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 .
Election/Restrictions
Cancelled claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the election requirement in the reply filed on 11/4/2025.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 9-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dwyer (US PgPub 2014/0266664) and in view of Hansen et al. (hereafter Hansen)(US PgPub 2014/0230393).
Regarding claim 1, Dwyer discloses a riding mowing device (Figures 1A and 3B), comprising: a frame (Figure 1A, Figure 3B and Paragraph 0071 where the riding mower includes a frame for housing mower components); a cutting assembly comprising a deck and a mowing element at least partially accommodated in the deck (Figure 1A, Element 40 and Paragraph 0041 where the riding mower includes a cutting deck with cutting blade(s)); a walking assembly used for driving the riding mowing device to walk (Figure 1A, Elements, 44, 50 and Paragraphs 0005 and 0043 where the riding mower includes a drive system for propelling the riding mower); a power supply assembly used for supplying power to at least the cutting assembly and the walking assembly and mounted to the frame (Figure 1A, Element 50, Figure 3B, Element 301 and Paragraphs 0005, 0041, 0043 and 0074 where the riding mower includes a battery supplying power to an engine that actuates the cutting deck and drive system); a controller electrically connected to the power supply assembly (Figure 3B, Element 310 and Paragraphs 0070-0071 where the computer system is electrically connected to the battery and other system components), wherein the controller controls the riding mowing device to switch from a locked mode to an unlocked mode, in the locked mode the controller prohibits the cutting assembly and/or the walking assembly from switching to a working state, and in the unlocked mode the controller allows the cutting assembly and/or the walking assembly to switch to the working state (Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0005, 0037, 0041, 0043, 0074 and 0078-0086 where the riding mower is started using a conventional key after system checks. When properly started, the computer system switches riding mower components to an unlocked mode where the cutting deck and drive system are operational. When starting is not authorized, riding mower components are not operational). Dwyer does not specifically disclose a keyless start system comprising an authentication module configured to authenticate validity of a smart key of a user and after the validity authentication of the smart key succeeds, provide full operations of the riding mower. However, Dwyer does disclose pairing a smart phone of the user with the riding mower and providing short range wireless communication with the smart phone (Figure 3B, Elements 302, 322, 324 and Paragraphs 0050 and 0073). In the same field of endeavor, Hansen discloses a lawn mower start system where the lawn mower is started based on receiving a start command or authorization code from a smart phone of a user thereby providing keyless start functionality (Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the keyless start functionality by transmitting a lawn mower start command or authorization code from a smart phone of Hansen to the riding mower system of Dwyer, thereby providing keyless start function to the riding mower system using the smart phone of a user, motivation being to enable widely used keyless start function in the riding mower system which increases functionality and safety while reducing system components and resources such as conventional start keys and the like. Furthermore, such a modification involves routine skill in the art, was well known before the effective filing date of the claimed invention and would have been obvious absent of unexpected results.
Regarding claim 2, Dwyer discloses wherein in the unlocked mode the controller is capable of controlling the cutting assembly and/or the walking assembly to be in the working state or a braking state, in the working state the cutting assembly performs cutting work and/or the walking assembly drives the riding mowing device to walk, and in the braking state the cutting assembly does not perform the cutting work and the walking assembly does not drive the riding mowing device to walk (Figure 1, Figure 3B, Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0005, 0037, 0041, 0042, 0043, 0074 and 0078-0086 where the riding mower is started. When properly started, the computer system switches riding mower components to an unlocked mode where the cutting assembly and drive system are operational. When starting is not authorized, riding mower components are not operational. When the riding mower is initially started, the riding mower is in an idle state where cutting deck and drive system do not perform cutting and propelling functions).
Regarding claim 3, Dwyer discloses wherein in the locked mode the controller prohibits the power supply assembly from supplying the power to the cutting assembly and/or the walking assembly and in the unlocked mode the controller allows the power supply assembly to supply the power to the cutting assembly and/or the walking assembly (Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0005, 0037, 0041, 0043, 0074 and 0078-0086 where the riding mower is started. When properly started, the computer system switches riding mower components to an unlocked mode where the cutting assembly and drive system are operational and provided with power. When starting is not authorized, riding mower components are not operational).
Regarding claim 4, Dwyer discloses wherein the riding mowing device is capable of being controlled to switch from the locked mode to the unlocked mode after the smart key establishes a communication connection to the keyless start system (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0005, 0037, 0041, 0043, 0074 and 0078-0086 where the riding mower is started. When properly started, the computer system switches riding mower components to an unlocked mode where the cutting assembly and drive system are operational and provided with power. When starting is not authorized, riding mower components are not operational).
Regarding claim 5, Hansen discloses wherein the keyless start system further comprises a broadcast module capable of broadcasting a predetermined signal and the keyless start system is configured to authenticate, through the authentication module, validity of a smart key entering a radiation region of the predetermined signal and control, through the controller, the riding mowing device to switch from the locked mode to the unlocked mode after the validity authentication of the smart key succeeds (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033 where the smart phone transmits an authentication code to the mower for authentication within an interrogation range. Based on authentication, the mower is started and functions are unlocked).
Regarding claim 9, Hansen discloses wherein the smart key comprises a monitoring module configured to monitor the predetermined signal and a determination module configured to, when the predetermined signal is monitored by the monitoring module, determine that the smart key enters the radiation region, the predetermined signal is a signal broadcast by the riding mowing device in the radiation region, and the smart key entering the radiation region is used by the riding mowing device to control, based on a result of the validity authentication of the smart key, the riding mowing device to switch from the locked mode to the unlocked mode (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033 where the smart phone transmits an authentication code to the mower for authentication when inside an interrogation range. Based on authentication, the mower is started and functions are unlocked).
Regarding claim 10, Hansen discloses wherein the radiation region comprises a first region and a second region, a radial distance of the first region relative to the riding mowing device is greater than a radial distance of the second region relative to the riding mowing device, the keyless start system further comprises a connection module configured to be connected to the smart key, the connection module is pre-connected or connected to the smart key in the first region, and the authentication module performs identity verification on the smart key in the second region (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033 where the smart phone transmits an authentication code to the mower for authentication when inside an interrogation range. Conventional ranging techniques are used to determine distance. Based on authentication, the mower is started and functions are unlocked).
Regarding claim 11, Dwyer discloses wherein the smart key is a digital key using Bluetooth or near-field communication (NFC) as a communication medium (see rejection for claim 1 and Paragraphs 0050, 0073, 0079 and 0095 where the smart phone of the user communicates with the riding mower using Bluetooth).
Regarding claim 12, Dwyer discloses wherein the smart key is a low-frequency key using an electromagnetic wave as a communication medium (see rejection for claim 1 and Paragraphs 0050, 0073, 0079 and 0095 where the smart phone of the user communicates with the riding mower using a low-frequency signal).
Regarding claim 13, Dwyer discloses wherein the smart key is a mobile terminal of the user and the mobile terminal establishes the communication connection to the keyless start system through wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), NFC, or Bluetooth (see rejection for claim 1 and Paragraphs 0050, 0073, 0079 and 0095 where the smart phone of the user communicates with the riding mower using Bluetooth).
Regarding claim 14, Dwyer discloses wherein the riding mowing device sends an alarm signal after the validity authentication of the smart key fails a plurality of times (Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0054, 0055, 0058, 0061, 0073 and 0090 where alerts are provided to the user based on various faults detected in the riding mower system such as start faults).
Regarding claim 15, Dwyer discloses wherein the controller controls the riding mowing device to be in the locked mode within a preset time after the validity authentication of the smart key fails a plurality of times (Figure 7 and Paragraphs 0054, 0055, 0058, 0061, 0073 and 0090 where alerts are provided to the user based on various faults detected in the riding mower system such as start faults. The riding mower is not started until faults are corrected).
Regarding claim 16, Hansen discloses wherein the smart key comprises an operation button and the operation button is capable of transmitting a remote control signal to the keyless start system so as to control the riding mowing device to work (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033 where the smart phone, including plural virtual app buttons, transmits an authentication code to the mower for authentication when inside an interrogation range. Based on authentication of the code, the mower is started and functions are unlocked).
Regarding claim 17, Hansen discloses wherein the remote control signal comprises signals for controlling the power supply assembly, the walking assembly, and the cutting assembly (see rejection for claim 1 and Figure 1 and Paragraph 0033 where the smart phone, including plural virtual app buttons, transmits an authentication code to the mower for authentication when inside an interrogation range. Based on authentication of the code, the mower is started and functions are unlocked).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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. Dependent claims, 7-8, inclusive of the limitations of claim 6, are also objected to.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS D ALUNKAL whose telephone number is (571)270-1127. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5PM.
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/THOMAS D ALUNKAL/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686