CTNF 18/663,151 CTNF 86167 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 10, 13-15, 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Byles, Sr. et al. (2006/0237202) (“ By les”) . Regarding claim 1, Byles teaches a grading attachment for a work machine, the grading attachment comprising: a frame (2) defining a front end and a rear end; a roller (1) rotatably coupled to the frame proximal to the front end of the frame, wherein the roller is rotatable in a clockwise direction and an anti-clockwise direction about an axis of rotation, and wherein the roller defines an outer surface; and a scraper assembly (7) coupled to the frame proximal to the front end of the frame, wherein the scraper assembly is offset to the axis of rotation of the roller, the scraper assembly including: a first scraper plate extending along the axis of rotation, wherein the first scraper plate includes a first end surface that is proximal to the outer surface of the roller (Figure 2, one side of 7), and wherein the first end surface (8) is adapted to at least partially remove material stuck to the outer surface of the roller; and a second scraper plate (Figure 2, other side of 7) extending along the axis of rotation, wherein the second scraper plate is coupled to the first scraper plate and is disposed at an angle relative to the first scraper plate (Figure 2), wherein the second scraper plate includes a second end surface (8) that is proximal to the outer surface of the roller, and wherein the second end surface is adapted to at least partially remove material stuck to the outer surface of the roller (Figure 2; paragraph [0008]). Regarding claim 2, Byles teaches the scraper assembly further includes a pair of end plates disposed at opposing ends of the scraper assembly (triangular gussets shown in Figure 1), wherein the first scraper plate and the second scraper plate extend between the pair of end plates, and wherein the scraper assembly is coupled to the frame of the grading attachment via the pair of end plates. Regarding claim 3, Byles teaches the angle between the first scraper plate and the second scraper plate lies in a range of 40 degrees and 100 degrees (Figure 2, approximately 90 degrees). Regarding claim 4, Byles teaches the first scraper plate is disposed at an inclination angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the grading attachment (Figure 2). Regarding claim 6, Byles teaches when the roller rotates in the anti-clockwise direction, the first end surface of the first scraper plate (7) is adapted to contact the material stuck to the outer surface of the roller to facilitate removal of the material from the outer surface of the roller. One plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in one direction (clockwise) while the other plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in the other direction (counter clockwise) Regarding claim 7, Byles teaches when the roller rotates in the clockwise direction, the second end surface of the second scraper plate (7) is adapted to contact the material stuck to the outer surface of the roller to facilitate removal of the material from the outer surface of the roller. One plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in one direction (clockwise) while the other plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in the other direction (counter clockwise) Regarding claim 10, Byles teaches a work machine comprising: a chassis; a plurality of ground engaging members coupled to the chassis (tractors have a chassis and ground engaging members); and a grading attachment removably coupled to the chassis (via 5), the grading attachment including: a frame (2) defining a front end and a rear end; a roller (1) rotatably coupled to the frame proximal to the front end of the frame, wherein the roller is rotatable in a clockwise direction and an anti-clockwise direction about an axis of rotation, and wherein the roller defines an outer surface; and a scraper assembly (7) coupled to the frame proximal to the front end of the frame, wherein the scraper assembly is offset to the axis of rotation of the roller, the scraper assembly including: a first scraper plate extending along the axis of rotation (first side of 7), wherein the first scraper plate includes a first end surface that is proximal to the outer surface of the roller, and wherein the first end surface (8) is adapted to at least partially remove material stuck to the outer surface of the roller; and a second scraper plate (second side of 7, Figure 2) extending along the axis of rotation, wherein the second scraper plate is coupled to the first scraper plate and is disposed at an angle relative to the first scraper plate (Figure 2), wherein the second scraper plate includes a second end surface (8) that is proximal to the outer surface of the roller, and wherein the second end surface is adapted to at least partially remove material stuck to the outer surface of the roller (Figure 2; paragraph [0008]). Regarding claim 13, Byles teaches the scraper assembly (7) further includes a pair of end plates disposed at opposing ends of the scraper assembly (triangular gussets), wherein the first scraper plate and the second scraper plate extend between the pair of end plates, and wherein the scraper assembly is coupled to the frame of the grading attachment via the pair of end plates. Regarding claim 14, Byles teaches the angle between the first scraper plate and the second scraper plate lies in a range of 40 degrees and 100 degrees (Figure 2, approximately 90 degrees). Regarding claim 15, Byles teaches the first scraper plate is disposed at an inclination angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the grading attachment (Figure 2). Regarding claim 17, Byles teaches when the roller rotates in the anti-clockwise direction, the first end surface of the first scraper plate (7) is adapted to contact the material stuck to the outer surface of the roller to facilitate removal of the material from the outer surface of the roller. One plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in one direction (clockwise) while the other plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in the other direction (counter clockwise) Regarding claim 18, Byles teaches when the roller rotates in the clockwise direction, the second end surface of the second scraper plate (7) is adapted to contact the material stuck to the outer surface of the roller to facilitate removal of the material from the outer surface of the roller. One plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in one direction (clockwise) while the other plate facilitates removal of the material from the surface of the roller when it rotates in the other direction (counter clockwise) Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 5 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Byles, Sr. et al. (2006/0237202) (“Byles”) . Regarding claim 5, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the inclination angle between the first scraper plate and the longitudinal axis of the grading attachment lies in a range of 5 degrees and 45 degrees. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to make the scraper assembly of Byles with an inclination angle between 5 and 45 degrees , since it has been held that discovering the optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch , 167 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). Regarding claim 16, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the inclination angle between the first scraper plate and the longitudinal axis of the grading attachment lies in a range of 5 degrees and 45 degrees. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to make the scraper assembly of Byles with an inclination angle between 5 and 45 degrees , since it has been held that discovering the optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch , 167 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 8 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Byles, Sr. et al. (2006/0237202) (“Byles”) in view of Von Vett (2013/0115001) . Regarding claim 8, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to teach the grading attachment further includes a plurality of mechanical fasteners, and wherein the scraper assembly is removably coupled to the frame by the plurality of mechanical fasteners. Von Vett teaches a roller and a scraper assembly (200) removably coupled to the frame (112) by the plurality of mechanical fasteners (208). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to attach the scraper of Byles to the frame with mechanical fasteners as taught by Von Vett to allow the scraper to be removed and cleaned. Regarding claim 19, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to teach the grading attachment further includes a plurality of mechanical fasteners, and wherein the scraper assembly is removably coupled to the frame by the plurality of mechanical fasteners. Von Vett teaches a roller and a scraper assembly (200) removably coupled to the frame (112) by the plurality of mechanical fasteners (208). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to attach the scraper of Byles to the frame with mechanical fasteners as taught by Von Vett to allow the scraper to be removed and cleaned . 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 9, 11-12 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Byles, Sr. et al. (2006/0237202) (“Byles”) in view of Von Vett (2013/0115001) . Regarding claim 9, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach an excavator or a backhoe loader. Johnson teaches a grading attachment for a work machine wherein the work machine includes an excavator (22) or a backhoe loader. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the work machine of Byles a loader as taught by Johnson as it is obvious to substitute one known element for another known element to yield predictable results. Regarding claim 11, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to teach a linkage assembly. Johnson teaches a grading attachment for an excavator with a linkage assembly (arms of excavator) coupled to the chassis, wherein the grading attachment (26) is removably coupled to the chassis via the linkage assembly. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a linkage on the machine of Byles as taught by Johnson as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way. Regarding claim 12, Byles as modified by Johnson teaches the frame of the grading attachment includes a coupling structure (26) that removably couples the grading attachment with the linkage assembly (28, Figure 7). Regarding claim 20, Byles teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach an excavator or a backhoe loader. Johnson teaches a grading attachment for a work machine wherein the work machine includes an excavator (22) or a backhoe loader. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the work machine of Byles a loader as taught by Johnson as it is obvious to substitute one known element for another known element to yield predictable results . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure s is listed on the attached PTO-892. Newnam teaches a grading roller for attachment to an excavator . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABIGAIL ANNE RISIC whose telephone number is (571)270-7819. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5, M-Th. 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, Chris Sebesta can be reached at 571-272-0547. 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. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ABIGAIL A RISIC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 June 10, 2026 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 2 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 3 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 4 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 5 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 6 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 7 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 8 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 9 Art Unit: 3671 Application/Control Number: 18/663,151 Page 10 Art Unit: 3671
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