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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figures 4 and 11 each have multiple figures that should be labeled separately. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
On page 6, lines 12 and 16, reference number “120” is used to designate the “mounting interface” and the “bore”, respectively; on page 7, lines 2 and 3, reference numbers “160” and “120” are used to designate the “center of bore”; page 9, 3rd line from bottom of page, it appears that “load block 500” should be ---load block 100---; and on page 10, last paragraph, reference number “140” is used to designate “winch arrangement” and “cable”. The entire specification should be carefully checked for similar issues.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to Claim 5, the recitation “the column” lacks positive antecedent basis in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bull et al (EP 3369865 A1).
With respect to Claim 1, Bull et al disclose control circuitry for a crane 100, comprising: an input interface 865 configured to receive readings of sensors sensing operating parameters of the crane; an output interface 870 to output control data to cause actuators of the crane to perform a motion; and a compute circuit 805 configured to control the operation of the crane such that a boom system 140 of the crane is automatically transferred from an arbitrary working position to a transport position (“stowage position”).
With respect to Claim 2, Bull et al disclose control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is configured to control the operation of the boom system 140 such that extensions of booms of the boom system are retracted.
With respect to Claim 3, Bull discloses control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is configured to control the operation of the boom system 140 such that a column 130 of the crane is rotated such that a boom of the boom system is positioned at a determined slew angle (position of cab 130 relative to the undercarriage 125).
With respect to Claim 4, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is configured to control the operation of the boom system 140 to perform a stow sequence, wherein the stow sequence comprises the boom system being transferred to an intermediate position (any position between an arbitrary position and the stowage position can be construed as an intermediate position); and the boom system being transferred from the intermediate position to the transport position upon receipt of a user input (via 865).
With respect to Claim 5, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate position (any position between an arbitrary position and the stowage position can be construed as an intermediate position) is given by a determined slew angle and by a determined elevation angle between the column and a boom of the boom system.
With respect to Claim 6, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is further configured to automatically transfer the boom system 140 from a transport position to a determined working position (via boom extension controlling unit 885).
With respect to Claim 7, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the input interface is configured to receive a reading of a boom angle sensor indicating at least one boom angle parameter of the crane; receive a reading of a boom extension sensor indicating a length extension parameter of the boom; receive at least one of a sensor reading of a slew angle sensor indicating an angle of rotation of the column of the crane (see paragraph [0047]).
With respect to Claim 8, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 7, wherein the input interface is further configured to receive a signal from a remote control (para. [0039], lines7-8, “remote control system”), the signal indicating a speed of movement of the actuators.
With respect to Claim 9, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is configured to control the operation of the boom system 140 to perform a stow sequence (“stowage position”), wherein the stow sequence comprises the boom system of the crane being automatically transferred from the arbitrary working position to the transport position; and controllably moving a load block 142 of the crane into a load block transport position (position of load block 142 in Fig. 1).
With respect to Claim 10, Bull et al disclose the control circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the compute circuit 805 is configured to control the operation of the boom system 140 to perform a deploy sequence, wherein the deploy sequence comprises the boom system being automatically transferred from a transport position to a determined working position (via 885); and controllably moving a load block 142 of the crane into a load block working position (lowered position of block 142).
With respect to Claim 11, Bull et al disclose a remote control unit (para. [0039], lines 8-9, “remote control system”) to wirelessly interact with control circuitry according to claim 1, the remote control unit comprising a user interface (interface of the remote control system) configured to enable a stow function causing the control circuitry to transfer the boom system from the arbitrary working position to the transport position.
With respect to Claim 12, Bull et al disclose the remote control unit of claim 11, wherein the user interface is further configured to enable a deploy function causing the control circuitry to transfer the boom system 140 from the transport position to the determined working position.
With respect to Claim 17, Bull et al disclose a method to control a crane, comprising: receive an input signal (from stowage position sensing unit 880) indicating a stow function of the crane; and control (via computing device 805) the operation of the crane such that a boom system 140 of the crane is automatically transferred from an arbitrary working position to a transport position (“stowage position”).
With respect to Claim 18, Bull et al disclose the method of claim 17, further comprising: receive an input signal (given by boom extension controlling unit 885) indicating a deploy function of the crane; and control the operation of the crane such that the boom system 140 of the crane is automatically transferred from the transport position to a determined working position.
With respect to Claim 19, Bull et al disclose computer program having a program code (see paragraph [0046]) causing the performance of a method according to claim 17 if the program code is executed by a processor 810.
With respect to Claim 20, Bull et al disclose a crane 100 comprising: a boom system 140 mounted on a rotatable column 130; and control circuitry 805 according to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-16 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.
Claim 13 is allowed over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest the entire combination of elements set forth including the remote control unit according to claim 11, the remote control unit further comprising a control switch, wherein the stow function is interrupted based on a status of the control switch.
Claim 14 is allowed over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest the entire combination of elements set forth including a selector, wherein the stow function is enabled if the selector is operated in a first state, and the deploy function is enabled if the selector is operated in a second state being different to the first state.
Claim 15 is allowed over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest the entire combination of elements set forth including the remote control unit further comprising a input device configured to generate a signal in response to a user input, the remote control unit being configured to cause the control circuitry to cause the actuators of the crane to perform motion at a speed associated to the signal while transferring the boom system from the arbitrary working position to the transport position.
Claim 16 is allowed over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest the entire combination of elements set forth including the input device comprises a proportional input device configured to generate a proportional signal in response to a user input.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art shows various crane control systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMMANUEL M MARCELO whose telephone number is (571)272-6949. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:00 am-3:30pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Victoria P Augustine can be reached at (313) 446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EMMANUEL M MARCELO/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3654
/emm/