DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
STATUS OF CLAIMS
This Non-Final action is in reply to the application 18493916 filed on 10/26/2023.
Claims 1 - 20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on was filed after the mailing date of the 01/23/2024 fully considered by examiner The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 7 – 12, 17 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by US PG Pubs 20180340845 – Rhodes et al. hereinafter as RHODES in view of US PG Pub 20200107490 – Zemenchik et al. hereinafter as ZEMENCHIK
Regarding Claim 1 and 12:
RHODES discloses:
A system for detecting bent shafts of disk
a disk
a shaft; ( para. 0020 – shaft 206)
at least one bearing assembly rotatably supporting the shaft for rotation about a rotational axis; and
a plurality of sensors associated with the disc, the plurality of sensors being configured to generate data indicative of a shaft-related parameter at two or more locations along the shaft, (para. 0020 - wherein the sensors are in multiple places, 216 and 217) the two or more locations including a first location and a second location spaced apart from the first location; ( see figure 2 - with respect to sensor 216 and 217) and a computing system configured to:
receive the data generated by each of the plurality of sensors; and
identify when the shaft is bent based at least in part on the data generated by each of the plurality of sensors. ( para. 0016 – where in sensor elements 214, 215, 216 and 217 includes at least two strain gauges, angularly displaced in relation to each other, such that it measure force applied under various conditions wherein detection of strain in only one sensor would indicate a strain or a bend)
RHODES discloses of an agricultural implement that detecting best shaft with disc and an extended shaft, RHODES does not explicitly disclose of a disk gang assembly however, ZEMENCHIK discloses:
a disk gang assembly (para. 0033 – disc gang assembly )
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicants invention of RHODES agricultural implement that can detect bent shafts to utilize ZEMENCHIK’s disc gang assembly. Additionally FOR RHODES, a disc gang would help improve the consistency of the ground coverage due to the consistency and effectiveness of the disc gang utilize the same shaft for performance consistency. ( ZEMENCHIK – para. 0017)
Regarding Claim 7:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1
RHODES discloses
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to perform a control action when the shaft is identified as being bent. ( para. 0020 – wherein bend)
Regarding Claim 8:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1
RHODES discloses
8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is a load sensor, the data being indicative of a load on the shaft. ( para. 0018 – load sensors)
Regarding Claim 9 and 20:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1 and 12
RHODES discloses
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one bearing assembly comprises at least a first bearing assembly at the first location and a second bearing assembly at the second location,(para. 0014 - bearing assembly) a first sensor of the plurality of sensors (two sensors - para. 0014) being provided in association with the first bearing assembly and a second sensor(two sensors - para. 0014) of the plurality of sensors being provided in association with the second bearing assembly. (para. 0014 - bearing assembly)
Regarding Claim 10:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1
RHODES discloses
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second location is at a center of the shaft. (fig. 2 – sensor center shaft and para. 0014 and center axis)
Regarding Claim 11:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1
RHODES discloses
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the two or more locations further includes a third location, the second location being between the first location and the second location. (para. 0014 and 0015 - at least two more sensor units with at least two sensors)
Regarding Claim 17:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 12
RHODES discloses
17. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the control action comprises controlling an operation of a user interface ( para. 0017 – user interface on display) associated with the agricultural implement to indicate that the shaft is identified as being bent. ( para. 0020 – wherein bend)
Regarding Claim 18:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 12
RHODES discloses
18. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the control action comprises automatically controlling an operation of the agricultural implement. (para. 0023 - control with closed loop algo)
Regarding Claim 19:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 12
RHODES discloses
19. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the data indicative of the shaft-related parameter at each of the two or more locations comprises receiving the data from a plurality of load sensors, the data being indicative of a load on the shaft at each of the two or more locations. (fig. 2 – sensors and para. 0018 – load sensors and additional sensors)
Regarding Claim 20:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 12
RHODES discloses
20. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the data indicative of the shaft-related parameter at each of the two or more locations comprises receiving data generated by a first sensor (two sensors - para. 0014)provided in association with a first bearing assembly of the at least one bearing assembly at the first location(para. 0014 - bearing assembly) and data generated by a second sensor (two sensors - para. 0014)provided in association with a second bearing assembly of the at least one bearing assembly at the second location. (para. 0014 - bearing assembly)
Claim(s) 2 – 6, 13 - 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by US PG Pubs 20180340845 – Rhodes et al. hereinafter as RHODES in view of US PG Pub 20200107490 – Zemenchik et al. hereinafter as ZEMENCHIK in view of US PG Pub 20110084671 – HOBELSBERGER et al. hereinafter as HOBELSBERGER
Regarding Claim 2 and 13:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of claim 1 and 12
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK discloses of processing of data analysis to sensor data, (RHODES - para. 0021) - discloses two or more location along the shaft based in part on the data generated by each of the plurality of sensors ( See fig. 2) and at the two or more locations along the shaft( See fig. 2)
HOBELSBERGER discloses:
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to:
convert the data generated by each of the plurality of sensors from a time domain to a frequency domain using a spectral analysis technique; and ( para. 0024 – wherein the signals are analyzed in time domain an frequency domain , para. 0025 – using spectral analysis)
determine a magnitude and a phase angle at a rotational frequency of the shaft
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicants invention for the detection of the bending detection of a shaft of RHODES / ZEMENCHIK to utilize the enhanced analysis of using a spectral analysis technique, determining magnitude and phase angle of a rotational frequency of the shaft of HOBELSBERGER. This would allow RHODES to determine a cost effective way to determine the natural frequencies of shaft oscillations ( para. 0022)
Regarding Claim 3 and 14:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK / HOBELSBERGER discloses of claim 2 and 13
HOBELSBERGER discloses the combination above in claim 2 and 13
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is configured to identify that the shaft is bent when the magnitude at least at one of the two or more locations is greater than a threshold magnitude by at least a given difference. ( Where in limit value is predetermined for the amplitude fluctuation, once exceed, this would be interpreted as force exceed which would trigger a shut down)
Regarding Claim 4 and 15:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK / HOBELSBERGER discloses of claim 2 and 13
HOBELSBERGER discloses the combination above in claim 2 and 13
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is configured to identify that the shaft is bent when the phase angle of the second location is offset by a minimum degree from the phase angle of the first location along the shaft. (para. 0049 phase offset)
Regarding Claim 5:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK / HOBELSBERGER discloses of claim 4
HOBELSBERGER discloses the combination above in claim 4
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the minimum degree is about 180 degrees. Para. 0051 rotational angles)
Regarding Claim 6 and 16:
RHODES / ZEMENCHIK / HOBELSBERGER discloses of claim 2 and 13
HOBELSBERGER discloses the combination above in claim 2 and 13
6. The system of claim 2, wherein the spectral analysis technique is Fourier transformation. ( para. 0024 - Fourier transform)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. EP 3892851 – Perrone – improved load – data analysis on shaft bending and sensors
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/A.H.T/Examiner, Art Unit 3671
/TARA SCHIMPF/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3676