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 .
This action is in response to the request for continued examination filed on 05/13/2026, in which claims 1, 3, 5-18, and 20-23 are currently pending and addressed below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/13/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With respect to the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections:
Applicant argues on pages 12-15 of the remarks that none of the cited references disclose the amended limitations of the claims. Applicant argues on pages 12-13 of the remarks that Shirao 1 and Kato fail to disclose repeatedly calculating an angle for a watercraft to turn, and performing a two-step control of a turning operation followed by a navigation operation. Applicant argues on pages 14-15 of the remarks that Kato fails to teach the claimed turning operation using thrusters. Applicant additionally argues on page 15 of the remarks that Watanabe fails to teach driving only one thruster to execute a turning operation, followed by driving both thrusters to execute a navigation operation, as recited in amended claim 20.
In response to applicant’s arguments, the examiner respectfully disagrees that none of the cited references disclose the amended limitations of the independent claims. Shirao et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0294803 A1 (hereinafter Shirao 2), discloses the amended limitations of independent claims 1 and 18 for the reasons explained in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections below. Examiner notes Shirao 2 was previously cited in the rejection of claim 6 in the final rejection dated 03/25/2026.
Specifically, Shirao 2 teaches a two-step control by first controlling a watercraft to turn if an angular difference exceeds a threshold, and then performing a second control to decrease the separation distance until a threshold value is reached (see at least Shirao 2 [0084]-[0089], [0057]-[0058]). Shirao 2 additionally teaches repeatedly calculating an angular difference and performing feedback control to decrease the angular difference (Shirao 2 [0061]-[0062]). Therefore, the combination of the cited references teach the entirety of the amended limitations of independent claims 1 and 18.
In response to claim 20, the examiner respectfully disagrees that the combination of cited references fail to teach the entirety of the amended claim. The combination of Shirao 2 and Watanabe teach the entirety of claim 20 for the reasons explained in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection below. Specifically, the combination of Shirao 2 and Watanabe teach performing a turning operation to decrease the angular difference by driving only one thruster, and then performing a navigation operation by driving both thrusters. Shirao 2 teaches controlling a watercraft to first perform turning to decrease an angular difference below a threshold, and then perform control to decrease the separation distance until a threshold value is reached (see at least Shirao 2 [0084]-[0089], [0057]-[0058]). Watanabe teaches using only one thruster to complete a turning operation and using both thrusters to complete a navigation operation to move forward (see at least Watanabe [0090],[0061]). Therefore, the combination of Shirao 2 and Watanabe teach the amended limitations of claim 20.
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and have been found not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Shirao 1 and Kato teaching the amended limitations of the independent claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on Shirao 1 or Kato for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 5-9, 11-18, and 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shirao et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0227135 A1 (hereinafter Shirao 1), in view of Kato et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0054594 A1 (hereinafter Kato), and further in view of Shirao et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0294803 A1 (hereinafter Shirao 2).
Regarding claim 1, Shirao 1 discloses a watercraft (Shirao 1 Fig. 1) comprising:
a watercraft body (see at least Shirao 1 [0030]: “The watercraft 11 of the first embodiment is, for example, a personal watercraft (PWC) (a water-motorcycle) having functions similar to those of the PWC described in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent No. 5196649.”);
an engine that imparts the watercraft body with a propulsion force (see at least Shirao 1 [0031]: “The actuator 11A has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11. The actuator 11A includes, for example, the engine”);
a steering thruster assembly that changes a travel direction of the watercraft body (see at least Shirao 1 [0031]: “The actuator 11A has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11.”);
and control circuitry configured to set a destination of the watercraft body and execute automatic navigation control of controlling the engine and the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body moves toward the set destination (see at least Shirao 1 [0051]: “The location of the communication device 12 detected by the communication device location detection unit 12A is used for controlling the automatic maneuvering mode of the watercraft control device 11C.”),
wherein: the control circuitry is configured to vary control patterns of the engine and the steering thruster assembly in the automatic navigation control depending on a combination of an angular difference between a destination direction that is a direction from the watercraft body toward the destination and the travel direction of the watercraft body, and a separation distance from the watercraft body to the destination (see at least Shirao 1 [0086]: “For example, the watercraft control device 11C executes a control process of decreasing an angle difference between a heading angle of the watercraft 11 and an azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 and decreasing a distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 in the automatic maneuvering mode.”),
the control circuitry is configured to acquire the angular difference and the separation distance before start of the automatic navigation control (see at least Shirao 1 [0077]-[0084]: “Subsequently, in step S20, the detected location correction unit 11I of the watercraft 11 corrects the location (X3, Y3) of the communication device 12 detected in step S18… Subsequently, in step S26, the watercraft control device 11C of the watercraft 11 operates the actuator 11A on the basis of relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and the heading of the watercraft 11 and starts the control of the automatic maneuvering mode.”),
and when the acquired angular difference exceeds a reference angle and the acquired separation distance exceeds a reference distance, as the automatic navigation control, performs, in this order, a turning operation of turning the watercraft body in a direction in which the angular difference decreases and a navigation operation of moving the watercraft body in a direction of approaching the destination (see at least Shirao 1 [0164]: “Specifically, when the distance between the location of the watercraft 11 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the communication device 12 is greater than a prescribed threshold value, the overboard fall detection unit 11D1 estimates that an occupant of the watercraft 11 has fallen overboard. As a result, a trigger generation unit 11D generates a trigger, a watercraft control device 11C is in an automatic maneuvering mode and operates an actuator 11A on the basis of relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and heading of the watercraft 11.”; [0086]: “For example, the watercraft control device 11C executes a control process of decreasing an angle difference between a heading angle of the watercraft 11 and an azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 and decreasing a distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 in the automatic maneuvering mode.”; [0138]: “Subsequently, in step S46, the watercraft control device 11C of the watercraft 11 operates the actuator 11A on the basis of relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and the heading of the watercraft 11 and starts the control of the automatic maneuvering mode. That is, the watercraft control device 11C operates the actuator 11A on the basis of the location (X7, Y7) of the communication device 12 (see FIG. 7B), the location of the watercraft 11 (X6−ΔX, Y6−ΔY) after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed (see FIG. 7B), and the heading of the watercraft 11.”; operating the actuator includes turning the watercraft body, as evidenced by Shirao 1 [0031])
Shirao 1 fails to expressly disclose acquiring a separation distance after a turning operation and determining whether to transition to a navigation operation based on comparing the separation distance with a reference distance. However, Kato teaches
the control circuitry is configured to acquire the separation distance after the turning operation (see at least Kato [0095]-[0096]: “After that, the control device 400 calculates a propulsion direction in which the watercraft body 100 is to be propelled based on the target location information acquired through the target location information acquisition device (step S36), and controls steering of the watercraft body 100 based on the result of the calculation (step S37). In this manner, the control device 400 operates the watercraft body 100 based on the target location information acquired through the target location information acquisition device. Next, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 has approached the target location to such an extent that the distance to the target location is smaller than a predetermined distance (step S38).”; Kato [0186] discloses the watercraft can perform a U-turn to align the propulsion direction with the target location),
transitions to the navigation operation if the acquired separation distance exceeds the reference distance (see at least Kato [0114]-[0117]: “In step S22, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 is away from a predetermined reference location by a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined distance… Upon determining in step S24 that the mode switching command to perform switching from the watercraft body manipulation mode to the operator-absent manipulation mode has been received (step S24: Yes), the control device 400 proceeds to step S26 and determines that the determination condition is satisfied. After that, the control device 400 ends this process and proceeds to step S3 shown in FIG. 3.”) ,
and stops the automatic navigation control without transitioning to the navigation operation if the acquired separation distance is equal to or less than the reference distance (see at least Kato [0115]-[0118]: “Upon determining in step S22 that the watercraft body 100 is not away from the reference location by a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined distance (step S22: No), the control device 400 proceeds to step S25… In step S25, the control device 400 determines that the determination condition is not satisfied. After that, the control device 400 ends this process, returns to step S1 shown in FIG. 3, and keeps the small watercraft 2 in the watercraft body manipulation mode.”; [0105]: “Another example of the halting condition is that the operator has approached the watercraft body 100. With this halting condition, the control device 400 can execute the halting operation for halting the operator-absent manipulation mode based on the detection of the operator's approaching to or boarding on the watercraft body 100 by the operator's absence information acquisition sensor 17.”),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the watercraft disclosed by Shirao 1 with Kato with reasonable expectation of success. Kato is directed towards the related field of mode switching control for watercrafts. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to modify Shirao 1 with Kato to improve watercraft operator safety (see at least Kato [0203]: “According to such the small watercraft 202, the small watercraft 202 can be propelled in an appropriate propulsion pattern in accordance with the state around the watercraft body 100 and the like. It is possible to enhance safety by, for example, applying the small watercraft system according to the above-described exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like to the small watercraft 220, stopping the engine 210 in a case where the operator's falling overboard is detected, and driving the electric motor 220 so that the watercraft body 100 returns to the falling overboard location.”).
Shirao 1 in view of Kato fail to expressly disclose performing the turning operation by repeatedly calculating the angular difference and performing feedback control to decrease the angular difference. However, Shirao 2 teaches
and the control circuitry is configured to perform the turning operation by repeatedly calculating the angular difference based on position information of the watercraft body and performing feedback control of the engine and the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body turns in a direction in which the repeatedly calculated angular difference decreases (see at least Shirao 2 [0061]: “In detail, in the example shown in FIG. 3B, the watercraft control device 11C performs control based on the angle difference between the heading angle of the watercraft 11 and the azimuth angle of the communication device 12 of the watercraft 11 (for example, feedback control for setting the angle difference to zero) when the first control is executed. Also, the watercraft control device 11C performs control based on the angle difference between the heading angle of the watercraft 11 and the azimuth angle of the communication device 12 of the watercraft 11 (for example, feedback control for setting the angle difference to zero) when the second control is executed.”; [0062]: “Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 3B, the bow of the watercraft 11 can continue to be directed toward the person who has fallen overboard even in the case where the tidal current or wind is strong or the like.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the watercraft disclosed by Shirao 1 in view of Kato with Shirao 2 with reasonable expectation of success. Shirao 2 is directed towards the related field of an automatic maneuvering system for a watercraft. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to modify Shirao 1 in view of Kato with Shirao 2 to appropriately control a watercraft toward an operator (see at least Shirao 2 [0012]: “According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic maneuvering system, a watercraft control device, a watercraft control method, and a program capable of appropriately performing a control process of returning a watercraft toward an occupant at a location away from the watercraft in automatic maneuvering.”).
Regarding claim 3, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Kato further teaches wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to stop the automatic navigation control at a time point when the separation distance becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance after the start of the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0096]-[0098]: “Next, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 has approached the target location to such an extent that the distance to the target location is smaller than a predetermined distance (step S38)… Upon determining in step S38 that the distance D has become equal to or smaller than the reference distance Ds (|P1−P2|≤Ds; step S38: Yes), the control device 400 proceeds to step S39. In step S39, the control device 400 opens the main circuit 65 to stop the drive source 18. Thus, the operator-absent manipulation mode process of step S3 ends.”).
Regarding claim 5, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 2 further teaches wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to perform neither the turning operation nor the navigation operation when the separation distance before the start of the automatic navigation control is equal to or less than the reference distance (see at least Shirao 2 [0084]-[0088]: “In the example shown in FIG. 6, in step S11, for example, the watercraft control device 11C determines whether or not the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than or equal to the third threshold value…On the other hand, when the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than or equal to the third threshold value, the process proceeds to step S15…In step S15, the watercraft control device 11C executes the third control in which the rate of decrease in the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than that when the second control is executed (control in which the rate of decrease in the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 becomes zero), and then proceeds to step S16.”; [0078]: “Likewise, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the watercraft control device 11C executes the third control for decreasing the forward speed of the watercraft 11 to, for example, zero, when the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than or equal to the third threshold value.”).
Regarding claim 6, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 2 further teaches wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to perform the navigation operation without the turning operation when the separation distance exceeds the reference distance and the angular difference is equal to or less than the reference angle before the start of the automatic navigation control (see at least Shirao 2 [0069]-[0070]: “In detail, when the overboard fall detection unit 11D1 has detected the falling of the occupant of the watercraft 11 overboard (the person who has fallen overboard), an angle difference (about 0° (=170°-170°)) between a heading angle of the watercraft 11 (about 170° clockwise in the upward direction of FIG. 4) and an azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 (about 170° clockwise in the upward direction of FIG. 4) is less than or equal to a second threshold value. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the watercraft control device 11C starts control of the automatic maneuvering mode according to the second control without executing the first control. That is, the watercraft control device 11C starts the control of the automatic maneuvering mode by executing the second control for decreasing the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12.”; Fig. 4 shows no first control which includes a turning operation as shown in Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 7, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 further discloses wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to calculate, during the turning operation, the angular difference based on position information of the watercraft body, and controls the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body turns in a direction in which the calculated angular difference decreases (see at least Shirao 1 [0086]: “For example, the watercraft control device 11C executes a control process of decreasing an angle difference between a heading angle of the watercraft 11 and an azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 and decreasing a distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 in the automatic maneuvering mode.”; [0138]: “Subsequently, in step S46, the watercraft control device 11C of the watercraft 11 operates the actuator 11A on the basis of relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and the heading of the watercraft 11 and starts the control of the automatic maneuvering mode.”; operating the actuator includes turning the watercraft body, as evidenced by Shirao 1 [0031]).
Regarding claim 8, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 further discloses wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to calculated, during the navigation operation, the angular difference and the separation distance based on position information of the watercraft body, and controls the engine and the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body moves in a direction in which the calculated angular difference and the calculated separation distance decrease, respectively (see at least Shirao 1 [0086]: “For example, the watercraft control device 11C executes a control process of decreasing an angle difference between a heading angle of the watercraft 11 and an azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 and decreasing a distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 in the automatic maneuvering mode.”).
Regarding claim 9, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Kato further teaches wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to stop the automatic navigation control when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied during the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0096]-[0098]: “Next, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 has approached the target location to such an extent that the distance to the target location is smaller than a predetermined distance (step S38)… Upon determining in step S38 that the distance D has become equal to or smaller than the reference distance Ds (|P1−P2|≤Ds; step S38: Yes), the control device 400 proceeds to step S39. In step S39, the control device 400 opens the main circuit 65 to stop the drive source 18. Thus, the operator-absent manipulation mode process of step S3 ends.”).
Regarding claim 11, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Kato teaches the watercraft further comprising:
a watercraft speed detector that detects a watercraft speed, which is a moving speed of the watercraft body (see at least Kato [0049]: “The drive source control unit 13 is connected to various sensors mounted for the engine so as to be capable of receiving detection signals from the sensors. Thus, the control device 400 can generate operation commands based on information obtained from the sensors. Examples of the sensors include existing sensors used for engines, such as an intake air temperature sensor and an engine speed sensor.”; [0193]: “For example, upon determining that the propulsion speed of the watercraft body 100 has exceeded a predetermined value, the control device 400 may control the bucket actuator 15 such that a jet of water is ejected forward to reduce the propulsion speed of the watercraft body 100.”),
wherein during the navigation operation, the control circuitry is configured to control the engine so that a watercraft speed detected by the watercraft speed detector becomes equal to or less than an upper limit speed lower than a maximum speed set before the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0077]: “In the operator-absent manipulation mode of the present embodiment, the control device 400 moves the watercraft body 100 at a lower propulsion power and a lower speed (e.g., a slow speed) than in the watercraft body manipulation mode where the watercraft body 100 is operated based on the watercraft body manipulation commands input through the watercraft body manipulation members 16. Specifically, for example, in the operator-absent manipulation mode, the control device 400 controls the electrically-operated throttle valve mounted in the engine and thereby controls the engine speed such that the propulsion speed of the watercraft body 100 is adjusted to a predetermined slow speed.”).
Regarding claim 12, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 11 as explained above. Kato further teaches wherein:
the engine includes an electric motor, and the control circuitry is configured to perform the navigation operation using the electric motor (see at least Kato [0202]: “In the small watercraft 202 as illustrated in FIG. 13, depending on the connection state between the engine 210 and the electric motor 220 and the power feed state to the electric motor 220, the propulsion pattern of the small watercraft 202 can be switched among a pattern in which only the engine 210 is driven as the drive source 18, a pattern in which only the electric motor 220 is driven as the drive source 18, and a pattern in which both the engine 210 and the electric motor 220 are driven as the drive source 18.”).
Regarding claim 13, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 further discloses wherein:
the engine includes a main engine driven during normal navigation control in which the watercraft body is moved non-automatically (see at least Shirao 1 [0176]: “The watercraft control device 11C performs a control process of operating the actuator 11A or the like on the basis of an input operation of the watercraft operator received by the operation unit 11B. The watercraft control device 11C has a manual maneuvering mode in which the actuator 11A is operated on the basis of the watercraft operator's input operation received by the operation unit 11B and an automatic maneuvering mode in which the actuator 11A is operated on the basis of the relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and the heading of the watercraft 11.”; [0031]: “The actuator 11A has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11.”)
Kato further teaches
and an auxiliary engine driven during the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0203]: “Here, the electric motor 220 corresponds to the “second drive source” in the present disclosure, and the engine 210 corresponds to the “first drive source” in the present disclosure.”; [0203]: “It is possible to enhance safety by, for example, applying the small watercraft system according to the above-described exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like to the small watercraft 220, stopping the engine 210 in a case where the operator's falling overboard is detected, and driving the electric motor 220 so that the watercraft body 100 returns to the falling overboard location”’),
and the control circuitry is configured to suppress an output of the auxiliary engine to be equal to or less than an output lower than a maximum output of the main engine during the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0203]: “It is possible to enhance safety by, for example, applying the small watercraft system according to the above-described exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like to the small watercraft 220, stopping the engine 210 in a case where the operator's falling overboard is detected, and driving the electric motor 220 so that the watercraft body 100 returns to the falling overboard location. Specifically, the electric motor 220 is smaller than the engine 210 in vibration during driving. Therefore, when only the electric motor 220 is driven, waves are less likely to occur around the watercraft body 100 than when the engine 210 is driven. Therefore, it is possible to enhance safety of the person falling overboard. Here, the electric motor 220 corresponds to the “second drive source” in the present disclosure, and the engine 210 corresponds to the “first drive source” in the present disclosure.”).
Regarding claim 14, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 further discloses wherein:
the engine includes a main engine driven during normal navigation control in which a watercraft body is moved non-automatically (see at least Shirao 1 [0176]: “The watercraft control device 11C performs a control process of operating the actuator 11A or the like on the basis of an input operation of the watercraft operator received by the operation unit 11B. The watercraft control device 11C has a manual maneuvering mode in which the actuator 11A is operated on the basis of the watercraft operator's input operation received by the operation unit 11B and an automatic maneuvering mode in which the actuator 11A is operated on the basis of the relative locations of the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and the heading of the watercraft 11.”; [0031]: “The actuator 11A has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11.”)
Kato further teaches
and an auxiliary engine independent of the main engine (see at least Kato [0203]: “Here, the electric motor 220 corresponds to the “second drive source” in the present disclosure, and the engine 210 corresponds to the “first drive source” in the present disclosure.”),
and the control circuitry is configured to stop the main engine and drives the auxiliary engine during the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0203]: “It is possible to enhance safety by, for example, applying the small watercraft system according to the above-described exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like to the small watercraft 220, stopping the engine 210 in a case where the operator's falling overboard is detected, and driving the electric motor 220 so that the watercraft body 100 returns to the falling overboard location”; [0202]: “In the small watercraft 202 as illustrated in FIG. 13, depending on the connection state between the engine 210 and the electric motor 220 and the power feed state to the electric motor 220, the propulsion pattern of the small watercraft 202 can be switched among a pattern in which only the engine 210 is driven as the drive source 18, a pattern in which only the electric motor 220 is driven as the drive source 18, and a pattern in which both the engine 210 and the electric motor 220 are driven as the drive source 18.”).
Regarding claim 15, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 discloses the watercraft further comprising:
a falling overboard detector that detects falling of a driver into water (see at least Shirao 1 [0035]: “The overboard fall detection unit 11D1 detects the falling of an occupant of the watercraft 11 (for example, a watercraft operator, an occupant other than the watercraft operator, or the like) overboard.”);
and a falling overboard point detector that detects a falling overboard point, which is a point where the falling into water has occurred (see at least Shirao 1 [0075]: “That is, the communication device location detection unit 12A detects the location (X3, Y3) of the communication device 12 after the overboard fall (i.e., a location of the communication device 12 when the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 are away from each other).”),
wherein the control circuitry is configured to execute the automatic navigation control when the falling overboard detector detects the falling into water (see at least Shirao 1 [0036]: “When the detection target person falls overboard from the watercraft 11, the other end of the lanyard cord is disconnected from the switch and the switch detects the falling of the detection target person overboard. As a result, the trigger generation unit 11D generates a trigger and the watercraft control device 11C switches the mode from the manual maneuvering mode to the automatic maneuvering mode.”),
and sets the falling overboard point detected by the falling overboard point detector as a destination of the automatic navigation control (see at least Shirao 1 [0210]: “In detail, the watercraft control device 11C operates the actuator 11A so that the distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 is less than that when the disembarkation detection unit 11D4 has detected the disembarkation of the watercraft operator of the watercraft 11. As a result, the watercraft 11 is moved close to the watercraft operator who has disembarked from the watercraft 11 while carrying the communication device 12 in an automatic maneuvering process.”).
Regarding claim 16, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 15 as explained above. Kato further teaches wherein:
the engine includes a main engine using an internal combustion engine as a power source and an auxiliary engine using an electric motor as a power source (see at least Kato [0027]: “The drive source 18 is a propulsion source that is mounted on the watercraft body 100 and that allows the watercraft body 100 to plane. The drive source 18 of the present embodiment is embodied by an engine configured as an internal combustion engine.”; [0201]: “The small watercraft 2 may be mounted with, as the drive source 18, both an engine 210 and an electric motor 220.”),
and when the falling overboard detector detects the falling into water, the control circuitry is configured to stop the main engine and then performs the automatic navigation control using the auxiliary engine (see at least Kato [0203]: “It is possible to enhance safety by, for example, applying the small watercraft system according to the above-described exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 and the like to the small watercraft 220, stopping the engine 210 in a case where the operator's falling overboard is detected, and driving the electric motor 220 so that the watercraft body 100 returns to the falling overboard location”).
Regarding claim 17, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 discloses the watercraft further comprising:
a falling overboard detector that detects falling of a driver into water (see at least Shirao 1 [0035]: “The overboard fall detection unit 11D1 detects the falling of an occupant of the watercraft 11 (for example, a watercraft operator, an occupant other than the watercraft operator, or the like) overboard.”);
and a driver position detector that detects a position of the driver after falling into water (see at least Shirao 1 [0075]: “That is, the communication device location detection unit 12A detects the location (X3, Y3) of the communication device 12 after the overboard fall (i.e., a location of the communication device 12 when the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 are away from each other).”),
wherein the control circuitry is configured to execute the automatic navigation control when the falling overboard detector detects the falling into water (see at least Shirao 1 [0036]: “When the detection target person falls overboard from the watercraft 11, the other end of the lanyard cord is disconnected from the switch and the switch detects the falling of the detection target person overboard. As a result, the trigger generation unit 11D generates a trigger and the watercraft control device 11C switches the mode from the manual maneuvering mode to the automatic maneuvering mode.”),
and sets a position of the driver detected by the driver position detector as a destination of the automatic navigation control (see at least Shirao 1 [0210]: “In detail, the watercraft control device 11C operates the actuator 11A so that the distance between the location of the communication device 12 after the correction process of the detected location correction unit 11I is performed and the location of the watercraft 11 is less than that when the disembarkation detection unit 11D4 has detected the disembarkation of the watercraft operator of the watercraft 11. As a result, the watercraft 11 is moved close to the watercraft operator who has disembarked from the watercraft 11 while carrying the communication device 12 in an automatic maneuvering process.”).
Regarding claim 18, this claim recites a method performed by the watercraft of claim 1. Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 also teach the method performed by the watercraft of claim 1 as outlined in the rejection to claim 1 above. Therefore, claim 18 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 1.
Regarding claim 21, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 2 further teaches wherein:
the separation distance is calculated from a reference point of the watercraft body (see at least Shirao 2 [0049]: “In the example shown in FIG. 1 , as described above, a distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is calculated on the basis of a location of the watercraft 11 detected by the watercraft location detection unit 11E and a location of the communication device 12 detected by the communication device location detection unit 12A and the calculated distance is used for controlling the automatic maneuvering mode of the watercraft control device 11C.”),
and the reference point is a bow of the watercraft body (see at least Shirao 2 [0074]: “Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 4 , when the overboard fall detection unit 11D1 has detected the falling of the occupant of the watercraft 11 overboard (the person who has fallen overboard), the bow of the watercraft 11 can be directed to the person who has fallen overboard and the watercraft 11 can be brought close to the person who has fallen overboard even if the above-described angle difference is not zero.”; Shirao 2 Fig. 3B and Fig. 4 show the separation distance is between the bow of the watercraft and the communication device location).
Regarding claim 22, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 1 discloses the watercraft further comprising:
a tether connecting a driver to the watercraft body, wherein the control circuitry is configured to execute the automatic navigation control when the tether disconnects from the watercraft body (see at least Shirao 1 [0036]: “When the detection target person falls overboard from the watercraft 11, the other end of the lanyard cord is disconnected from the switch and the switch detects the falling of the detection target person overboard. As a result, the trigger generation unit 11D generates a trigger and the watercraft control device 11C switches the mode from the manual maneuvering mode to the automatic maneuvering mode.”).
Regarding claim 23, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Shirao 2 teaches the watercraft further comprising:
a gyro sensor, wherein the control circuitry calculates the angular difference based on a detection value of the gyro sensor (see at least Shirao 2 [0038]-[0039]: “The heading detection unit 11F detects the heading of the watercraft 11. The heading detection unit 11F includes, for example, a direction sensor…In another example, the direction sensor may be a device (a gyrocompass) in which a] north-pointing device and a damping device are added to a gyroscope that rotates at a high speed so that north is indicated all the time.”; Shirao 2 [0085] teaches the angular difference is calculated using the heading angle).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2, and further in view of Amma et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0042524 A1 (hereinafter Amma).
Regarding claim 10, Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 teach all elements of the watercraft according to claim 1 as explained above. Kato further teaches wherein:
the control circuitry is configured to stop the automatic navigation control when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied during the automatic navigation control (see at least Kato [0096]-[0098]: “Next, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 has approached the target location to such an extent that the distance to the target location is smaller than a predetermined distance (step S38)… Upon determining in step S38 that the distance D has become equal to or smaller than the reference distance Ds (|P1−P2|≤Ds; step S38: Yes), the control device 400 proceeds to step S39. In step S39, the control device 400 opens the main circuit 65 to stop the drive source 18. Thus, the operator-absent manipulation mode process of step S3 ends.”),
and the control circuitry is configured to perform the navigation operation by repeatedly calculating the separation distance based on position information of the watercraft body and performing feedback control of the engine and the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body moves in a direction in which the repeatedly calculated separation distance decreases (see at least Kato [0096]-[0097]: “Next, the control device 400 determines whether the watercraft body 100 has approached the target location to such an extent that the distance to the target location is smaller than a predetermined distance (step S38)…Upon determining in step S38 that the distance D (D=|P1−P2|) has not become equal to or smaller than the reference distance Ds (step S38: No), the control device 400 returns to step S35 and maintains the operator-absent manipulation mode.”; Kato Fig. 5 shows steering control is performed repeatedly until it is determined in step S38 that the distance from a watercraft body to a target location is smaller than a predetermined distance).
Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 fail to expressly disclose determining a stop condition is satisfied when capsizing of the watercraft body is detected. However, Amma teaches
the watercraft further comprising: a capsizing detector that detects capsizing of the watercraft body, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine that the stop condition is satisfied when the capsizing detector detects the capsizing (see at least Amma [0064]: “If the capsize sensor 39 is continuously maintained in an ON state, the ECU 31 determines that the watercraft hull 2 is capsized, and stops the engine 10.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the watercraft disclosed by Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 with Amma with reasonable expectation of success. Amma is directed towards the related field of controlling propulsion of a watercraft. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to modify Shirao 1 in view of Kato and Shirao 2 with Amma to improve ease of maneuvering a watercraft (see at least Amma [0007]: “In view of the foregoing, example embodiments of the present invention provide watercraft that can be easily maneuvered to achieve a desired movement characteristic even by a user having less knowledge and experience.”).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shirao 2 in view of Watanabe et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0112021 A1 (hereinafter Watanabe).
Regarding claim 20, Shirao 2 discloses a watercraft (Shirao 2 Fig. 1) comprising:
a watercraft body (see at least Shirao 2 [0024]: “The watercraft 11 of the first embodiment is, for example, a personal watercraft (PWC) (a water-motorcycle) having functions similar to those of the PWC described in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent No. 5196649.”);
a motor that imparts the watercraft body with a propulsion force (see at least Shirao 2 [0098]: “An actuator 11A of the watercraft 11 of the third embodiment has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11. The actuator 11A includes, for example, the outboard motor”);
a steering thruster assembly that changes a travel direction of the watercraft body (see at least Shirao 2 [0025]: “The actuator 11A has a function of generating a propulsive force for the watercraft 11 and a function of generating a turning moment in the watercraft 11. The actuator 11A includes, for example, the engine, the nozzle, the deflector, the trim actuator, the bucket, the bucket actuator, and the like”);
and control circuitry configured to set a destination of the watercraft body and execute automatic navigation control of controlling the motor and the steering thruster assembly so that the watercraft body moves toward the set destination (see at least Shirao 2 [0032]: “When the automatic maneuvering start instruction unit 11D2 outputs the automatic maneuvering start instruction, the watercraft control device 11C starts a control (automatic maneuvering mode control) process of operating the actuator 11A without any need for the operation unit 11B to receive an input operation. The watercraft control device 11C controls the actuator 11A on the basis of a distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 and heading of the watercraft 11 in the automatic maneuvering mode.”),
wherein: the control circuitry is configured to, before start of the automatic navigation control, acquire an angular difference between a destination direction that is a direction from the watercraft body toward the destination and the travel direction of the watercraft body, and a separation distance from the watercraft body to the destination (see at least Shirao 2 [0084]-[0085]: “In the example shown in FIG. 6, in step S11, for example, the watercraft control device 11C determines whether or not the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than or equal to the third threshold value. When the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is greater than the third threshold value, the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, when the distance between the watercraft 11 and the communication device 12 is less than or equal to the third threshold value, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S12, for example, the watercraft control device 11C determines whether or not an angle difference between the heading angle of the watercraft 11 and the azimuth angle of the communication device 12 in the watercraft 11 is greater than the second threshold value.”; Shirao 2 Fig. 6 shows separation distance and angular difference are compared to threshold values before the appropriate control is performed),
Shirao 2 fails to expressly disclose driving only one of a left thruster and a right thruster to generate a turning force. However, Watanabe teaches
the steering thruster assembly includes a left thruster disposed on a left part of a watercraft body and a right thruster disposed on a right part of the watercraft body (see at least Watanabe [0088]: “As illustrated in FIG. 7(A), in a case where the ship 100 turns according to turning of the joystick lever 10 around the lever axis, the ship 100 turns according to a direction in which the joystick lever 10 is turned, with a thrust T1 c given by the forward-backward propeller 4 on the port side and a thrust T2 c given by the forward-backward propeller 4 on the starboard side, the thrusts corresponding to an amount of the turning of the joystick lever 10 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.”),
and the control circuitry is configured to, when the acquired angular difference exceeds a reference angle and the acquired separation distance exceeds a reference distance, as the automatic navigation control, performs, in this order, a turning operation of turning the watercraft body in a direction in which the angular difference decreases by driving only one of the thrusters, and a navigation operation of moving the watercraft body in a direction of approaching the destination by driving both of the thrusters (This limitation is taught through the combination of Shirao 2 and Watanabe. Shirao 2 teaches performing a turning operation to decrease the angular difference followed by a navigation operation to approach the destination (see at least Shirao 2 [0057]-[0058]). Shirao 2 fails to expressly disclose driving only one thruster during the turning operation and driving both thrusters during the navigation operation. However, Watanabe teaches driving only one thruster during the turning operation and driving both thrusters during the navigation operation (see at least Watanabe [0090]: “As illustrated in FIG. 7(B), when the joystick lever 10 is tilted, additionally to the turning, to shift the actual turning center closer to the bow, a similar effect to that achieved when a thrust is additionally applied to only one of the port side and the starboard side is achieved. Namely, a correction amount Ff is vectorially added to either of thrusts T1 c and T2 c for turning (see FIG. 7(A)) given by the forward-backward propellers 4 on the port side and the starboard side.”; [0061]: “The correction amounts Tpr and Tsr illustrated in FIG. 5(B) are thrusts which cause the ship 100 to move forward”; Watanabe Fig. 7C shows only one side has a thrust force to complete the turning). Therefore, the combination of Shirao 2 and Watanabe teach the entirety of this limitation.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the watercraft disclosed by Shirao 2 with Watanabe with reasonable expectation of success. Watanabe is directed towards the related field of a ship handling device. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to modify Shirao 2 with Watanabe to improve turning calibration (see at least Watanabe [0007]: “Some aspects of the present invention have an object to provide a ship handling device enabling easy calibration for turning.”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sakurada, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0149998 A1, directed towards fixed point bow turning of a watercraft.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH J SLOWIK whose telephone number is (571)270-5608. The examiner can normally be reached MON - FRI: 0900-1700.
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/ELIZABETH J SLOWIK/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/ANISS CHAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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