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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 May 15, 2026, has been entered.
Status of Claims
This Office action is in response to the amendments filed on April 20, 2026. Claims 1-20 are currently pending, with Claims 1, 11, and 18 being amended.
Response to Amendments
In response to Applicant’s amendments, filed April 20, 2026, the Examiner withdraws the previous objections to the drawings, and withdraws the previous 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 rejections.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed April 20, 2026, with respect to the rejections of Claims 1-20 under de Oliveira, in view of LaFergola, and Ochenas, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas, Boyd, LaFergola, and Ochenas.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS’s) submitted on February 19, 2026, April 01, 2026, April 20, 2026, and June 11, 2026, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the Examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5, 8-9, 11-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0040440 A1, to de Oliveira, et al (hereinafter referred to as de Oliveira; previously of record), in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0073468 A1, to Vyas, et al (hereinafter referred to as Vyas; newly of record), and further in view of U.S. Patent No. 10,988,073 B1, to Boyd, et al (hereinafter referred to as Boyd; newly of record).
As per Claim 1, and similarly for Claim 11, de Oliveira discloses the features of a machine of a plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0046]; where a plurality of industrial vehicles (12) may communicate with a server computer designated as an industrial vehicle application server (14); and where the industrial vehicle (12) may comprise a forklift truck which may be coupled to other industrial vehicle components and other industrial vehicles and the industrial vehicle application server via a network), the machine comprising:
a chassis (e.g. Paragraph [0038]; Figure 1; where the industrial vehicles have a body);
a plurality of tractive elements coupled with the chassis (e.g. Paragraph [0050]; where the motor control module (76) controls the drive wheels of the vehicle);
a prime mover configured to drive the plurality of tractive elements (e.g. Paragraph [0050]; where the motor control module (76) controls the drive wheels of the vehicle); and
a connectivity module with a beacon communicably coupled with the machine, the connectivity module comprising a controller and a beacon (e.g. Paragraphs [0038]-[0039], [0042]-[0043]; Figure 2; where an information linking device (38) provides the wireless interface to the industrial vehicles, and serves as an interface that facilitates interaction with the user at the vehicle (12), and includes a display and controls for interacting with the user, and may be integrated with (built into) a corresponding industrial vehicle (12); and where the information linking device (38) may communicate receive control inputs and/or control outputs such as horns, buzzers, lights, and other components associated with the industrial vehicle (12)), wherein the connectivity module is configured to:
receive, via the controller and from a user device hosting an application, an input (e.g. Paragraphs [0065]-[0068]; where a user interface (120) may be utilized to display industrial vehicle information, which may be executed on the vehicle application server, and may receive user inputs), wherein
the input is based on a user selection of at least one selectable criteria presented via the application on the user device (e.g. Paragraphs [0067], [0070], [0086]; Figures 5, 6; where the user may select specific alarms to acknowledge and/or add annotations or other comments), and wherein
the input includes (i) a user selection of a criteria of a component of each of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0068], [0070]; Figures 5, 6; where the user selects a category or statuses related to a vehicle) and
(ii) a user selection of an indicator characteristic comprising at least one color associated with at least one state of the selected criteria (e.g. Paragraphs [0073], [0078] [0094]-[0095], [0113]; where the information communicated to the user interface may be dictated by a selected visual metaphor (color, geometric figure, emotive icon, illumination level, etc.) selected by the user; and where the preference and rules in the summary page may be customized by the user, including colors, symbols, and alerts set with the user preferences);
in response to receiving the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraph [0079]-[0080], [0085], [0103]-[0104], [0111]; where the user may select a category or sub-category relating to the vehicle (e.g., impact totals category), and may then filter the data to define the rules/ preferences associated with the data; and where the system may receive the rules and preferences set by the user, and annotations may be selected to correspond with the corresponding status indicator, and the operators may choose to set the status indicator and corresponding annotations):
determine, by the controller and based on data from a sensor of the machine, a measure associated with the selected criteria (e.g. Paragraphs [0058], [0068], [0080], [0136]; where the monitoring input/output module (48) may store, collect, maintain, manipulate, and/or otherwise process data to create a history of operational data that may vary over time, and may gather vehicle and operator characteristics; and where the industrial vehicle application server (14) may collect specifically requested or otherwise non-standard types of data, to receive and implement commands, or collect or convey different types of data based on different modes of operation selected by the industrial vehicle application server (14), and where the content may be selected based on the so as to correspond with a particular state of a status indicator or to highlight particular aspects that are affected);
transmit, by the controller, the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic to one or more additional machines of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraph [0057]-[0058], [0066]-[0068], [0126], [0136]; where the user interface (120) may be executed on a processing device in data communication with the industrial vehicle application server (14); and where the vehicle application server (14) may process information collected from the information linking devices (38) of each vehicle, including status, health, etc. of a fleet of vehicles (12), and the user selects certain functions, menus, or views of data for pertaining asset information related to the fleet of industrial vehicles (12) (i.e., requests information from multiple vehicles); and the user may query a sever (30) to obtain benchmark information based on selected vehicle type, a specific application or task, a local, regional, or national view of a fleet of vehicles or selected vehicle types);
receive, by the controller, one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0072], [0114]-[0115], [0136]-[0138]; where a user receives fleet category status when selecting various fleet category options on the dashboard, such as when the user selects Impacts by Location and Equipment Type, to monitor local fleets or fleet performance);
control, by the controller and using the user selections and the measure, the beacon to provide an output (e.g. Paragraphs [0094]-[0095], [0113]; where the information communicated to the user interface may be dictated by a selected visual metaphor (color, geometric figure, emotive icon, illumination level, etc.) selected by the user), wherein
the output is a colored indicator indicating the measure of the selected criteria and in accordance with the user selected indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraphs [0076]-[0078], [0111]; where status indicators provide a visual cue of the overall status of a selected category, and the status indicators may take on one of four states, including an alert, caution, normal operating, and disabled/not being monitoring condition, which can be visually represented by a colored light that appears as a visual indication), and wherein
the output is one of a plurality of outputs, each of the plurality of outputs associated with one of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0025], [0030], [0043], [1030]; where the monitoring input/output module (48) may control outputs such as horns, buzzers, lights, and other asset components; and where the information linking device may relay data between each industrial vehicle and one or more wired devices of the computing environment); and
cause, by the controller, a graphical user interface to display ‘…’ one or more indicators associated with the measure associated with the machine and the one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines in accordance with the indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraph [0068], [0086], [0104]; Figure 6; where the assets menu may launch a display for obtaining asset information, such as information pertaining to the location of various monitored industrial vehicles (12), the time when various monitored industrial vehicles (12) last communicated with the industrial vehicle application server (14), how many hours remain until the next planned maintenance is due, etc.; and where when the user has selected the category, the system displays the fleet of industrial vehicles within the corresponding category, such as by selecting a location for receiving data).
Vyas, in a similar field of endeavor, more explicitly teaches the features of transmit, by the controller, the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic to one or more additional machines of the plurality of machines; receive, by the controller, one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines.
Vyas teaches a method for managing a fleet of machines, where the user may access the system (100) through one or more fleet managers (112), and the system (100) allows the user (114) to download or review the status information for any, all, or a subset of machines (102); where the user may select a desired number of machines (102) to view, and the system displays vehicles that fit into the selected category, such that the data for each category is displayed in a color or different indicator (e.g. Paragraphs [0052], [0092], [0100], [0103], [0121]-[0122]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, with the feature of receiving data from multiple machines in the system of Vyas, in order to gather information related to the fleet as a whole and determine product maintenance information for each selected vehicle (see at least Paragraphs [0054], [0068] of Vyas).
De Oliveira fails to disclose every feature of cause, by the controller, a graphical user interface to display a map including one or more indicators associated with the measure associated with the machine and the one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines in accordance with the indicator characteristic.
Vyas teaches a method for managing a fleet of machines, where the machines (102) in the list (1902) may be individually selected or all may be selected, and the display screen includes a map locations button (1914) which provides a map with the location of each selected machine (102) (e.g. Paragraph [0149]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, with the feature of providing a map of the selected machines in the system of Vyas, in order to gather information related to the fleet as a whole and determine product maintenance information for each selected vehicle (see at least Paragraphs [0054], [0090] of Vyas).
Boyd, in a similar field of endeavor, more explicitly teaches the features of wherein the output is one of a plurality of outputs, each of the plurality of outputs associated with one of the plurality of machines.
Boyd teaches a method for implementing lighted vehicle beaconing systems, where the management system (240) may poll status of a fleet of vehicles (110a-d), were each of the micro-mobility fleet vehicles (110b-d) may be implemented with a lighted vehicle beaconing system, which may receive control signals to control the color, intensity, timing, and/or other lighting characteristics of the light beaconing system of the vehicle, and a user device renders a beaconing sequence on the user interface, and each fleet vehicle may generate a fleet vehicle status lighting sequence while waiting to be rented, including a color/ pattern indicating availability of the fleet vehicle, charge lighting status, service status, and/or other vehicle statuses, and a fleet servicer (i.e., user) may issue a group lighting control sequence to perform a group status check (e.g. Col. 10 lines 42-53; Col. 14 lines 26-29; Col. 21 lines 37-63).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas, with the feature of outputting beacons at multiple machines in the system of Boyd, in order obtain status indicators of a group of vehicle (see at least Col. 25 lines 39-55 of Boyd).
As per Claim 18, de Oliveira discloses the features of a fleet connectivity system e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0046]; where a plurality of industrial vehicles (12) may communicate with a server computer designated as an industrial vehicle application server (14); and where the industrial vehicle (12) may comprise a forklift truck which may be coupled to other industrial vehicle components and other industrial vehicles and the industrial vehicle application server via a network), comprising:
a user device hosting an application input (e.g. e.g. Paragraphs [0065]-[0068]; where a user interface (120) may be utilized to display industrial vehicle information, which may be executed on the vehicle application server, and may receive user inputs); and
a machine of a plurality of machines e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0046]; where a plurality of industrial vehicles (12) may communicate with a server computer designated as an industrial vehicle application server (14); and where the industrial vehicle (12) may comprise a forklift truck which may be coupled to other industrial vehicle components and other industrial vehicles and the industrial vehicle application server via a network), the machine comprising:
a chassis (e.g. Paragraph [0038]; Figure 1; where the industrial vehicles have a body);
a plurality of tractive elements coupled with the chassis (e.g. Paragraph [0050]; where the motor control module (76) controls the drive wheels of the vehicle);
a prime mover configured to drive the plurality of tractive elements (e.g. Paragraph [0050]; where the motor control module (76) controls the drive wheels of the vehicle); and
a connectivity module coupled with the machine, the connectivity module comprising a controller and a beacon (e.g. Paragraphs [0038]-[0039], [0042]-[0043]; Figure 2; where an information linking device (38) provides the wireless interface to the industrial vehicles, and serves as an interface that facilitates interaction with the user at the vehicle (12), and includes a display and controls for interacting with the user, and may be integrated with (built into) a corresponding industrial vehicle (12); and where the information linking device (38) may communicate receive control inputs and/or control outputs such as horns, buzzers, lights, and other components associated with the industrial vehicle (12)), wherein the connectivity module is configured to:
receive, via the controller and from the user device via the application, an input (e.g. Paragraphs [0065]-[0068]; where a user interface (120) may be utilized to display industrial vehicle information, which may be executed on the vehicle application server, and may receive user inputs), wherein
the input is based on a user selection of at least one selectable criteria presented via the application on the user device (e.g. Paragraphs [0067], [0070], [0086]; Figures 5, 6; where the user may select specific alarms to acknowledge and/or add annotations or other comments), and wherein
the input includes (i) user selection of a criteria of a component of each of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0068], [0070]; Figures 5, 6; where the user selects a category or statuses related to a vehicle) and
(ii) a user selection of an indicator characteristic comprising at least one color associated with at least one state of the selected criteria (e.g. Paragraphs [0073], [0078] [0094]-[0095], [0113]; where the information communicated to the user interface may be dictated by a selected visual metaphor (color, geometric figure, emotive icon, illumination level, etc.) selected by the user; and where the preference and rules in the summary page may be customized by the user, including colors, symbols, and alerts set with the user preferences);
in response to receiving the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraph [0079]-[0080], [0085], [0103]-[0104], [0111]; where the user may select a category or sub-category relating to the vehicle (e.g., impact totals category), and may then filter the data to define the rules/ preferences associated with the data; and where the system may receive the rules and preferences set by the user, and annotations may be selected to correspond with the corresponding status indicator, and the operators may choose to set the status indicator and corresponding annotations):
determine, by the controller and based on data from a sensor of the machine, a measure associated with the selected criteria (e.g. Paragraphs [0058], [0068], [0080], [0136]; where the monitoring input/output module (480) may store, collect, maintain, manipulate, and/or otherwise process data to create a history of operational data that may vary over time, and may gather vehicle and operator characteristics; and where the industrial vehicle application server (14) may collect specifically requested or otherwise non-standard types of data, to receive and implement commands, or collect or convey different types of data based on different modes of operation selected by the industrial vehicle application server (14), and where the content may be selected based on the so as to correspond with a particular state of a status indicator or to highlight particular aspects that are affected);
transmit, by the controller, the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic to one or more additional machines of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraph [0057]-[0058], [0066]-[0068], [0126], [0136]; where the user interface (120) may be executed on a processing device in data communication with the industrial vehicle application server (14); and where the vehicle application server (14) may process information collected from the information linking devices (38) of each vehicle, including status, health, etc. of a fleet of vehicles (12), and the user selects certain functions, menus, or views of data for pertaining asset information related to the fleet of industrial vehicles (12) (i.e., requests information from multiple vehicles); and the user may query a sever (30) to obtain benchmark information based on selected vehicle type, a specific application or task, a local, regional, or national view of a fleet of vehicles or selected vehicle types);
receive, by the controller, one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0072], [0114]-[0115], [0136]-[0138]; where a user receives fleet category status when selecting various fleet category options on the dashboard, such as when the user selects Impacts by Location and Equipment Type, to monitor local fleets or fleet performance);
control, by the controller and using the user selections and the measure, the beacon to provide an output (e.g. Paragraphs [0094]-[0095], [0113]; where the information communicated to the user interface may be dictated by a selected visual metaphor (color, geometric figure, emotive icon, illumination level, etc.) selected by the user), wherein
the output is a colored indicator indicating the measure of the selected criteria and in accordance with the user selected indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraphs [0076]-[0078], [0111]; where status indicators provide a visual cue of the overall status of a selected category, and the status indicators may take on one of four states, including an alert, caution, normal operating, and disabled/not being monitoring condition, which can be visually represented by a colored light that appears as a visual indication), and wherein
the output is one of a plurality of outputs, each of the plurality of outputs associated with one of the plurality of machines (e.g. Paragraphs [0025], [0030], [0043], [1030]; where the monitoring input/output module (48) may control outputs such as horns, buzzers, lights, and other asset components; and where the information linking device may relay data between each industrial vehicle and one or more wired devices of the computing environment); and
cause, by the controller, a graphical user interface to display ‘…’ one or more indicators associated with the measure associated with the machine and the one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines in accordance with the indicator characteristic (e.g. Paragraph [0068], [0086], [0104]; Figure 6; where the assets menu may launch a display for obtaining asset information, such as information pertaining to the location of various monitored industrial vehicles (12), the time when various monitored industrial vehicles (12) last communicated with the industrial vehicle application server (14), how many hours remain until the next planned maintenance is due, etc.; and where when the user has selected the category, the system displays the fleet of industrial vehicles within the corresponding category, such as by selecting a location for receiving data).
Vyas, in a similar field of endeavor, more explicitly teaches the features of transmit, by the controller, the user selection of the criteria and the user selection of the indicator characteristic to one or more additional machines of the plurality of machines; receive, by the controller, one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines.
Vyas teaches a method for managing a fleet of machines, where the user may access the system (100) through one or more fleet managers (112), and the system (100) allows the user (114) to download or review the status information for any, all, or a subset of machines (102); where the user may select a desired number of machines (102) to view, and the system displays vehicles that fit into the selected category, such that the data for each category is displayed in a color or different indicator (e.g. Paragraphs [0052], [0092], [0100], [0103], [0121]-[0122]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, with the feature of receiving data from multiple machines in the system of Vyas, in order to gather information related to the fleet as a whole and determine product maintenance information for each selected vehicle (see at least Paragraphs [0054], [0068] of Vyas).
De Oliveira fails to disclose every feature of cause, by the controller, a graphical user interface to display a map including one or more indicators associated with the measure associated with the machine and the one or more additional measures associated with the one or more additional machines in accordance with the indicator characteristic.
Vyas teaches a method for managing a fleet of machines, where the machines (102) in the list (1902) may be individually selected or all may be selected, and the display screen includes a map locations button (1914) which provides a map with the location of each selected machine (102) (e.g. Paragraph [0149]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, with the feature of providing a map of the selected machines in the system of Vyas, in order to gather information related to the fleet as a whole and determine product maintenance information for each selected vehicle (see at least Paragraphs [0054], [0090] of Vyas).
Boyd, in a similar field of endeavor, more explicitly teaches the features of wherein the output is one of a plurality of outputs, each of the plurality of outputs associated with one of the plurality of machines.
Boyd teaches a method for implementing lighted vehicle beaconing systems, where the management system (240) may poll status of a fleet of vehicles (110a-d), were each of the micro-mobility fleet vehicles (110b-d) may be implemented with a lighted vehicle beaconing system, which may receive control signals to control the color, intensity, timing, and/or other lighting characteristics of the light beaconing system of the vehicle, and a user device renders a beaconing sequence on the user interface, and each fleet vehicle may generate a fleet vehicle status lighting sequence while waiting to be rented, including a color/ pattern indicating availability of the fleet vehicle, charge lighting status, service status, and/or other vehicle statuses, and a fleet servicer (i.e., user) may issue a group lighting control sequence to perform a group status check (e.g. Col. 10 lines 42-53; Col. 14 lines 26-29; Col. 21 lines 37-63).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas, with the feature of outputting beacons at multiple machines in the system of Boyd, in order obtain status indicators of a group of vehicle (see at least Col. 25 lines 39-55 of Boyd).
As per Claim 2, and similarly for Claims 12 and 19, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 1, 11, and 18, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the criteria of the component of the machine is at least one of a fuel level of the machine, a battery power level of the machine, an ignition status of the machine, and an operational status of the machine (e.g. Paragraphs [0056], [0061], [0119], [0121]-[0122]; where the vehicle characteristic may include a count or measure of detected or otherwise sensor detected impacts, hours of operation, energy usage, battery condition, etc.; and where the user can determine how the batteries are being used, battery temperatures, state of charge, etc. through selection on the user interface).
As per Claim 3, and similarly for Claims 13 and 20, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 1, 11, and 18, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the connectivity module is configured to control the beacon to provide the output to an observer (e.g. Paragraphs [0094]-[0095], [0113]; where the information communicated to the user interface may be dictated by a selected visual metaphor (color, geometric figure, emotive icon, illumination level, etc.) selected by the user).
As per Claim 4, and similarly for Claim 14, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 3 and 13, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the colored indicator is at least one of the beacon being in a solid on state, a solid off state, a flashing state, and a strobe state (e.g. Paragraph [0078]; where color choices and/or visual metaphors may be utilized to characterize the various states of the status indicators, and may be illuminated at different intensities, flashed, have their illumination intensities varied, not be illuminated at all, etc.).
As per Claim 5, and similarly for Claim 15, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 1 and 11, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the connectivity module is configured to communicate a signal based on the measure to an interface of the machine in order to provide a message to a user relating to commercial services (e.g. Paragraphs [0066], [0068], [0070]; where the vehicle application server (14) may execute a portal such as a service, agent, a network, etc., for conveying information to the user interface; and where a service category can be visually represented on the interface, and the user can select the Assets menu and select specific alarms or annotations to determine how many hours remain until the next planned maintenance is due for various monitored industrial vehicles (12)).
As per Claim 8, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claim 1, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the connectivity module is configured to communicate a signal based on the measure to an interface of the machine in order to provide a message to a user relating to commerce services relating to the machine (e.g. Paragraphs [0066], [0068], [0070]; where the vehicle application server (14) may execute a portal such as a service, agent, a network, etc., for conveying information to the user interface; and where a service category can be visually represented on the interface, and the user can select the Assets menu and select specific alarms or annotations to determine how many hours remain until the next planned maintenance is due for various monitored industrial vehicles (12))).
As per Claim 9, and similarly for Claim 17, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 1 and 11, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the machine is a lift device (e.g. Paragraphs [0025]-[0026]; Figure 1; where the industrial vehicle may include forklift trucks and other industrial vehicles).
Claims 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, as applied to Claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0179844 A1, to LaFergola, et al (hereinafter referred to as LaFergola; previously of record).
As per Claim 6, and similarly for Claim 16, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claims 1 and 11, respectively, and de Oliveira further discloses the features of wherein the connectivity module is configured to communicate a signal based on the measure to a control system of the machine (e.g. Paragraphs [0041], [0045]; where the interface controller may control the functions of the information linking device (38) and may be configured to communicate with the transceiver (46) for wireless communication across the wireless computing environment to a corresponding server computer) ‘…’.
The combination of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches fails to teach every feature of provide a software update to the machine.
However, LaFergola, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches an information reporting system for managing a fleet of vehicles, where when a software update is required, the update can be transmitted to the entire fleet of vehicles, or only those with a particular version of software, and the warehouse computer system could be used to configure or reconfigure the software in a selected or a fleet of trucks (e.g. Paragraph [0067]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, with the feature updating the software in a fleet of vehicles in the system of LaFergola, in order to ensure provide current vehicle usage and future needs for the vehicles (see at least Paragraph [0075] of LaFergola).
Claim 7 and 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Body, as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0143734 A1, to Ochenas, et al (hereinafter referred to as Ochenas; previously of record).
As per Claim 7, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claim 1, but the combination of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, fails to teach every feature of wherein the connectivity module is configured to communicate a signal based on the measure to the prime mover of the machine in order to reposition the machine.
However, Ochenas, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches a user interface device for an industrial vehicle, where the command related to a vehicle operation comprises a command to activate a traction motor to effect vehicle movement (e.g. Claim 2).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, with the feature of sending command controls to the vehicle in the system of Ochenas, in order to provide status and conditional information to the vehicle and to the user in real time (see at least Paragraph [0121] of Ochenas).
As per Claim 10, de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, teaches the features of Claim 1, but the combination of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, fails to teach every feature of wherein the machine includes at least one of an articulating arm and a movable structure coupled with the chassis.
However, Ochenas, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches a user interface device for an industrial vehicle, where the vehicle (100) comprises a load handling assembly, and a fork structure coupled to the fork carriage structure; and where the fork carriage assembly may comprise a base carriage coupled to the lifting carriage and a support carriage coupled to the base carriage which is moveable laterally and may also pivot relative to the base carriage (e.g. Paragraph [0036]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art on or before the effective filing date of the Applicant's invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the information system for industrial vehicles in the system of de Oliveira, in view of Vyas and Boyd, with the feature including a rotatable structure or articulating arm in the system of Ochenas, in order to efficiently adjust the vehicle's position or orientation to complete its task (see at least Paragraph [0126] of Ochenas).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Ahn, et al (U.S. 2016/0093119 A1), which teaches a method for monitoring and planning for failure in vehicle components for each vehicle in a fleet of vehicles, and aggregating the data to determine which vehicles need service.
Mook, et al (U.S. 2005/0171835 A1), which teaches a method for receiving information from a plurality of vehicles based on user input.
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/MERRITT LEVY/Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ABBY J FLYNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663
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