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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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.
Claims 1, 3, 5-14, 16 and 19-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Buechler (US Patent No. 3,601,960).
In reference to claim 1, Buechler discloses a cutting arrangement configured to be attached to a lawnmower to cut vegetation, wherein the cutting arrangement comprises:
a cutting unit 1 configured to rotate in a first rotational direction around a rotation axis during operation (Figs. 1 and 3),
a cutting guard 2 comprising a top surface 4 and side walls 5, and
a centre body 3 protruding from the top surface 4, wherein the centre body 3 is arranged such that a distance from the rotation axis to radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 decreases continuously, seen in a first rotational direction, within a first angle having its vertex at the rotation axis, and wherein the first angle exceeds 180 degrees (col. 2, lines 58-64).
In reference to claim 3, Buechler discloses that the distance from the rotation axis to radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 decreases with a substantially constant rate within at least a portion of the first angle (col. 2, lines 58-64).
In reference to claim 5, Buechler discloses that a volume of space delimited by radially inner delimiting surfaces of the side walls and radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 increases continuously within the first angle seen in the first rotational direction (Fig. 1)
In reference to claim 6, Buechler discloses that the cutting guard 2 is arranged such that the distance between the radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 and radially inner delimiting surfaces of the side walls 5 increases continuously within the first angle seen in the first rotational direction (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 7, Buechler discloses that the cutting guard 2 is arranged such that the distance from the rotation axis to radially inner delimiting surfaces of the side walls 5 increases continuously within the first angle seen in the first rotational direction (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 8, Buechler discloses that the cutting guard 2 comprises a discharge opening 8 arranged to eject clippings in a main discharge direction from the cutting guard 2 (Figs. 1 and 5).
In reference to claim 9, Buechler discloses that the cutting arrangement is configured to be attached to the lawnmower such that a forward direction of the cutting arrangement coincides with a forward direction of the lawnmower, and wherein a main discharge direction is transversal to the forward direction of the cutting arrangement (Figs. 1 and 2).
In reference to claim 10, Buechler discloses that an angle between the main discharge direction and the forward direction of the cutting arrangement is within the range of 30 - 170 degrees (Fig. 2).
In reference to claim 11, Buechler discloses that the cutting arrangement comprises a delimiting wall (Fig. 3, adjacent to discharge opening 8) extending between the centre body 3 and the side walls 5 of the cutting guard 2, and wherein the delimiting wall forms a delimiting surface of an outlet portion of the discharge opening 8 (Fig. 3).
In reference to claim 12, Buechler discloses that the centre body 3 is arranged such that the distance from the rotation axis to radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 increases, seen in the first rotational direction, within a second angle having its vertex at the rotation axis (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 13, Buechler discloses that a volume of a space delimited by radially inner delimiting surfaces of the side walls 5 and the radially outer delimiting surfaces of the centre body 3 increases within the second angle seen in the first rotational direction (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 14, Buechler discloses a tangential moving direction of the cutting unit 1, upon rotation of the cutting unit 1 in the first rotational direction, coincides with the main discharge direction at a location within the second angle (Fig. 1).
In reference to claim 16, Buechler discloses that radially inner delimiting surfaces of the side walls 5 extend in directions substantially parallel to the rotation axis (Figs. 1 and 3).
In reference to claim 19, Buechler discloses that the cutting unit 1 comprises one or more surfaces 18 being angled relative to a rotation plane of the cutting unit 1 to generate an airflow in a direction transverse to the rotation plane during rotation of the cutting unit 1 in the first rotational direction (col. 2, lines 36-39).
In reference to claim 20, Buechler discloses that the surfaces 18 are angled relative to the rotation plane to generate an airflow in a direction towards the top surface of the cutting guard 2 during rotation of the cutting unit 1 in the first rotational direction (Fig. 4).
In reference to claim 21, Buechler discloses that the cutting unit 1 is configured to rotate such that one or more radially outer portions of the cutting unit 1 orbits in a circular path inside the cutting guard 2, and wherein a first radial distance from the circular path to a radially inner delimiting surface of the front section of the cutting guard 2 is greater than a second radial distance from the circular path to a radially inner delimiting surfaces of the rear section of the cutting guard 2 (Figs. 1 and 2).
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 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buechler (US Patent No. 3,601,960) in view of Gottinger et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0084436).
In reference to claim 22, Butler fails to disclose that the lawnmower is a self-propelled robotic lawnmower configured to navigate and cut grass in an area in an autonomous manner.
Gottinger discloses a lawn mower 1 that is a self-propelled robotic lawnmower configured to navigate and cut grass in an area in an autonomous manner (par. 0031). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to configure the lawn mower as a self-propelled, autonomous lawn mower with a reasonable expectation of success so that a human does not have to be present for the lawn mower to operate.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 15 and 18 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRAD HARCOURT whose telephone number is (571)272-7303. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at (571)272-4137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRAD HARCOURT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674
4/07/26