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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/12/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following minor informalities: "comprises a the connecting structure" should read "comprises the connecting structure". Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JONDET (EP 3838666 A1) in view of HEYMANS (NL 9300079 A).
Regarding Claim 1, Jondet teaches a lift frame assembly (1) for a working equipment (2) arranged to load and unload a load carrying object (4) to/from a vehicle (3; Fig. 1; [004]), the lift frame assembly comprises a lift frame (16) arranged to connect the working equipment (2) to the load carrying object (8) during loading and unloading to/from the vehicle (4), wherein the lift frame (Body of 1) has a rear side (side connected to 2; see Fig. 2a) arranged towards the working equipment (Fig. 2a), a front side (side opposite rear side; Fig. 2a) arranged to face the load carrying object (Fig. 1), during the loading and unloading, and a set of connectors (11, 12) mounted to the lift frame (Fig. 2a) that is further arranged to lock the lift frame to corresponding connecting portions (Points of connection; see Fig. 1) of the load carrying object during loading and unloading to/from the vehicle ([0031]), characterized in that each of at least two of the set of connectors comprises a connecting structure (structure of 120) arranged to pivot around a pivot axis between a closed position wherein the lift frame is arranged to be locked to the load carrying object and a retracted position range wherein the lift frame is not locked to the load carrying object (see Fig. 6a -6b), and each connecting structure comprises a locking protrusion (12) arranged to engage with a corresponding cavity (47) at a connection portion of the load carrying object to lock, when in the closed position, the lift frame to the load carrying object ([0111]), and wherein, in the retracted position range, the connecting structure is arranged to be pivoted into a fully retracted position range, being a position range where no part of the connecting structure extends beyond a planar virtual contact plane V defined by load carrying object contacting surfaces of the front side of the lift frame in the direction of the load carrying object (see Fig. 5a).
Jondet does not teach that the pivot axis being parallel to a vertical symmetry axis S of the lift frame and an actuator ([0035] there must be a source of actuation) arranged to operate the pivoting movement of the connecting structure (120) between the closed position and the retracted position range by moving the connecting structure around the pivot axis.
Heymans teaches connectors (5) comprising a connecting structure (structure of 5) arranged to pivot around a pivot axis (up-down axis which 5 rotates around; Fig. 5) between a closed position wherein the lift frame is arranged to be locked to the load carrying object and a retracted position range wherein the lift frame is not locked to the load carrying object (see Fig. 3), and each connecting structure comprises a locking protrusion (13) arranged to engage with a corresponding cavity (20) at a connection portion of the load carrying object to lock, an actuator (10) arranged to operate the pivoting movement of the connecting structure between the closed position and the retracted position range by moving the connecting structure around the pivot axis (Fig. 3), and wherein, in the retracted position range, the connecting structure is arranged to be pivoted into a fully retracted position range, being a position range where no part of the connecting structure extends beyond a planar virtual contact plane V defined by load carrying object contacting surfaces of the front side of the lift frame in the direction of the load carrying object (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively provide the lift frame Jondet with the connecting structure and actuator arranged to operate the pivoting movement of the connecting structure between the closed position and the retracted of Heymans for the purpose of locking the lift arm to the container without having to directly push the connecting structure.
Regarding Claim 2, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches The lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connecting structure comprises a pivoting arm (Heymans arm of 5) having a first end connected to a pivot axle (Heymans 9) directed along the pivot axis ( Heymans Fig. 5), and a second end where the locking protrusion (Heymans 13) is provided, wherein in the closed position the pivoting arm is configured to extend essentially perpendicular to the front side of the lift frame in the direction of the load carrying object (Heymans Fig. 3), and in the retracted position range, the pivoting arm is arranged to perform its pivoting movement in a movement space beyond a plane defined by a transversal side of the lift frame (Heymans Fig. 3), wherein the transversal side has an extension (Jondet Fig. 5b lower connection leg) essentially perpendicular to the rear side and the front side of the lift frame(Jondet Fig. 5b).
Regarding Claim 3, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is aligned with a transversal side of the lift frame (Heymans Fig. 3), and wherein the transversal side has an extension essentially perpendicular to the rear side and front side of the lift frame (Jondet Fig. 5b).
Regarding Claim 4, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is aligned with the rear side of the lift frame (Jondet Fig. 5b).
Regarding Claim 5, Jondet in view of Heymans the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a linear actuator (i.e actuator moves linearly; Heymans Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 6, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches The lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is aligned with the rear side of the lift frame (Jondet Fig. 5b), and that the actuator is a linear actuator, and wherein the linear actuator is attached to the lift frame close to the front side (Heymans Fig. 3) of the lift frame, and configured to apply pivotal movement to the connecting structure by applying pushing and/or pulling linear forces to a pivoting arm of the connecting structure.
Regarding Claim 7, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a torsional actuator (Hymans 10) configured to apply torsional movement to a pivot axle (Heymans Fig. 3 the actuator creates torsional movement), directed along the pivot axis, of the connecting structure (Heymans Fig. 3 - 4).
Regarding Claim 8, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein all the connecting structures are configured to be controlled to be in the fully retracted position range during an alignment process when aligning the lift frame to the load carrying object in order to proceed with the loading by locking the lift frame to the load carrying object (Jondet [0104]).
Regarding Claim 9, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches the lift frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the set of connectors comprises a pair of upper connectors (Jondet 11) mounted at opposite sides of an upper part (Jondet Fig. 5a) of the lift frame, and a pair of lower connectors (Jondet 120 as modified by Heymans) mounted at opposite sides of a lower part (Jondet Fig. 5a) of the lift frame, and wherein each of the lower connectors comprises a the connecting structure (Jondet Fig. 5a; Heymans Fig. 5).
Claim(s) 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JONDET (EP 3838666 A1) in view of HEYMANS (NL 9300079 A) as applied to claim1-9 above, and further in view of ITO (JP 2020104767 A).
Regarding Claim 10, Jondet in view of Heymans teaches a working equipment (Jondet 2) comprising a movable arm (Jondet arm of 2) for loading and unloading a load carrying object (Jondet 4), such as a container, to/from a vehicle (Jondet 3), the movable arm has a first end connected to the vehicle and a second end arranged to connect the movable arm to the load carrying object (Jondet see Fig. 1) during the loading or unloading, characterized in that the working equipment comprises a lift frame assembly (1) according to claim 1 and comprising hydraulic and/or electrical actuators (Heymans 10) arranged to operate the pivoting movements of the connecting structures (Heymans 13), an actuator system (Jondet [0111]), and a control unit (Jondet [0094]) configured to generate control instructions (Jondet [0094]; [0097]) to control the operation of the actuator system(Jondet [0094]; [0104])
Jondet in view of Heymans does not teach a sensor system provided to monitor the movements of the working equipment and the lift frame. Jondet teaches a control unit configured to generate control instructions to control the operation of the hydraulic and/or electrical actuators however Jondet does not teach generate control instructions to control the operation of the hydraulic and/or electrical actuators in response to a loading/unloading command for the loading and/or unloading of the load carrying object and sensor signals received from the sensor system.
Ito teaches a sensor system ([0029]) provided to monitor the movements of a working equipment (A3, A7) and a lift frame (E; [0029]), and a control unit ([0028)] configured to generate control instructions ([0028]) to control the operation of an actuator system ([0028]) and of the hydraulic and/or electrical actuators ([0028]) in response to a loading/unloading command ([0028]) for the loading and/or unloading of the load carrying object (8) and sensor signals (42) received from the sensor system (34).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the lift arm of Jondet with the sensor system provided to monitor the movements of the working equipment of Ito for the purpose being able to autonomously sense at align the lift frame with the container.
Regarding Claim 11, Jondet as modified above teaches a vehicle (Jondet 3) comprising the working equipment according to claim 10 (Jondet Fig. 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Di giacomo (WO 2020174265 A1) and Sailer (US 20180178704 A1) disclose similar lifting arms.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at (571) 270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERNESTO A SUAREZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/A.N./Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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