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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
The following is a final office action in response to the communication filed on 10/28/2025.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9-10, 17-19, and 21-31 are pending and have been examined.
Claims 3, 6-8, 11-16, and 20 are canceled.
Claims 21-31 are new.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9-10, 17-19 are either amended directly or via a claim they depend from.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9-10, 17-19, and 21-31 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and corresponding amendments, see pages 8-13, filed on 10/28/2025, have been fully considered and are addressed as follows.
Regarding the claim objections for minor informalities: The previous objections to claims 9, 10, 16, 17, and 19 are moot in view of the amendments. Accordingly, the objections are withdrawn.
Regarding the Claim Interpretation under 35 § USC 112(f): The amendment to claim 1 has made the interpretation moot. Accordingly, the interpretation is withdrawn.
Regarding the Claim Rejections under 35 § USC 112: The amendments to claims 9 and 17 have rendered the rejections moot. Accordingly, the rejections are withdrawn.
Regarding the Claim Rejections under 35 § USC 102 and 35 § USC 103: The Examiner respectfully disagrees with the Applicant regarding the argument that the reference Vilar does not disclose the or suggest the features of newly amended independent claim 1. Accordingly, Vilar has been applied as relevant art in the following Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 section for Applicant’s consideration. Additionally, newly cited art has been applied to address amended independent claims 9 and 17 in the following section.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 17-19, 22-23, 27, and 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Braunstein et al., (US 2023/0196846 A1, hereinafter Braunstein) in view of Vilar et al. (US 2021/0316713 A1, hereinafter Vilar).
Claim 1 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“A working machine, comprising
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0002], Lines 1-6) “Machines such as, for example, on and off-highway haul trucks, and other types of heavy equipment and machines are used to perform a variety of tasks. The various types of machines operating at any one time at a particular job site may include manned machines, semi-autonomous machines, and fully autonomous machines.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Abstract, Lines 1-3) “A control system is programmed for monitoring the health and charge of batteries used to power a battery electric machine (BEM) or other heavy equipment”
“and one or more circuits configured to: identify an operation plan to be performed by the working machine in a work area; identify an amount of power required to complete the operation plan;”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0009], Lines 1-9) “the present disclosure is directed to a computer-readable medium for use in managing the health or performance of batteries used to power a battery electric machine (BEM), the computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for performing a method that may include monitoring the health or performance of batteries used to power a battery electric machine (BEM).”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0038]) “Systems for managing the energy consumption of a machine, BEM, or other heavy equipment, according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, may include … a memory containing information about one or more operational parameters of the machine, power management logic operable to calculate energy requirements for the machine's one or more batteries from the first input, the second input, the third input, and the memory, and one or more processors responsive to the power management logic.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0025], Lines 1-8) “The systems and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be used in predicting the energy requirements for a particular battery electric powered machine (BEM) to traverse a particular segment of a travel route at a work site and complete its desired tasks, or the energy requirements for more than one machine, such as a plurality of BEM's in a fleet of heavy equipment being operated at one or more work sites.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0040], Lines 25-30) “Energy efficient speeds for current and upcoming route segments can then be calculated based on the route. In some variations, the route is divided up into many distinct travel route segments based on terrain, areas of a job site where particular tasks are to be performed, intersections, etc.”
“identify an amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries;”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0042], Lines 1-5) “The power supplied and used by a machine such as a BEM can be optimized based on information inputs including: user demands, environmental conditions, the current or anticipated operational state of the machine, and the operational parameters for the machine.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0049], lines 1-8) “Examples of environmental information inputs include, but are not limited to: the machine's current speed, the motor speed, the machine's current orientation, the RPM of the machine's motor, wheel rotations per minute, the battery state-of-charge, battery state-of-health, the voltage of the battery, the amp hours from the battery, the temperature of battery, the age of the battery, and the number of times the battery has charged and discharged (charge cycles).”
“determine a degree of difference between and the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries,”
Braunstein does not explicitly determine a degree of difference between the amount of power required to complete the operation plan and the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries.
However, Braunstein does teach both the capability to measure the current state of charge of the battery and how much charge is needed to complete an operation.
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0038]) “Systems for managing the energy consumption of a machine, BEM, or other heavy equipment, according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, may include … a memory containing information about one or more operational parameters of the machine, power management logic operable to calculate energy requirements for the machine's one or more batteries from the first input, the second input, the third input, and the memory, and one or more processors responsive to the power management logic.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0025], Lines 1-8) “The systems and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be used in predicting the energy requirements for a particular battery electric powered machine (BEM) to traverse a particular segment of a travel route at a work site and complete its desired tasks, or the energy requirements for more than one machine, such as a plurality of BEM's in a fleet of heavy equipment being operated at one or more work sites.”
Vilar does explicitly teach determining a degree of difference between the amount of power required to complete the operation plan and the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries.
Vilar teaches, (Abstract) “Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically planning the workday of a battery unit powered electric work vehicle … A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement … The controller may monitor activity and/or consumption rates throughout the day and proactively generate outputs for, e.g., usage optimization,” and that, (Paragraph [0049], Lines 1-10) “Upon receiving or determining the information from the preceding steps, the controller further predicts how much battery charge will need to be consumed to complete the specified missions, i.e., road trips and jobs at each work site (step 310). As previously noted, the controller receives real-time sensor output information regarding the current charge state of the battery unit, wherein the controller may further project whether the current charge state of the battery unit is sufficient to complete the specified missions in the workday (step 312),” as well as, (Paragraph [0051], Lines 12-15) “The controller may be configured to enact interventions for optimization of one or more specified missions, for example to reduce the amount of battery consumption during missions.”
“the operation plan to generate a revised operation plan relative to a plurality of thresholds;”
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 1-9) “The embodiment of the illustrated method 300 in FIG. 3 enables an operator to provide a specified list of missions and a sequence thereof, wherein the controller projects a necessary charge of the battery unit to complete the associated workday. In one exemplary embodiment, the controller only intervenes with the operator selections when the necessary charge state for completion of the workday is less than (or within a threshold margin of safety with respect to) the actual charge state of the battery unit.” The Examiner is interpreting “being less than” or “within a threshold margin of safety” as two distinct comparable thresholds.
“determine whether feedback from an operator is required based on the degree of difference; and if the feedback from the operator is required, notify the operator that the feedback is required, “receive the feedback from the operator, and revise the based on the feedback.”
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 1-9) “The embodiment of the illustrated method 300 in FIG. 3 enables an operator to provide a specified list of missions and a sequence thereof, wherein the controller projects a necessary charge of the battery unit to complete the associated workday. In one exemplary embodiment, the controller only intervenes with the operator selections when the necessary charge state for completion of the workday is less than (or within a threshold margin of safety with respect to) the actual charge state of the battery unit,” and that, (Paragraph [0056]) “The controller may still further or alternatively be configured to optimize a sequence of operating modes associated with a specified mission at a work site, for the purpose of minimizing battery consumption in completing the mission … In either of these embodiments, the controller may automatically implement changes in the operating parameters of the work vehicle for optimization purposes, or the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system of Braunstein, with the work plan optimization system which revises and confirms alteration to an operation plan based upon a degree of difference between the amount of power required to complete the operation plan and the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries as taught by Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield both the benefits of preventing excessive discharge of batteries and allowing operators to confirm operation changes as a form of validation depending on their desired outcome parameters. As Vilar describes, (Paragraph [0054, Lines 14-20) “Such optimization may be programmatic for reducing the risk of premature discharge, based for example on the potential for heightened workload and battery consumption for certain missions, or to ensure that the work vehicle is proximate to a reliable charging station throughout periods of the workday when the vehicle is at heightened risk of reaching a low charge state, etc.,” and that, (Paragraph [0057], Lines 11-18) “The system may provide a user interface which enables the user to specify a particular one of the work vehicles with respect to a particular one of the missions, even for example at a specified time in the workday, wherein the system further recalculates an optimized arrangement and/or sequence of missions for each of the plurality of work vehicles which fits the parameters given by the user.”
Claim 2 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to identify the amount of power required to complete the operation plan based on at least one of data related to the working machine, data related to a work area that is related to the operation plan, or third-party data.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0042], Lines 1-5) “The power supplied and used by a machine such as a BEM can be optimized based on information inputs including: user demands, environmental conditions, the current or anticipated operational state of the machine, and the operational parameters for the machine.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0033], Lines 25-29) “The system may also be programmed to receive historical information mapping the performance and energy consumption of one or more BEM's operating over one or more travel route segments of the job site.”
Claim 4 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The working machine of claim 1,: the - work area comprises a georeferenced location in a field; and the one or more circuits are configured to identify the amount of power required to complete the operation plan based on a load of recorded from a previous year in the georeferenced location in the field.”
Braunstein does not explicitly teach the preceding limitations. However, Braunstein does teach the following.
Braunstein teaches (Paragraph [0045], Lines 1-9) “Examples of environmental information inputs include, but are not limited to: the current location of the machine, geographical information about the surrounding area … a layout of a job site,” and that, (Paragraph [0045], Lines 17-25) “For example, the machine location may be provided by a GPS device which may be either a separate device or a portion of the power management device that receives a GPS signal and locates the machine based on the received signal. Geographical and topographical information about the area surrounding the machine may be determined from the location information,” as well as, (Paragraph [0070], Lines 29-44) “Sensors may be monitored (e.g., polled) in real-time, as described above. For example, polling logic may coordinate continuous or periodic polling of Global Positioning System (GPS) information (e.g., giving information on the machine's current location, current elevation, upcoming elevations, upcoming terrain, machine's destination, etc.), speedometer information (e.g., machine's current speed, motor speed), date and time information (e.g., the date and time may be used to determine personal driving habits and sun angle), gyroscope information (e.g., machine's current orientation, pose, current slope/grade of road), wheel rotations per minute, accelerator and brake pedal position (e.g., pressure applied and/or current angle of the petals), the angle of sun (e.g., sensors may detect latitude, longitude, time of day, date).”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0064], Lines 12-21) “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power management logic, power management system, and power management method according to various embodiments and implementations of this disclosure may include estimating the energy that will be consumed by one or more machines traveling over one or more travel route segments based on a historical amount of energy consumed by a machine with same or similar or identical physical and operational characteristics traveling over one or more travel route segments with same or similar or identical physical characteristics.”
Despite not explicitly teaching obtaining historical data from a previous year in a field, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Braunstein to arrive at the claimed invention, as using historical data from a previous year in a field would be obvious to try, as data being from a previous year and from a field is one of finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success within the context of working machines.
Picking data that from a previous year is a selection from a known available time range of data, and picking data from a field is one of a well-known group of topographic environments for electric work machines, see at least Anderson (US 20200133216 A1) wherein, (Paragraph [0003], Lines 1-2) “Work machines for construction, agricultural, or domestic applications may be powered by an electric motor,” and that, (Paragraph [0017], Lines 9-10) “Example machine configurations disclosed herein are controlled to complete a task (e.g., plow a field).”
Claim 5 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to identify the amount of power required to complete the operation plan based on data provided by at least one of a sensor of an implement that is associated with the working machine or a sensor of the working machine.”
Braunstein does not explicitly teach acquiring data provided by a sensor of an implement.
However, Braunstein does teach using sensor data, including telemetry data into its power management calculations.
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0023], Lines 9-11) “The information provided to the power management logic may come from data inputs (e.g., sensors, telemetries, etc.)”
Vilar does explicitly teach acquiring data provided by a sensor of an implement.
Vilar teaches, (Abstract) “Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically planning the workday of a battery unit powered electric work vehicle … A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement … The controller may monitor activity and/or consumption rates throughout the day and proactively generate outputs for, e.g., usage optimization.”
Vilar additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0033], Lines 1-10) “The controller 210 is configured to receive input signals from some or all of various sensors collectively defining a sensor system 250. Certain of these sensors may be provided to detect machine operating conditions or positioning, including for example an orientation sensor, global positioning system (GPS) sensors, vehicle speed sensors, vehicle implement positioning sensors, and the like, and whereas one or more of these sensors may be discrete in nature the sensor system may further refer to signals provided from the machine control system.”
Vilar additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0049], Lines 1-10) “Upon receiving or determining the information from the preceding steps, the controller further predicts how much battery charge will need to be consumed to complete the specified missions, i.e., road trips and jobs at each work site (step 310). As previously noted, the controller receives real-time sensor output information regarding the current charge state of the battery unit, wherein the controller may further project whether the current charge state of the battery unit is sufficient to complete the specified missions in the workday (step 312),” and that, (Paragraph [0051], Lines 12-15) “The controller may be configured to enact interventions for optimization of one or more specified missions, for example to reduce the amount of battery consumption during missions.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system of Braunstein, with the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system with utilizes sensors of implements as taught by Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the reference would yield the benefit of being able to more accurately measure a working machine’s remaining power by accounting for the draw from the actuation of a working implement. As Vilar describes, (Abstract, Lines 5-17) “A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement … The controller may monitor activity and/or consumption rates throughout the day and proactively generate outputs for, e.g., usage optimization.”
Claim 17 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising instructions that, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of a working machine, are to cause the one or more processors
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0009], Lines 1-9) “the present disclosure is directed to a computer-readable medium for use in managing the health or performance of batteries used to power a battery electric machine (BEM), the computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for performing a method that may include monitoring the health or performance of batteries used to power a battery electric machine (BEM).”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0038]) “Systems for managing the energy consumption of a machine, BEM, or other heavy equipment, according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, may include … a memory containing information about one or more operational parameters of the machine, power management logic operable to calculate energy requirements for the machine's one or more batteries from the first input, the second input, the third input, and the memory, and one or more processors responsive to the power management logic.”
“identify an initial operation plan to be performed by the working machine in a work area; identify an amount of power required to complete the initial operation plan;”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0059], Lines 1-8) “The route used by the power management device typically includes a starting position (e.g., the current position of the machine, which may be indicated by GPS), an ending position, as described above, and any intermediate positions between the initial and the final positions. In some variations, the route may be broken up into segments that may be used by a power management device to optimize the power needed to travel this segment,” and that, (Paragraph [0025], Lines 1-8) “The systems and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be used in predicting the energy requirements for a particular battery electric powered machine (BEM) to traverse a particular segment of a travel route at a work site and complete its desired tasks, or the energy requirements for more than one machine, such as a plurality of BEM's in a fleet of heavy equipment being operated at one or more work sites.”
“identify an amount of power remaining in one or more batteries of the working machine;” determine that initial operation plan is greater than ; based on the determining, present a revised operation plan to an operator via a user interface; receive an instruction from the operator via the user interface to alter the revised operation plan; andaltered revised operation plan.”
Braunstein does not explicitly determine that the amount of power required to complete the initial operation plan is greater than the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries.
Vilar does teach the preceding limitations.
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 1-9) “The embodiment of the illustrated method 300 in FIG. 3 enables an operator to provide a specified list of missions and a sequence thereof, wherein the controller projects a necessary charge of the battery unit to complete the associated workday. In one exemplary embodiment, the controller only intervenes with the operator selections when the necessary charge state for completion of the workday is less than (or within a threshold margin of safety with respect to) the actual charge state of the battery unit,” and that, (Paragraph [0056]) “The controller may still further or alternatively be configured to optimize a sequence of operating modes associated with a specified mission at a work site, for the purpose of minimizing battery consumption in completing the mission … In either of these embodiments, the controller may automatically implement changes in the operating parameters of the work vehicle for optimization purposes, or the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Vilar additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0044]) “In one initial step 302, the operator is enabled via user interface devices (e.g., the graphical user interface) of the work vehicle to provide input data corresponding to one or more mission destinations.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system of Braunstein, with the work plan optimization system which revises and confirms alteration to an operation plan based upon an amount of power required to complete the operation plan and the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries as taught by Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield both the benefits of preventing excessive discharge of batteries and allowing operators to confirm operation changes as a form of validation depending on their desired outcome parameters. As Vilar describes, (Paragraph [0054, Lines 14-20) “Such optimization may be programmatic for reducing the risk of premature discharge, based for example on the potential for heightened workload and battery consumption for certain missions, or to ensure that the work vehicle is proximate to a reliable charging station throughout periods of the workday when the vehicle is at heightened risk of reaching a low charge state, etc.,” and that, (Paragraph [0057], Lines 11-18) “The system may provide a user interface which enables the user to specify a particular one of the work vehicles with respect to a particular one of the missions, even for example at a specified time in the workday, wherein the system further recalculates an optimized arrangement and/or sequence of missions for each of the plurality of work vehicles which fits the parameters given by the user.”
Claim 18 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are configured one or more processors initial operation plan based on data related to the working machine, data related to a work area that is related to the initial operation plan, or third-party data.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0059], Lines 1-8) “The route used by the power management device typically includes a starting position (e.g., the current position of the machine, which may be indicated by GPS), an ending position, as described above, and any intermediate positions between the initial and the final positions. In some variations, the route may be broken up into segments that may be used by a power management device to optimize the power needed to travel this segment,” and that, (Paragraph [0025], Lines 1-8) “The systems and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be used in predicting the energy requirements for a particular battery electric powered machine (BEM) to traverse a particular segment of a travel route at a work site and complete its desired tasks, or the energy requirements for more than one machine, such as a plurality of BEM's in a fleet of heavy equipment being operated at one or more work sites.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0042], Lines 1-5) “The power supplied and used by a machine such as a BEM can be optimized based on information inputs including: user demands, environmental conditions, the current or anticipated operational state of the machine, and the operational parameters for the machine.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0033], Lines 25-29) “The system may also be programmed to receive historical information mapping the performance and energy consumption of one or more BEM's operating over one or more travel route segments of the job site.”
Claim 19 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are configured further to cause the one or more processors logic to identify the amount of power required to complete the initial operation plan based on data that is at least one of: provided by a sensor of an implement that is associated with the working machine; provided by a sensor of the working machine;”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0059], Lines 1-8) “The route used by the power management device typically includes a starting position (e.g., the current position of the machine, which may be indicated by GPS), an ending position, as described above, and any intermediate positions between the initial and the final positions. In some variations, the route may be broken up into segments that may be used by a power management device to optimize the power needed to travel this segment,” and that, (Paragraphs [0023], Lines 9-13) “The information provided to the power management logic may come from data inputs (e.g., sensors, telemetries, etc.), memory, user commands, or it may be derived through the use of empirical formulas and physical principles.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 10-16) “By automatically monitoring the machine's real-time speed, braking and acceleration, and other data received from various sensors onboard the machine and/or from one or more databases, the power management logic implemented by a control system according to various embodiments of this disclosure may predict energy usage.”
Braunstein additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0023], Lines 25-34) “The predicted energy consumption that is determined by the power management logic may be used to command control of a machine, and implement changes, such as changes to the route that will be taken by one or more machines, changes to the tasks that will be performed by the one or more machines, changes to the operational parameters for the one or more machines, and changes to road repair and maintenance for the one or more routes or travel route segments that will be traversed by the one or more machines in the performance of its/their tasks.”
“or received from a source that is remote from the working machine.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0055], Lines 12-16) “Operational parameters of the machine may be stored and retrieved from a memory that is part of the power management device or system, or they may be retrieved from a remote information source.”
Claim 22 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein if feedback from the operator is required, the one or more circuits are configured to present a plurality of choices to revise the operation plan to the operator via a user interface.”
Braunstein does not explicitly teach the preceding limitations. Vilar does teach the preceding limitations.
Vilar teaches, (Abstract, lines 11-12) “The controller further generates, to a user interface,” and that, (Paragraph [0056]) “The controller may still further or alternatively be configured to optimize a sequence of operating modes associated with a specified mission at a work site, for the purpose of minimizing battery consumption in completing the mission … In either of these embodiments, the controller may automatically implement changes in the operating parameters of the work vehicle for optimization purposes, or the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system of Braunstein, with the work plan optimization system capable of providing choices to revise the operation plan to the operator via a user interface as taught by Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references provides the benefits of both capability to input mission data and provide mission validation through human confirmation. As Vilar describes, (Paragraph [0018]) “a user interface may enable an associated user to input mission data,” and that, (Paragraph [0056], Lines 15-17) “the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Claim 23 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 22, wherein the plurality of choices comprise returning to a charging station, changing a work implement being used for the operation plan, adjusting a speed of the working machine, or reducing a distance that the working machine is directed to travel.”
Braunstein does not explicitly teach generating the plurality of choices, but does teach capability to change the following operational parameters and present them to an operator.
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0024], Lines 8-11) “the electric motor control mechanism may adjust the speed of the machine and/or other operational parameters to an optimized speed,” and that, (Paragraph [0040], Lines 6-10) “The most energy efficient route for accomplishing a given task may take into account the current battery state-of-charge, and availability and location of a charging station. A display may be provided to an operator with an optimal speed.”
Vilar does teach presenting a plurality of choice via an user interface.
Vilar teaches, (Abstract, lines 11-12) “The controller further generates, to a user interface,” and that, (Paragraph [0056]) “The controller may still further or alternatively be configured to optimize a sequence of operating modes associated with a specified mission at a work site, for the purpose of minimizing battery consumption in completing the mission … In either of these embodiments, the controller may automatically implement changes in the operating parameters of the work vehicle for optimization purposes, or the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the working machine battery measurement and work plan optimization system of Braunstein, with the work plan optimization system capable of providing choices to revise the operation plan to the operator via a user interface as taught by Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references provides the benefits of both capability to input mission data and provide mission validation through human confirmation. As Vilar describes, (Paragraph [0018]) “a user interface may enable an associated user to input mission data,” and that, (Paragraph [0056], Lines 15-17) “the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
Claim 27 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to identify the amount of power required to complete the operation plan based on data related to a working environment of a work implement of the working machine, including at least one of a content level of one or more bins, a heat level of the implement, or an orientation of the implement.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0032], Lines 1-5) “The power management logic may determine energy requirements for the machine batteries based on information about the operational status of the machine. The operational status information input may include the machine's current speed, the machine's current orientation.” However, Braunstein does not explicitly teach including a specific orientation of the work machine’s implement.
Vilar does specifically teach measuring the orientation of the work machine’s implement.
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0033], Lines 3-7) “Certain of these sensors may be provided to detect machine operating conditions or positioning, including for example an orientation sensor, global positioning system (GPS) sensors, vehicle speed sensors, vehicle implement positioning sensors.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the optimization system with a vehicle orientation sensor of Braunstein, with the explicit implement orientation sensor of Vilar, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would allow the position of a working implement which changes via its actuator to be incorporated into accurate SoC calculations. As Vilar describes, (Abstract, Lines 5-7) “A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement.”
Claim 30 Discloses: (New)
“The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the revised operation plan presented comprises a change in an overall length of a work path of the work area compared to the initial operation plan.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0059]) “The route used by the power management device typically includes a starting position (e.g., the current position of the machine, which may be indicated by GPS), an ending position, as described above, and any intermediate positions between the initial and the final positions. In some variations, the route may be broken up into segments that may be used by a power management device to optimize the power needed to travel this segment. A segment may comprise any distance to be traveled, including the entire route, or small portions of the route. Different segments in the same route may be of different lengths,” and that, (Paragraph [0061]) “A route may be entirely segmented, or only partially segmented, and may be continuously or periodically re-segmented. For example, as the machine moves, the power management device may become aware of changing road conditions (e.g., development of soft underfoot conditions due to weather, packing of road surfaces due to increased traffic, etc.), or the user may change the route, necessitating re-segmenting. As used herein, “continuously” may mean repeated multiple times, including repeating regularly or periodically.”
Claim 31 Discloses: (New)
“The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the revised operation plan presented comprises a change in a size of the work area compared to the initial operation plan.”
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0040]) “The step of calculating required power output from the batteries of the machine may include determining a route, segmenting the route into one or more travel route segments, calculating a predicted energy usage for each segment, totaling the segment energy usage, and assigning routes based on the available charge … In some variations, the route is divided up into many distinct travel route segments based on terrain, areas of a job site where particular tasks are to be performed, intersections, etc. In some variations, the optimized speed for the machine is determined based on historical speeds for same or similar destinations. The route can be revised (e.g., continuously revised) during operation.”
Claims 9-10 and 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vilar in view of Scarlett. (US 5992533 A, hereinafter Scarlett)
Claim 9 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“An apparatus for use in a working machine,”
Vilar teaches, (Abstract, Lines 1-3) “Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically planning the workday of a battery unit powered electric work vehicle.”
“wherein the apparatus comprises: one or more processors; and a memory by the one or more processors, are to cause the one or more processors
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0038], Lines 1-2) “The controller 210 includes or may be associated with a memory unit 212 and a processor 214.”
“identify an operation plan to be performed by the working machine in a work area,”
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0042], Lines 1-4) “Referring generally to FIG. 3, an exemplary method of operation 300 may further be described for planning a workday of the aforementioned battery powered work vehicle 100,” and that, (Paragraph [0033], Lines 16-19) “obstacle sensors may vary for a type of working machine, work area, and/or application, but generally are provided and configured to optimize recognition of obstacles in a working path of the vehicle.”
“wherein the operation plan comprises performing a function at locations in a work path that are separated by a first distance; identify an amount of power required to complete the operation plan; identify an amount of power remaining in one or more batteries of the working machine; revise the operation plan ,”
Vilar teaches, (Abstract) “Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically planning the workday of a battery unit powered electric work vehicle … A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement … The controller may monitor activity and/or consumption rates throughout the day and proactively generate outputs for, e.g., usage optimization,” and that, (Paragraph [0049], Lines 1-10) “Upon receiving or determining the information from the preceding steps, the controller further predicts how much battery charge will need to be consumed to complete the specified missions, i.e., road trips and jobs at each work site (step 310). As previously noted, the controller receives real-time sensor output information regarding the current charge state of the battery unit, wherein the controller may further project whether the current charge state of the battery unit is sufficient to complete the specified missions in the workday (step 312),” as well as, (Paragraph [0051], Lines 12-15) “The controller may be configured to enact interventions for optimization of one or more specified missions, for example to reduce the amount of battery consumption during missions.”
Vilar additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0042], Lines 14-18) “an exemplary workday may include transporting of the work vehicle on-road to one or more destinations (e.g., work sites), completing specified jobs at those work sites, and then returning to a final destination.”
“wherein the revised operation plan comprises performing the function at locations in the work path that are separated by a second distance which is greater than the first distance.”
For the following combination of references, the Examiner is interpreting performing a function in the work path as the tilling of soil, with each pass width created by the tilling implement being the equivalent of the first and second distances claimed.
Vilar does not teach the preceding limitations. However, Vilar does teach that its mission optimization may be applicable to machines with, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 6-7) “one of the aforementioned implements, or, e.g., shovels, blades, tillers, mowers, and the like.”
Scarlett does teach the motivation to arrive at the preceding limitations.
Scarlett teaches an invention in the field or agricultural tillage regarding the, (Abstract, Line 2) “automated control of the widths of tilling implements,” wherein, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.” Despite being directed to a tractor with an internal combustion engine, the Examiner is interpreting the fuel consumption as having the same relationship as battery charge reduction with regards to draught of a plough decreasing both power delivery methods.
Scarlett additionally teaches, (Claim 1, Lines 1-3) “A method of controlling a width-adjustable tillage implement operatively combined with a powered vehicle to till soil,” and that, (Page 9, Column 9, Lines 12-19) “In preferred embodiments of the invention, the transmission ratio, engine speed and (optionally) the implement settings are adjustable to take account of variations in the draft value D in order eg. to optimize workrate, minimize fuel consumption or otherwise control the performance of the vehicle/implement combination.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery electric machine optimization system of Vilar, with capability to adjust its effective tilling width during operation upon a low battery determination, in light of the Scarlett reference, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of being able to save fuel/charge from the powerplant of a vehicle by changing the effective pass width through which its tills the soil. As Scarlett describes, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.”
Claim 10 Discloses: (Currently Amended)
“The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions are configured one or more processors logic to identify the amount of power required to complete the operation plan based on at least one of data related to the working machine, data related to a work area that is related to the operation plan, or third-party data.”
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0008]) “In one exemplary aspect of the above-referenced embodiments, the rates of energy consumption may be predicted based on stored historical information regarding an average energy consumption for the at least one operating mode, and an input amount of time for each associated mission.”
Claim 28 Discloses: (New)
“The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the function comprises soil sampling.”
Vilar does not teach soil sampling. However, Vilar does teach that its mission optimization may be application to machines with, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 6-7) “one of the aforementioned implements, or, e.g., shovels, blades, tillers, mowers, and the like.”
Scarlett does teach the preceding limitations
Scarlett teaches. (Page 9, Column 10, Lines 56-62) “During passes along the field, the software acquires data on the soil strength by measuring the draft experienced between the tractor and the plough, preferably at a sampling rate of equal to or greater than 4 Hz. This sampling rate has been found to provide adequate reaction times for the apparatus of the invention when eg. sudden changes in soil strength are encountered.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the battery electric machine optimization system of Vilar, with the an explicit soil strength sampling methodology as taught by Scarlett, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of sampling soil in order to mitigate draught to improve vehicle efficiency. As Scarlett describes the capability for, (Page 5, Column 2, Lines 47-48) “adjusting the width of the implement, in dependence on the second characteristic soil strength value.”
Claim 29 Discloses: (New)
“The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the identified operation plan comprises performing one or more traversals of a work area with the function performed at locations that are separated by the first distance, and the revised operation plan comprises performing one or more traversals of the work area with the function performed at locations that are separated by the second distance.”
For the following combination of references, the Examiner is interpreting performing a function in the work path as the tilling of soil, with each pass width created by the tilling implement being the equivalent of the first and second distances claimed.
Vilar does not teach the preceding limitations. However, Vilar does teach that its mission optimization may be applicable to machines with, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 6-7) “one of the aforementioned implements, or, e.g., shovels, blades, tillers, mowers, and the like.”
Vilar additionally teaches, (Abstract) “Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically planning the workday of a battery unit powered electric work vehicle … A battery unit discharges energy for at least assisting with actuation of the traveling devices and/or work implement … The controller may monitor activity and/or consumption rates throughout the day and proactively generate outputs for, e.g., usage optimization,” and that, (Paragraph [0049], Lines 1-10) “Upon receiving or determining the information from the preceding steps, the controller further predicts how much battery charge will need to be consumed to complete the specified missions, i.e., road trips and jobs at each work site (step 310). As previously noted, the controller receives real-time sensor output information regarding the current charge state of the battery unit, wherein the controller may further project whether the current charge state of the battery unit is sufficient to complete the specified missions in the workday (step 312),” as well as, (Paragraph [0051], Lines 12-15) “The controller may be configured to enact interventions for optimization of one or more specified missions, for example to reduce the amount of battery consumption during missions.”
Scarlett does teach the motivation to arrive at the preceding limitations.
Scarlett teaches an invention in the field or agricultural tillage regarding the, (Abstract, Line 2) “automated control of the widths of tilling implements,” and that, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.” Despite being directed to a tractor with an internal combustion engine, the Examiner is interpreting the fuel consumption as having the same relationship as battery charge reduction with regards to draught of a plough decreasing both power delivery methods.
Scarlett additionally teaches, (Claim 1, Lines 1-3) “A method of controlling a width-adjustable tillage implement operatively combined with a powered vehicle to till soil,” and that, (Page 9, Column 9, Lines 12-19) “In preferred embodiments of the invention, the transmission ratio, engine speed and (optionally) the implement settings are adjustable to take account of variations in the draft value D in order eg. to optimize workrate, minimize fuel consumption or otherwise control the performance of the vehicle/implement combination.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery electric machine optimization system of Vilar, with capability to adjust its effective tilling width during operation upon a low battery determination, in light of the Scarlett reference, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of being able to save fuel/charge from the powerplant of a vehicle by changing the effective pass width through which its tills the soil. As Scarlett describes, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.”
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Braunstein in view of Vilar, further in view of Yamaguchi et al. (WO 2024/150639 A1, hereinafter Yamaguchi)
Claim 21 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of thresholds comprise a first threshold and a second threshold which is greater than the first threshold; … and when the degree of difference is greater than the second threshold, the one or more circuits are configured to transmit a notification to the operator to indicate that the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries is less than the amount of power required to complete the operation plan, and to indicate that feedback from the operator is required.”
Braunstein does not explicitly teach the preceding limitations. Vilar does teach the preceding limitations.
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 1-9) “The embodiment of the illustrated method 300 in FIG. 3 enables an operator to provide a specified list of missions and a sequence thereof, wherein the controller projects a necessary charge of the battery unit to complete the associated workday. In one exemplary embodiment, the controller only intervenes with the operator selections when the necessary charge state for completion of the workday is less than (or within a threshold margin of safety with respect to) the actual charge state of the battery unit,” and that, (Paragraph [0056]) “The controller may still further or alternatively be configured to optimize a sequence of operating modes associated with a specified mission at a work site, for the purpose of minimizing battery consumption in completing the mission … In either of these embodiments, the controller may automatically implement changes in the operating parameters of the work vehicle for optimization purposes, or the controller may generate recommended settings for operator confirmation or implementation thereof.”
“when the degree of difference is greater than the first threshold but not the second threshold, the one or more circuits are configured to transmit a notification to the operator to indicate that the amount of power remaining in the one or more batteries is less than the amount of power required to complete the operation plan, and to indicate that feedback from the operator is not required;”
Vilar does not teach the preceding limitations. However, it would be obvious to modify Vilar in light of Yamaguchi to arrive at the preceding limitations.
Yamaguchi teaches an, (Paragraph [0001]) “electric work machine, a control system for an electric work machine, and a control method for an electric work machine,” wherein (Paragraph [0075]) “The movement possibility determination unit 47 determines whether or not the electric shovel 100 can move to the charging facility 50 based on the acquired signal indicating the required amount of electricity and the signal indicating the remaining charge. Specifically, the movement possibility determination unit 47 determines whether the remaining charge is equal to or less than the required amount of electricity (remaining charge≦required amount of electricity) (step S6: FIG. 4). It is also possible to output notification information earlier in step S8 described later by adding a predetermined margin to the required amount of electricity.”
Yamaguchi additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0065]) “The notification control unit 48 controls the notification device 25 and the display device 63 of the remote control device 60 based on the acquired determination signal and difference signal,” and that, (Paragraph [0066], Lines 3-5) “The notification device 25 may also change the form of the alarm output depending on the magnitude of the difference between the required amount of electricity and the remaining charge amount in the differential signal.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further combine the references to include a modification towards what type notification is outputted when the threshold margin of safety condition is met within Vilar, with the ability to add a margin of safety by notifying a work machine user when there SOC is close to, but not less than the amount of charge to reach a particular destination as taught by Yamaguchi, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of implementing a margin of safety in the charge calculations so operators don’t become stranded, while still keeping them up to date of situation where the SOC required to reach a destination is within a tight margin. As Yamaguchi describes, (Paragraph [0075], Lines 6-8) “It is also possible to output notification information earlier in step S8 described later by adding a predetermined margin to the required amount of electricity,” and further that, (Paragraph [0089]) “According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the controller 40 changes the alarm output format in accordance with the difference between the required amount of electricity and the remaining amount of charge in the storage battery. This allows the operator to properly grasp the remaining battery charge.”
Claims 24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Braunstein in view of Vilar, further in view of Scarlett.
Claim 24 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the revised operation plan changes a work implement being used for the operation plan.”
Braunstein does not teach the preceding limitations, however, Braunstein does teach the following.
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0075], Lines 11-13) “A manned machine may perform some type of operation associated with an industry such as mining, construction, farming, freighting, or another industry.”
Vilar does not teach the preceding limitations, however, Vilar does teach the following.
Vilar teaches, (Paragraph [0006], Lines 1-6) “a self-propelled work vehicle as disclosed herein comprises a chassis supported by a plurality of traveling devices, the chassis further supporting one or more work implements. A battery unit is configured to discharge energy for at least assisting with actuation of one or more of the traveling devices and the work implements.”
Scarlet does teach the preceding limitations.
Scarlet teaches an invention in the field or agricultural tillage regarding the, (Abstract, Line 2) “automated control of the widths of tilling implements,” and that, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.”
Scarlet additionally teaches, (Claim 1, Lines 1-3) “A method of controlling a width-adjustable tillage implement operatively combined with a powered vehicle to till soil,” and that, (Page 9, Column 9, Lines 12-19) “In preferred embodiments of the invention, the transmission ratio, engine speed and (optionally) the implement settings are adjustable to take account of variations in the draft value D in order eg. to optimize workrate, minimize fuel consumption or otherwise control the performance of the vehicle/implement combination.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery electric machine optimization systems of Braunstein and Vilar with the capability to change the form/function of a tilling implement at taught by Scarlett, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of being able to save fuel/charge form the powerplant of a vehicle by changing the effective pass width through which its tills the soil. As Scarlett describes, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.”
Claim 26 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to cause the working machine to perform a function at locations in a work path that are separated by a specified distance, and the revised the operation plan increases the specified distance.”
For the following combination of references, the Examiner is interpreting performing a function in the work path as the tilling of soil, with each pass width created by the tilling implement being the equivalent of the distances claimed.
Braunstein does not teach the preceding limitations.
However, Braunstein does teach the following.
Braunstein teaches, (Paragraph [0075], Lines 11-13) “A manned machine may perform some type of operation associated with an industry such as mining, construction, farming, freighting, or another industry.”
Vilar does not teach the preceding limitations. However, Vilar does teach that its mission optimization may be applicable to machines with, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 6-7) “one of the aforementioned implements, or, e.g., shovels, blades, tillers, mowers, and the like.”
Scarlett does teach the motivation to arrive at the preceding limitations.
Scarlett teaches an invention in the field or agricultural tillage regarding the, (Abstract, Line 2) “automated control of the widths of tilling implements,” and that, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate.” Despite being directed to a tractor with an internal combustion engine, the Examiner is interpreting the fuel consumption as having the same relationship as battery charge reduction with regards to draught of a plough decreasing both power delivery methods.
Scarlett additionally teaches, (Claim 1, Lines 1-3) “A method of controlling a width-adjustable tillage implement operatively combined with a powered vehicle to till soil,” and that, (Page 9, Column 9, Lines 12-19) “In preferred embodiments of the invention, the transmission ratio, engine speed and (optionally) the implement settings are adjustable to take account of variations in the draft value D in order eg. to optimize workrate, minimize fuel consumption or otherwise control the performance of the vehicle/implement combination.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery electric machine optimization system of Vilar, with capability to lengthen its effective tilling width during operation upon a sufficient battery determination, in light of the Scarlet reference, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of being able to increase the tilling rate of a plough when the is sufficient power (charge and/or fuel) available for the operation. As Scarlett describes, (Page 5, Column 1, Lines 30-34) “increasing the plough width increases the draught experienced by the tractor, ie. the force needed to pull the plough through the soil. This tends to increase the tractor's fuel consumption rate at a given speed, because of a need to fuel the tractor engine at a higher rate,” and that, (Page 5, Column 1, Lies 26-27) “When a plough is adjusted to a wide setting the width of tillage increases correspondingly.”
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Braunstein in view of Vilar, further in view of Subramanian et al. (US 2024/0147889 A1, hereinafter Subramanian)
Claim 25 Discloses: (New)
“The working machine of claim 1, wherein the revised operation plan reduces a number of passes to traverse a work area.”
The optimization systems of Braunstein and Vilar do not teach the preceding limitations.
However, Subramanian does teach the preceding limitations.
Subramanian teaches, (Abstract, Lines 1-3) “Systems and methods are provided for guidance and/or automation of work vehicles operating within defined work areas,” wherein, (Paragraph [0056], Lines 1-17) “In various embodiments, selection of a revised vehicle path 410 may for example be made based upon one or more specified quality metrics using executed optimization routines and corresponding models which may be predetermined or developed over time, extracted from data storage based on dynamic input data sets, and the like … Exemplary quality metrics may include optimization of a work vehicle footprint, such as reducing an amount of work area traversed or an amount of a particular portion of the work area traversed for at least a current work vehicle path, and/or optimization of work coverage by the work vehicle or a plurality of work vehicles including the work vehicle, such as maximizing an amount of at least a portion of the work area to be traversed with a minimal number of work vehicle passes /turns.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the systems of Braunstein and Vilar, with the methodology to mitigate a vehicle’s footprint by minimizing the number of vehicle passes at taught by Subramanian, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of covering the whole desired work area, while still accounting for cost and time parameters. As Subramanian describes, (Paragraph [0004], Lines 1-5) “It would accordingly be desirable to … dynamically select or even establish turn types in such a way that the work vehicle covers the entire work area,” and that, (Paragraph [0056], Lines 18-21) “Optimization routines may in various embodiments further account for various current work vehicle operating characteristics and conditions, cost parameters, time parameters, operator parameters, and the like.”
RELEVANT, BUT NOT CITED PRIOR ART
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Wulf et al. (US 2023/0419208 A1) teaches, (Paragraph [0015]) “FIGS. 2B, 2D, and 2F illustrate a scenario for monitoring the state-of-charge and/or state-of-health of batteries associated with work machines operating at a worksite, according to aspects of the disclosure.”
Lane et al. (US 2023/0194281 A1) teaches, (Abstract, Lines 1-8) “A control system for a battery electric machine (BEM) predicts the energy requirement of the BEM to complete one or more travel route segments along a path traversed by the BEM. The control system calculates the actual energy consumption of the BEM in completing the one or more travel route segments, compares the actual energy consumption with the predicted energy requirement, and updates the predicted energy requirement.”
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 ALEXANDER V. GENTILE whose telephone number is (703)756-1501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-5.
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/ALEXANDER V GENTILE/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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