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 responsive to the amendment filed 9/23/2026. Claims 1-12 are currently pending in this application.
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.
Claims 6 and 9 are 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the cooler" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It appears Claim 6 should be amended to depend from Claim 5 to provide support for this limitation (see, for reference, Claim 5, line 2, “a cooler”).
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the cooler" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It appears Claim 9 should be amended to depend from Claim 5 to provide support for this limitation (see, for reference, Claim 5, line 2, “a cooler”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-9, filed 9/23/2026, with respect to Claims 1-10 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The prior art rejections of Claims 1-10 have been withdrawn.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 7, 8 and 10-12 are allowed.
Claims 6 and 9 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art does not disclose nor render obvious an agricultural working tool characterized in that at least oil-carrying sub-assemblies of the cooling system resist pressure up to at least 200 bar, in combination with the other elements required by independent Claim 1.
The prior art does not disclose nor render obvious an agricultural working tool characterized in that the cooling system resists pressure up to at least 200 bar, has a pipeline heat exchanger that includes at least one pipeline and is arranged in a coolant container, the at least one pipeline through which oil flows is cooled by coolant which flows through the coolant container, in combination with the other elements required by independent Claim 11.
The prior art does not disclose nor render obvious an agricultural working tool characterized in that that the tool is a mower having at least one cross-conveyor in the form of a belt conveyor for mown harvested material, wherein the respective cross-conveyor has a hydraulic drive as a hydraulic power take-off member and the cooling system resists pressure up to at least 200 bar, has a pipeline heat exchanger that includes at least one pipeline and is arranged in a coolant container, the at least one pipeline through which oil flows is cooled by coolant which flows through the coolant container, in combination with the other elements required by independent Claim 12.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have no rationale, absent hindsight, to modify the prior art to derive the claimed invention since the above-mentioned limitations, in combination with the other claim limitations, are considered new and nonobvious improvements over the prior art.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN YOUNG whose telephone number is (571)272-4781. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (CST).
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, Jacob S Scott can be reached at (571)270-3415. 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.
EDWIN YOUNG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3655
/Edwin A Young/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
