cart, cart, storage portion, container, or wagon))], the computer implemented method comprising:
conveying material from a hopper on a leading vehicle to a receiving vehicle [0017; 0042];
automatically detecting a spill condition [0118 (If Machine Sync is not present and the system is unable to control the ground speed of the combine or the SPFH, the system can send a CAN message to the graphical user interface to sound an alert to notify the operator that the system has reached its rotational limits. The system or operator will shut off the auger drive (S508) if the fill strategy is complete or other limits are violated and would result in spill over if continued.)]; and
automatically generating a control signal to stop conveying the material from the hopper to the receiving vehicle based on the spill condition [0118 (If Machine Sync is not present and the system is unable to control the ground speed of the combine or the SPFH, the system can send a CAN message to the graphical user interface to sound an alert to notify the operator that the system has reached its rotational limits. The system or operator will shut off the auger drive (S508) if the fill strategy is complete or other limits are violated and would result in spill over if continued.)].
Claim 16: detecting that a fill level of the material in the receiving vehicle is within a threshold
value of a desired fill level [0038 (In response to the full state or near full state (e.g., approximately 90 percent or more of full capacity) of the container 4)]; and
automatically generating the control signal to stop conveying the material from the
hopper to the receiving vehicle based on the detecting that the fill level of the material in the receiving vehicle is within the threshold value [0045 (When the front volume of the container 4 becomes full or attains a target volume or mass of agricultural material, the system 11, 111, 211 can command the receiving vehicle to temporarily increase its speed or velocity, or accelerate, relative to the ground (or relative to the harvesting vehicle) via the propulsion controller 40 so that the agricultural material flowing from spout 47 drops or moves further toward the rear of the container 4 (e.g., from the force of acceleration on the receiving vehicle). During or in preparation for the acceleration, if warranted by the estimated alignment of the spout discharge end 13A and the container perimeter or edges from the alignment module 24 or the image processing module 18, the vehicle controller 46 may suspend rotation temporarily of the auger 47 to avoid spilling agricultural material or missing the container 4)].
Claim 17: detecting that a fill strategy used to fill the receiving vehicle is complete [0038 (notify the operator (of the harvesting vehicle 2) on the user interface 44 of the full state, fill state or full condition of the container 4.)]; and
automatically generating the control signal to stop conveying the material from the
hopper to the receiving vehicle based on the detecting that the fill strategy used to fill the receiving vehicle is complete [0045 (When the front volume of the container 4 becomes full or attains a target volume or mass of agricultural material, the system 11, 111, 211 can command the receiving vehicle to temporarily increase its speed or velocity, or accelerate, relative to the ground (or relative to the harvesting vehicle) via the propulsion controller 40 so that the agricultural material flowing from spout 47 drops or moves further toward the rear of the container 4 (e.g., from the force of acceleration on the receiving vehicle). During or in preparation for the acceleration, if warranted by the estimated alignment of the spout discharge end 13A and the container perimeter or edges from the alignment module 24 or the image processing module 18, the vehicle controller 46 may suspend rotation temporarily of the auger 47 to avoid spilling agricultural material or missing the container 4)].
Claim Objections
3. In regard to the 35 U.S.C. § 102 rejections noted above, claims 4, 9, 14, 18 and 22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
Allowed Claims
4.1 Claims 20 and 21 are considered allowable, since when reading the claims in light of the specification, as per MPEP § 2111.01, none of the references of record, either individually or in combination, disclose the specific arrangement of elements in the same combination specified in independent claim 20 for a material loading system, specifically including:
(Claim 20) “a material conveyance subsystem comprising a plurality of material conveyance
mechanisms configured to convey material from a hopper on a leading vehicle to a receiving vehicle;
a stop condition processing system configured to:
automatically detect a stop condition; and
generate a sequence output to stop the plurality of material conveyance mechanisms in a desired sequence a stop signal based on the stop condition; and
a control signal generator configured to automatically generate a control signal to stop the plurality of material conveyance mechanisms in the desired sequence based on the
sequence output.”
4.2 There are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. The examiner's search failed to find this combination of features, nor was it obvious in light of the prior art. It is for these reasons that the claims of the present application are found to be patentable over the prior art.
Dependent claim 21 is deemed allowable as depending directly from allowed independent claim 20.
Prior Art
5. The following prior art, discovered in an updated search and herein made of record, is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure, and consists of documents A-E on the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited, such documents defining the general state of the art which is not considered to be of particular relevance.
Prior Art of Record
6. The Examiner has cited particular paragraphs or columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested of the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner. The prompt development of a clear issue requires that the replies of the Applicant meet the objections to and rejections of the claims. Applicant should also specifically point out the support for any amendments made to the disclosure (see MPEP §2163.06). Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) of the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicant’s definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. SEE MPEP 2141.02 [R-07.2015] VI. PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS: A prior art reference must be considered in its entirety, i.e., as a whole, including portions that would lead away from the claimed invention. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 220 USPQ 303 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert, denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984). See also MPEP §2123.
In addition, disclosures in a reference must be evaluated for what they would fairly teach one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Snow, 471 F.2d 1400, 176 USPQ 328 (CCPA 1973) and In re Boe, 355 F.2d 961, 148 USPQ 507 (CCPA 1966). Specifically, in considering the teachings of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only the specific teachings of the reference, but also the inferences that one skilled in the art would reasonably have been expected to draw from the reference. See In re Freda, 401 F.2d 825, 159 USPQ 342 (CCPA 1968) and In re Shepard, 319 F.2d 194, 138 USPQ 148 (CCPA 1963). Likewise, it is proper to take into consideration not only the teachings of the prior art, but also the level of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Luck, 476 F.2d 650, 177 USPQ 523 (CCPA 1973). Specifically, those of ordinary skill in the art are presumed to have some knowledge of the art apart from what is expressly disclosed in the references. See In re Jacoby, 309 F.2d 513, 135 USPQ 317 (CCPA 1962).
Response Guidelines
7.1 A shortened statutory period for response to this non-final action is set to expire 3 (three) months and 0 (zero) days from the date of this letter. Unless the applicant is notified in writing that a reply is required in less than six months (see the shortened response period previously noted), a maximum period of six months is allowed, if a petition for an extension of time and the fee set in § 1.17(a) are filed [see MPEP 710 and 35 U.S.C. 133]. Failure to respond within the required period for response will cause the application to become abandoned [see MPEP 710.02, 710.02(b)].
7.2 Any response to the Examiner in regard to this non-final action should be
directed to: Russell Frejd, telephone number (571) 272-3779, Monday-Friday from 0730 to
1600 ET. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful,
please contact the examiner’s supervisor, Peter Nolan, who can be reached at
(571) 270-7016.
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/RUSSELL FREJD/
Primary Examiner AU 3661