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 .
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li (CN 203723106 U).
Regarding Claim 1, Li discloses a combine (a combine harvester), comprising:
a reaper (the combine harvester cutting part) configured to reap a crop planted in an agricultural field; and
a thresher device (see fig. 1) comprising:
a thresher chamber (1) configured to receive the whole reaped crop that the reaper has reaped;
a thresher cylinder (2) disposed rotatably in the thresher chamber and configured to thresh the reaped crop that the thresher chamber has received;
a receiver net (3) below the thresher cylinder; and
a sorter (41, 42) configured to sort a processing target falling through the receiver net,
the thresher cylinder comprising:
a thresher cylinder shaft (20) disposed rotatably in the thresher chamber and extending in a front-back direction relative to the thresher chamber;
a plurality of bar-shaped thresher teeth supports (22) held by and extending along the thresher cylinder shaft and apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the thresher cylinder; and
a plurality of bar-shaped thresher teeth (23) provided for and held by each of the plurality of thresher teeth supports, protruding from the thresher teeth support outward in a radial direction of the thresher cylinder, and apart from one another along the thresher cylinder shaft,
the sorter comprising:
a sieve case (see fig. 1) disposed below the receiver net and drivable to swing (4);
a first chaff sieve (41) held inside the sieve case and configured to receive the processing target falling through the receiver net and sort the processing target while conveying the processing target backward relative to the sorter;
a second chaff sieve (42) held by the sieve case in such a manner as to coincide with the first chaff sieve in a front-back direction relative to the sorter and be below the first chaff sieve and configured to receive the processing target falling through the first chaff sieve and sort the processing target while conveying the processing target backward relative to the sorter; and
a winnowing fan (6) disposed at a front portion of the sorter and configured to blow sorting air backward relative to the sorter along the first and second chaff sieves.
Regarding Claim 2, Li discloses the combine according to claim 1, wherein:
the thresher cylinder shaft is horizontal (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Li discloses the combine according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first-grain screw conveyor (51) disposed backward of the winnowing fan and configured to collect a first sorted product and convey the first sorted product widthwise relative to the sorter; and
a second-grain screw conveyor (52) disposed backward of the first-grain screw conveyor and configured to collect a second sorted product and convey the second sorted product widthwise relative to the sorter,
wherein the first and second chaff sieves (41, 42) have respective front portions forward of a center of the first-grain screw conveyor (see fig. 1), and
wherein the first and second chaff sieves (41, 42) have respective back portions backward of a center of the second-grain screw conveyor (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 4, Li discloses the combine according to claim 3, further comprising:
a guide extending from below the back portion of the second chaff sieve (42) in a forward and downward direction past a space above the second-grain screw conveyor (52) toward the first-grain screw conveyor and configured to guide the first sorted product to the first-grain screw conveyor (51).
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Regarding Claim 5, Li discloses the combine according to claim 1, wherein:
the winnowing fan (6) is configured to draw in the sorting air from laterally outside the winnowing fan and discharge the sorting air backward relative to the winnowing fan, and
the combine further comprises a cylindrical air duct (61) disposed between the winnowing fan and the first and second chaff sieves (41, 42) and configured to guide the sorting air from the winnowing fan toward the first and second chaff sieves.
Regarding Claim 6, Li discloses the combine according to claim 5, wherein:
the air duct (61) has an air outlet forward of and facing the first and second chaff sieves (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 7, Li discloses the combine according to claim 5, wherein:
the air duct (61) is configured to blow the sorting air along a direction in which the first and second chaff sieves extend (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 8, Li discloses the combine according to claim 5, wherein:
the thresher cylinder further comprises:
a raker section (21) disposed at a front portion of the thresher cylinder (2) and configured to rake backward relative to the thresher chamber the reaped crop that the thresher chamber has received; and
a thresher section (the section rearward of 21 having supports 22, see fig. 1) connected to a back portion of the raker section and comprising the thresher teeth supports (22) and the thresher teeth (23), and
the winnowing fan (6) comprises a rotary blade with a rotation axis extending widthwise relative to the sorter and coinciding with the raker section in the front-back direction relative to the sorter (see fig. 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20210084816 A1 discloses a winnowing fan aligned with a raking section of a threshing rotor.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE RUNCO whose telephone number is (469)295-9123. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4:30 M-F.
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/M.I.R./ Examiner, Art Unit 3671
/JOSEPH M ROCCA/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3671