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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 8-13, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kirchmair et al. (US 2023/0202288 A1) hereinafter, Kirchmair.
Regarding claim 1, Kirchmair teaches a crawler vehicle (1) comprising:
a frame (2);
a first energy storage assembly (16) configured to be removed from the crawler vehicle and to be replaced with a further first energy storage assembly (Para [0014]);
a propulsion system (17) configured to be powered by the first energy storage assembly;
a connection interface (releasable coupling devices, Para [0046]) configured to selectively connect the first energy storage assembly to the propulsion system and selectively disconnect the first energy storage assembly from the propulsion system;
a first motorized track (3);
a second motorized track (4); and
a transmission assembly (20) configured to transmit power from the propulsion system to the first motorized track and to the second motorized track (Fig 1-2).
Regarding claim 4, Kerchmair teaches that the crawler vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a cabin (8) mounted on the frame, wherein the connection interface is arranged behind the cabin with respect to a travelling direction of the crawler vehicle (connection between 16 and 17 is behind the cabin, see Fig 1).
Regarding claim 8, Kerchmair teaches that the crawler vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:
a further connection interface (releasable coupling devices, Para [0046]), and
a second energy storage assembly (22) configured to be removed from the crawler vehicle and be replaced with a further second energy storage assembly (Para [0014] and Fig 1).
Regarding claim 9, Kerchmair teaches that the further connection interface is arranged under a cabin (8) of the crawler vehicle (since the motor 17 is below the cabin, the connection will at least partially below the cabin) and is configured to selectively connect the second energy storage assembly to the propulsion system and selectively disconnect the second energy storage assembly from the propulsion system (Para [0014] and Fig 1).
Regarding claim 10, Kerchmair teaches that each first energy storage assembly comprises one of: at least one battery (Para [0014] and Fig 1) configured to store electrical energy, and at least one tank configured to store hydrogen.
Regarding claim 11, Kerchmair teaches a method for managing an operation of a crawler vehicle (1), the method comprising:
Powering (Para [0043]) a propulsion system (17) of the crawler vehicle by an energy storage assembly (16);
transmitting (Para [0043]) power from the propulsion system to a first track (3) of the crawler vehicle and a second track (4) of the crawler vehicle (Para [0039]);
removing the energy storage assembly from the crawler vehicle (Para [0014]); and
replacing the removed energy storage assembly with a further energy storage assembly (Para [0014]).
Regarding claim 12, Kerchmair teaches that the removed energy storage assembly is less loaded than the further energy storage assembly (The removed battery is usually replaced with a fully charged one).
Regarding claim 13, Kerchmair teaches that the method of claim 11, further comprising selectively connecting, by a connection interface, the energy storage assembly to the propulsion system and selectively disconnecting, by the connection interface, the energy storage assembly from the propulsion system (Para [0014]).
Regarding claim 16, Kerchmair teaches that the selectively connecting and selectively disconnecting comprise removing the energy storage assembly (Battery 16 is located below/ under the cabin) from under a cabin (8) of the crawler vehicle (Para [0014] and Fig 1).
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) 2-3, 5, and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kirchmair et al. (US 2023/0202288 A1) in view of Ditillo et al. (US 2024/0409000 A1) hereinafter, Ditillo.
Regarding claims 2-3, 5, and 14-15, Kirchmair teaches the vehicle of claim 1 and the method of claim 11. However, Kirchmair does not explicitly teaches the connectors, sliding, or lifting of the battery.
Ditillo teaches a crawler vehicle, wherein:
the first energy storage assembly (5) comprises:
a first mechanical connector (13), and
a first power connector (15b),
the connection interface (6) comprises:
a second mechanical connector (14) configured to releasably engage the first mechanical connector, and
a second power connector (15a) configured to be connected to the first power connector to transmit power to the propulsion system (Fig 2-3 and 9), wherein the first energy storage assembly comprises a support element (top of housing 8 support both 13 and 15b) configured to couple with the connection interface and provided with the first mechanical connector and with the first power connector (Fig 9F), wherein: the connection interface comprises a guide (14), the first energy storage assembly comprises a sliding element (13) configured to slide along the guide to connect the first energy storage assembly to the connection interface and disconnect the first energy storage assembly from the connection interface (Fig 9F).
Ditillo further teaches that the selectively connecting and selectively disconnecting comprise implementing a sliding (13 slide in 14 for engagement, Fig 2 and 3) and a lifting of the energy storage assembly (Para [0064]) with respect to the connection interface.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the invention, to modify Kirchmair’s vehicle, with Ditillo’s connecting features, to ensure firm and secure coupling of the battery.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 6 recites a position sensor assembly configured to detect a relative position of the connection interface with respect to a replacement device of the first energy storage assembly.
Since the prior art (e.g. Page) teaches vehicle that lack said features, the prior art does not anticipate the claimed subject matter.
For illustration purposes, Fig 1 of the examined disclosure shows the position sensor assembly, which is different than the sensors taught by the prior art of record (Fig. 3-4 of Page).
Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to a skilled artisan to have modified the prior art in order to arrive at the claimed invention without resorting to impermissible hindsight.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references noted on the attached PTO-892 form teach crawler vehicles of interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOSAM SHABARA whose telephone number is (571)272-5495. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am-5 pm.
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/H.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3611 /VALENTIN NEACSU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3611