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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/21/2026. It is noted that while applicant indicated an election with traverse, no arguments supporting the traversal have been submitted, therefore, the claims are considered elected without traverse.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5-7, 9-14, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McCracken US5005344 in view of Hinsey, et al. US5052630 and Martinsson US10149434.
Regarding claim 1, McCracken teaches a brush cutter (Figure 1) comprising:
a support structure 32;
a hydraulic motor 64 having first and second ports (connecting to hoses 66 shown in Figure 1, wherein ports for these two hoses are necessarily provided to enable fluid communication to the motor) whereby a shaft 66b (it is noted that Figure 4 shows shaft 66, but also hoses 66. Therefore, the shaft 66 of the motor 64 will hereinafter be referred to as 66b to distinguish over the hoses 66) of the hydraulic motor 64 rotates in a first direction when pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to the first port, and the shaft 66b rotates in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction when pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to the second port (Column 5: 6-10 “The hydraulic power can be activated, and through the use of pedals or other actuators which control hydraulic valves, the fluid can be forced to flow in either direction through the motor, resulting in a blade rotation in the preferred direction. Alternatively, the hoses could be reversed to yield the desired blade rotation”);
a rotating blade assembly 54 operably connected to the shaft 66b of the hydraulic motor 64, with blade 56;
first and second hydraulic lines 66 fluidly coupled to the first and second ports (connecting to 66) of the hydraulic motor 64, respectively, wherein the first and second hydraulic lines 66 are configured to be fluidly coupled to first and second ports (connecting to 66) of a hydraulic system of a vehicle to provide hydraulic power to rotate the hydraulic motor 64;
first and second quick hydraulic couplers (column 4: 13-17 "The hoses 66 may be equipped with conventional quick connect couplings (not shown) which permit them to be quickly connected to and disconnected from the motor 64 and/or the hydraulic pump 67 on the machine") fluidly coupled to the first and second hydraulic lines 66, wherein each quick hydraulic coupler has first and second ports (necessarily connecting to 66) that can be disconnected and reconnected to:
2) change which one of the first and second hydraulic lines 66 is fluidly coupled to the first port of the hydraulic motor 64 and change which one of the first and second hydraulic lines 66 is fluidly coupled to the second port of the hydraulic motor 64 to change a direction of rotation of the shaft 66b of the hydraulic motor 64 without changing a flow direction (as described above) of hydraulic fluid from first and second ports (connecting to 66) of a hydraulic system of a vehicle.
McCracken further teaches a valve for controlling fluid flow (Column 5: 6-9 “The hydraulic power can be activated, and through the use of pedals or other actuators which control hydraulic valves, the fluid can be forced to flow in either direction through the motor”).
McCracken does not teach the blade assembly including at least one blade having a first cutting edge that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a first cutting direction, and a second cutting edge that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a second cutting direction that is opposite the first cutting direction, wherein the first cutting edge is serrated and the second cutting edge is not serrated; and does not teach that the valve is a check valve fluidly coupled to the first and second hydraulic lines whereby the check valve permits flow of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines 66 in a first direction, and restricts flow of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines 66 in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.
Martinsson teaches a blade assembly 20, for cutting brush (such as for a trimmer for yard maintenance as described in Column 1: 14-17) including at least one blade 25 having a first cutting edge 142 that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a first cutting direction (clockwise), and a second cutting edge 140 that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a second cutting direction A (counter clockwise) that is opposite the first cutting direction (as shown in Figure 3), wherein the first cutting edge 142 is serrated (Column 6: 48-51 “edge portion 142 may be a saw blade or a blade having teeth or other jagged cutting surfaces to facilitate cutting of thicker or heavier vegetation”, wherein the teeth/jagged cutting surfaces are the same as the claimed serrated edge) and the second cutting edge 140 is not serrated (wherein 140 is straight without serrated teeth, as shown in Figure 3). This provides different cutting functions of the blade Column 7: 59-34 (“different types of functions may be associated with each different direction of rotation, using the same blade do to the differently structured blade portions. The different types of cutting functions may include chopping, cutting, sawing, mulching, pulverizing, edging, or other like functions”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify McCracken’s blade to be Martinsson’s blade with two types of cutting edges, such that different cutting functions can be achieved, depending on the rotation direction of the blade.
Hinsey, et al. teaches a hydraulic control system (Figure 11) to control and drive hydraulic motor 30 to drive a cutter 20 using pump 232, with a check valve 288 fluidly coupled to the first and second hydraulic lines (see Figure A below, annotated to show first horizontal line leading to the right side of motor 30, and second line leading vertically from the left side of motor 30) whereby the check valve permits flow of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines in a first direction (via the arrows shown in either 286 or 288), and restricts flow (due to the arrows only permitting flow in one direction) of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction (due to their directionality, indicated by the arrows for respective 286 and 288). Check valve 285 is as afety valve that prevents pressure from damaging the motor (Column 8: 44-50 “Should the pressure on either side of the hydraulic circuit, i.e., in hydraulic line 282 or 284, rise to a level that potentially could damage hydraulic motor 30, one or the other of pressure relief valves 286 or 288 would open by-passing the excessive pressure to the other side of the hydraulic circuit”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify McCracken’s valves to be Hinsey, et al.’s check valves, to prevent excess pressure damaging the motor.
Regarding claim 2, McCracken teaches the claim, as described above, but does not teach a third hydraulic line having a first end fluidly coupled to a first port of the check valve, and a second end that is detachably connected to the first hydraulic line by the first quick hydraulic coupler; a fourth hydraulic line having a first end fluidly coupled to a second port of the check valve, and a second end that is detachably connected to the second hydraulic line by the second hydraulic coupler; whereby the second ends of the third and fourth hydraulic lines can be disconnected from the first and second hydraulic lines 66, respectively and connected to the other of the first and second hydraulic lines 66, respectively, to thereby reverse the orientation of the check valve relative to the first and second hydraulic lines 66.
Hinsey, et al. teaches a third hydraulic line ( as shown in Figure A, below, annotated from Hinsey, et al. Figure 11) having a first end fluidly coupled to a first port (wherein check valve 288 necessarily has a port to enable fluid flow from the line) of the check valve 288 and a second end (top of the line); a fourth hydraulic line (between 240 and 242) having a first end (bottom of the fourth hydraulic line leading to 240) fluidly coupled to a second port of the check valve (wherein 240 necessarily has a port to permit fluid communication), and a second end 242 that is connected to second hydraulic line (the vertical line from 242 thru 260).
PNG
media_image1.png
354
583
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Figure A: annotated Figure 11, Hinsey, et al.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify McCracken’s hydraulic lines to include third and fourth hydraulic lines, to provide replaceable connections between the inlet and outlet for the check valve.
It would have been obvious to combine Hinsey, et al.’s third and fourth lines with their respective first and second lines to detachably connect the third hydraulic line to the first hydraulic line by the first quick hydraulic coupler, using the quick hydraulic coupler of McCracken as a known means for providing fluid connection between the lines; whereby the second ends of the third and fourth hydraulic lines can be disconnected from the first and second hydraulic lines 66 of McCracken, respectively and connected to the other of the first and second hydraulic lines 66, respectively, to thereby reverse the orientation of the check valve relative to the first and second hydraulic lines, and enable replacement of defective lines for repair.
Regarding claims 5 and 17, McCracken teaches that:
the check valve is mounted to the support structure (since the 12 is provided as a cohesive unit, the valve must necessarily be mounted to the support to travel with the support).
Regarding claim 6, McCracken teaches that:
the first hydraulic line includes first and second portions (portion attached at 64, and the other portion leading to the pump) that are fluidly coupled by the first quick hydraulic coupler (wherein, as described above, each line 66 has quick connection couplers);
the second hydraulic line includes first and second portions (portion attached at 64, and the other portion leading to the pump) that are fluidly coupled by the second quick hydraulic coupler (wherein, as described above, each line 66 has quick connection couplers);
and:
the first and second quick couplers can be disconnected and reconnected (as recited above).
McCracken does not teach that the second portion of the first hydraulic line can be fluidly coupled to the first portion of the second hydraulic line, and the second portion of the second hydraulic line can be fluidly connected to the first portion of the first hydraulic line to thereby change a direction of rotation of the shaft 66b of the hydraulic motor 64 without changing a flow direction of hydraulic fluid of a hydraulic system of a motor vehicle.
Hinsey, et al. teaches a first line with a first portion (the first hydraulic line annotated in Figure A above) with a second portion (third hydraulic line, as shown in Figure A, below, annotated from Hinsey, et al. Figure 11); a second hydraulic line with a first portion (the second hydraulic line as shown in Figure A above) a second portion (a fourth hydraulic line (between 240 and 242) having a first end (bottom of the fourth hydraulic line leading to 240), as shown in Figure A above).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date to modify McCracken in view of Hinsey, et al. such that the first line has a first and second portion, and the second line has a first and second portion, such that the second portion of the second line can be fluidly connected to the first portion of the first line to change the direction of rotation of the shaft, and provide connection with the check valve, thus preventing excess fluid pressure from damaging the motor.
Regarding claim 7, McCracken teaches that:
the first portions of the first and second hydraulic lines 66 are configured to be fluidly coupled to a hydraulic system (including pump 67) of a vehicle (the forklift or front-loading machine described in Column 1: 8-9.
Regarding claim 9, Martinsson teaches that: the second cutting edge 140 of the blade is straight (as shown in Figure 3, wherein 140 is shown at least generally straight for at least a majority of its length).
Regarding claims 10 and 14, Martinsson teaches that:
the rotating blade assembly 25 includes a blade holding structure (the latch assembly described in column 3: 56-62 “a latch assembly configured to enable the working assembly 20 to grasp and/or hold the blade assembly 25 during rotation thereof. In some embodiments, the latch assembly may include one or more of a buckle, rod, pin, clamp, or other fastening device that is configured to hold the blade assembly 25 in place during rotation of the working assembly 20”) operably connected to the shaft 110 of the motor 28, and at least three blades (three attached blades are shown approximately 120 degrees apart from each other as shown in Figure 3) pivotably coupled (wherein the blade assembly 25 can rotate with the shaft) to the blade holding structure.
Regarding claim 11, McCracken teaches a vehicle (the fork lift as recited above) including the brush cutter (Figure 1) of claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, McCracken teaches a vehicle (the above described fork lift) comprising:
a vehicle structure (wherein the fork lift necessarily has at least some structure);
a hydraulic pump 67;
a brush cutter (Figure 1) connected to the vehicle structure, the brush cutter (Figure 1) including:
a support structure 32;
a hydraulic motor 64 having a rotatable output shaft 66b;
at least one blade 56 operably connected to the rotatable output shaft 66b,
first and second hydraulic lines 66 fluidly coupling the hydraulic motor 64 to the hydraulic pump;
the vehicle includes a user-operable selector (the pedals or hose reversal described in Column 5: 6-12 “The hydraulic power can be activated, and through the use of pedals or other actuators which control hydraulic valves, the fluid can be forced to flow in either direction through the motor, resulting in a blade rotation in the preferred direction. Alternatively, the hoses could be reversed to yield the desired blade rotation”) that permits a user to cause the hydraulic pump to switch between supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the first hydraulic line and the second hydraulic line whereby a user can select first or second rotation directions by causing the output shaft 66b of the hydraulic motor 64 to rotate in the first direction to cut with the first cutting edge 142 of the at least one blade, or in the second direction to cut with the second cutting edge 140 of the least one blade, and wherein an orientation of the check valve can be switched between first and second orientations by disconnecting and reconnecting the quick couplers (as described above) to prevent flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines 66 as required to provide powered rotation of the output shaft 66b in the first or second direction selected by a user.
McCracken does not teach the at least one blade having first and second opposite cutting edges that are configured to cut when the output shaft 66b is rotated in first and second opposite directions, respectively, wherein the first cutting edge 142 has a first shape that is configured to cut brush and the second cutting edge 140 has a second cutting edge 140 having a second shape that is configured to cut grass, wherein the first and second shapes are not identical; a check valve fluidly coupled to the first and second hydraulic lines 66 by quick couplers;
Martinsson teaches a blade assembly 20, for cutting brush (such as for a trimmer for yard maintenance as described in Column 1: 14-17) including at least one blade 25 having a first cutting edge 142 that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a first cutting direction (clockwise), and a second cutting edge 140 that is configured to cut when the rotating blade assembly rotates in a second cutting direction A (counter clockwise) that is opposite the first cutting direction (as shown in Figure 3), wherein the first cutting edge 142 has a first shape that is serrated (Column 6: 48-51 “edge portion 142 may be a saw blade or a blade having teeth or other jagged cutting surfaces to facilitate cutting of thicker or heavier vegetation”), configured to cut brush (the thicker or heavier vegetation) and the second cutting edge 140 that is a second shape that is not serrated, and thus are not identical to the first cutting shape, configured to cut grass (Column 6: 45-48 “ the first edge portion 140 may be a straight blade forming a knife edge for trimming or cutting grass”). This provides different cutting functions of the blade Column 7: 59-34 (“different types of functions may be associated with each different direction of rotation, using the same blade do to the differently structured blade portions. The different types of cutting functions may include chopping, cutting, sawing, mulching, pulverizing, edging, or other like functions”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify McCracken’s blade to be Martinsson’s blade with two types of cutting edges, such that different cutting functions can be achieved, depending on the rotation direction of the blade.
Hinsey, et al. teaches a hydraulic control system (Figure 11) to control and drive hydraulic motor 30 to drive a cutter 20 using pump 232, with a check valve 288 fluidly coupled to the first and second hydraulic lines (see Figure A below, annotated to show first horizontal line leading to the right side of motor 30, and second line leading vertically from the left side of motor 30) whereby the check valve permits flow of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines in a first direction (via the arrows shown in either 286 or 288), and restricts flow (due to the arrows only permitting flow in one direction) of hydraulic fluid between the first and second hydraulic lines in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction (due to their directionality, indicated by the arrows for respective 286 and 288). Check valve 285 is as afety valve that prevents pressure from damaging the motor (Column 8: 44-50 “Should the pressure on either side of the hydraulic circuit, i.e., in hydraulic line 282 or 284, rise to a level that potentially could damage hydraulic motor 30, one or the other of pressure relief valves 286 or 288 would open by-passing the excessive pressure to the other side of the hydraulic circuit”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify McCracken’s valves to be Hinsey, et al.’s check valves, to prevent excess pressure damaging the motor.
Regarding claim 13, Martinsson teaches that:
the first cutting edge 142 is serrated (as recited above);
the second cutting edge 140 is straight (as recited above).
Claim(s) 3, 4, 8, 15, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McCracken in view of Hinsey, et al. and Martinsson as applied to claims 1 and 12 above, and further in view of Graber US2021/0022285.
Regarding claims 3 and 15, the combination teaches the claim, as described above, but does not teach that: each quick hydraulic coupler includes releasably interconnected first and second parts; the first hydraulic line includes first and second portions that are fluidly coupled to first and second ports (connecting to 66), respectively, of a first fitting, the first fitting having a third port that is fluidly coupled to the first port of the first quick coupler, and wherein the second port of the first quick coupler is connected to the second end of the third hydraulic line; and
the second hydraulic line includes first and second portions that are fluidly coupled to first and second ports (connecting to 66), respectively of a second fitting, the second fitting having a third port that is fluidly coupled to the first port of the second quick coupler, and wherein the second port of the second quick coupler is connected to the second end of the fourth hydraulic line.
As described above, McCracken teaches quick coupler connections are used, but does not provide details on the coupler.
Graber teaches that it is known in the art for providing hydraulic control for an attachment system with hydraulic lines (8-10) connected using hydraulic couplers (shown in Figure 7. Figure B, below, annotates to identify at least one of the t-shaped hydraulic coupler) that include releasably interconnected first (right side of the coupler) and second parts (left side of the coupler).
The first fitting necessarily has first and second ports to permit fluid to enter and leave the fitting, to connect to the second fitting and to the line providing flow direction H. The second fitting, similarly, necessarily has a third and fourth port that are connected respectively to the first fitting’s ports and the line 8.
PNG
media_image2.png
367
482
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Figure B: annotated Figure 7, Graber.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify the combination’s quick connection and hydraulic lines to have the quick connectors with releasably interconnected first and second parts, to form desired hydraulic fluid connections, to interconnect the hydraulic lines as claimed. This is a notoriously well-known means for providing releasable fluid flow between various lines and sections of a hydraulic system.
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Grabber teaches that:
the first and second fittings comprise T-fittings (wherein the t-shaped hydraulic coupler is considered a t-fitting due to the capital T-shape shown in Figure 7).
Regarding claim 8, the combination teaches the claim, as described above, but does not teach the check valve is fluidly coupled to the first portions of the first and second hydraulic lines by first and second T-fittings. It is noted that Hinsey, et al. shows a t-shape branch to the left and right of safety valve 285, but does not explicitly teach that this is a t-fitting.
Grabber teaches T-fittings (wherein the t-shaped hydraulic coupler is considered a t-fitting due to the capital T-shape shown in Figure 7) to provide fluid flow through the line 8 and to a separate hydraulic pathway (to 5a) to provide fluid through the separate hydraulic pathway.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date. to modify the combination’s connections to the check valve to be a T-fitting as a known means to provide a separate hydraulic pathway, such as to the safety check valve of the combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Williams US4452400 teaches a rotary shredding apparatus with blades 20, in Figure 5: ports 34 and 35 provide alternating inlet and outlets for hydraulic fluid depending on direction of rotation of hydraulic motor 17; hoses 17a; control valve 33 changes inlet and outlet for the hoses and the ports.
Fackrell, et al. US20028/0157365 teaches a mower with reversible hydrostatic pumps with control valves (clockwise, counterclockwise, and neutral positions); Figure 1a: hydraulic motor 42; housing 176; mower blade 178. Figure 7: 1st pump 22 drives 1st pump circuit 52; hydraulic motors 42; 2nd pump 24 with hydraulic motors 42; 3rd pump 26 drives circuit 104; 4th pump 106 for traction motor circuit 110; 5th pump 108 w/ 2nd traction motor circuit 132; supply hoses/lines 30, 32, 34, 112, 114.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Cathleen Hutchins whose telephone number is (571)270-3651. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 11am-9:30PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Coy can be reached at (571)272-5405. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CATHLEEN R HUTCHINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3672 5/7/2026
Prosecution Insights