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 .
Status of claims
The following claims have been rejected or allowed for the following reasons:
Claim(s) 1-20 is rejected under 35 USC § 103
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. FI20235601, filed on 05/30/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement/statements (IDS) were filed on 5/28/24, 10/22/24. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is 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.
Claim(s) 21-27, 29-30, 32-45 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Tossavainen (US 20190373826 A1), in further view of Palmroth (EP 2939529 B1), in further view of Oglesby (US 20220282460 A1).
Regarding claim 21 Tossavainen teaches A method for controlling a forwarder, wherein the forwarder includes: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; a grapple for handling logs and suspended from the head; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the method comprises: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple, (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
wherein, for moving the grapple that is empty from the loading space in preparation for loading logs, the path is constituted by: a first target position that is above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground, a second target position that is outside the loading space, (Tossavainen [0040] reads “The opening or closing of the grab 15 can be performed by the work machine's 10 operator. In stage 807 the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the stack 21, again also defining at the same time the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 when performing the operation by means of the set of booms 12.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along one of the paths, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from a first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the path, along the path to the second target position, and to an end of the path to the first target position representing a stopping position of the path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
and the stopping position of the path is represented by another current position of the head or the grapple in a situation in which the grapple is above the pile of logs after being employed to grip logs in the pile of logs for transferring them into the loading space. (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
Tossavainen does not teach and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; wherein the starting position of the path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple;
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
wherein the starting position of the path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple; (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position;
Palmroth in analogous art, teaches stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Regarding claim 22 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 21, wherein the starting position is constituted by the current position of the head or the grapple (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
inside the loading space at the moment of the enabling. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space. According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
Regarding claim 23 Tossavainen teaches A method for controlling a forwarder, wherein the forwarder includes: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; a grapple for handling logs and suspended from the head; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the method comprises: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple, (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
including a first path, wherein, for loading logs, the first path is constituted by: a first target position inside the loading space, a second target position outside the loading space, and a first location of the head or the grapple above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground and from which logs are to be loaded into the loading space; (Tossavainen [0040] reads “The opening or closing of the grab 15 can be performed by the work machine's 10 operator. In stage 807 the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the stack 21, again also defining at the same time the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 when performing the operation by means of the set of booms 12.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along the first path, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from the first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the first path, along the first path to the second target position, and to an end of the first path to the first target position representing a stopping position of the first path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Tossavainen does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location above or on top of the pile of logs at the moment of the enabling.
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location above or on top of the pile of logs at the moment of the enabling. (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position;
Palmroth in analogous art, teaches stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Regarding claim 24 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23, wherein each path is constituted by two or more predetermined target positions for the head or the grapple, wherein the target positions are located in the space around, in the vicinity of, or within reach of the boom, the head, or the grapple, and wherein the path is represented by the target positions in a predetermined sequence. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space. According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
Regarding claim 25 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location on or above a pile of logs on the ground after gripping logs from the pile with the help of the grapple, (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the location is the first location of the grapple that becomes the starting position for the first path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “Thus, before the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12, the path-of-movement data of the operation to be performed by the set of booms 12 or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is stored. The position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the booms and/or the pivots of the set of booms 12 is known.”);
wherein the first path further includes one of the target positions outside the loading space and one of the target positions inside the loading space and representing the stop position of the first path; (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space.”);
and manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location inside the loading space after depositing logs into the loading space from the grapple, wherein the location becomes a starting position for a second path; (Tossavainen [0030] reads “In stage 603, the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this move by controlling the set of booms 12. The grab 15 can then be above the load space 27 and also the load stakes 28. The grab 15 is guided to such a position on top of the load space 27 that it can be rotated and thus oriented freely by using the rotation device 13, even though there may be trees 16 in the grab 15.”);
wherein the second path further includes one of the target positions outside the loading space and one of the target positions that is the starting position of the first path and represents a stop position of the second path. (Palmroth [0023] reads “After dropping the trunk and opening the grapple 30, the control system 60 can be programmed to attempt to return the grapple 30 to the centering point Pc”);
Regarding claim 26 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23, wherein the control device is a joystick controller, wherein the joystick controller is pivotable and adapted to be turned forward, backward, to the left, and to the right for controlling movements of the boom, the head, and the grapple; (Palmroth [0002] reads “When applying the above mentioned control method in practice, it has been found that the best way to arrange the controllers is to provide the cabin with typically two controllers (for example, control levers of the joystick type), one for each hand of the driver.”);
and wherein the method further comprises: carrying out the predetermined motion or sequence of motions by means of the joystick controller. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Work with a forest machine always involves operations with routine movements of the crane. For example when the grapple of a forwarder is applied for loading tree trunks into the load space, bringing the trunk into the load space is followed by a routine operation in which the grapple is transferred from the load space back to the vicinity of a stack of trunks next to the forest machine, for gripping the next trunk. Such operations which are repeated a number of times during the same work performance are thus almost identical with each other;”);
Regarding claim 27 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 26, wherein the joystick controller includes a supplementary control element; and wherein the method further comprises: carrying out the enabling by means of the supplementary control element. (Palmroth [0008] reads “a controller is a device for controlling a function, for example a control lever, a key in a keyboard, a rocker lever, a switch, a switch button, or a key displayed graphically on a touch display, etc. A control function refers to the changing of the state of a controller to a control position or another state that will cause the control of a function, for example the turning of a control lever forward, backward, to the left, or to the right; the pressing of a key in a keyboard; the turning of a rocker lever in either direction; or the touching of an icon on a touch display. Thus, one controller can be applied to set off one or more control functions.”);
Regarding claim 29 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23, wherein the method further comprises: automatically storing the current position of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit as the starting position of the path. (Tossavainen [0031] reads “The position A of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 also defines the position of the grab 15 for its orienting. If the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is here in the position A (on top of the load space 27) stored in the memory 24.3 of the work machine's 10 control system 24.1, the grab 15 is then known to be in connection with the load space 27 in such a way that it should be oriented in the manner stored in the memory 24.3 of the work machine's 10 control system 24.1.” and [0033] reads “Using this embodiment, the path of movement of the set of booms 12 between positions A, B can be automated in addition to the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 tied to the positions A, B of the end 19 of the set of booms 12.”);
Regarding claim 30 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 29, wherein the one or more predetermined paths further include a second path, and wherein the method further comprises: automatically storing the starting position of the first path as constituting the stopping position of the second path; (Palmroth [0023] reads “After dropping the trunk and opening the grapple 30, the control system 60 can be programmed to attempt to return the grapple 30 to the centering point Pc”);
manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location inside the loading space after depositing logs into the loading space from the grapple, wherein the location constitutes the starting position of the second path, (Tossavainen [0030] reads “In stage 603, the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this move by controlling the set of booms 12. The grab 15 can then be above the load space 27 and also the load stakes 28. The grab 15 is guided to such a position on top of the load space 27 that it can be rotated and thus oriented freely by using the rotation device 13, even though there may be trees 16 in the grab 15.”);
and wherein the second path further includes a third target position outside the loading space; and enabling by the operator an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along the second path. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space.”);
Regarding claim 32 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to the location on or above the pile of logs on the ground after gripping logs from the pile with the help of the grapple. (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
Regarding claim 33 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location on or above a pile of logs on the ground after gripping logs from the pile with the help of the grapple, wherein the location represents the starting position for the first path; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the first path includes one of the target positions outside the loading space and one of the target positions inside the loading space and representing the stop position of the first path. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space.”);
Regarding claim 34 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location inside the loading space after depositing logs into the loading space from the grapple, wherein the location represents the starting position of a second path. (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.” It would be known by one with ordinary skill in the art that the locations that the operator would be moving the boom to and from would be the stack or heap and the loading space.);
Regarding claim 35 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 34, wherein the method further comprises: manually transferring the grapple by the operator to a location that is suitable for depositing the logs on a bottom of the loading space or onto logs already placed therein, by opening gripping jaws provided in the grapple; (Tossavainen [0031] reads “In stage 604, the grab 15 is rotated on top of the load space 27 into an attitude for setting the trees 16 into the load space 27 or alternatively for picking the trees 16 out of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this rotating movement too using the control system 24.1. The grab 15 is then oriented on top of the load space 27 in such a way that its jaws 34 open towards the load stakes 28 at both edges of the load space 27 and, for example, a tree 16 can also be picked from the load space 27 by the grab 15 when it is open.”);
wherein each path is constituted by two or more predetermined target positions for the head or the grapple, wherein the target positions are located in the space around, in the vicinity of, or within reach of the boom, the head, or the grapple, and wherein the path is represented by the target positions in a predetermined sequence. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space. According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
Regarding claim 36 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location on or above a pile of logs on the ground after gripping logs from the pile with the help of the grapple, (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the location represents the starting position for the first path; (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space. According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
and manually moving the head or the grapple by the operator to a location inside the loading space after depositing logs into the loading space from the grapple, wherein the location represents a starting position for another one of the paths; (Tossavainen [0030] reads “In stage 603, the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this move by controlling the set of booms 12. The grab 15 can then be above the load space 27 and also the load stakes 28. The grab 15 is guided to such a position on top of the load space 27 that it can be rotated and thus oriented freely by using the rotation device 13, even though there may be trees 16 in the grab 15.”);
wherein the other path includes one of the target positions outside the loading space and one of the target positions represents both the starting position of the path and a stop position of the other path. (Palmroth [0023] reads “After dropping the trunk and opening the grapple 30, the control system 60 can be programmed to attempt to return the grapple 30 to the centering point Pc”);
Regarding claim 37 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 24, wherein one of the paths is adapted for moving the grapple from the loading space in preparation for loading logs, wherein the path is represented by the current position of the grapple inside the loading space, (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
followed by a first target position outside the loading space, and followed by a second target position outside the loading space, wherein the second target position representing the stopping position is a location above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground and from which logs are to be loaded into the loading space. (Tossavainen [0035] reads “In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is performed by way of example in individual spatial points. One versed in the art will, however, understand that, instead of individual points, the orientation can also be tied to motion space, i.e. to the location between specific points, on other words, more generally, to the target area and/or target volume A′-C′.” and [0011] reads “Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space.”);
Regarding claim 38 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 37, wherein the method further comprises: manually moving the grapple by the operator to a location inside the loading space after depositing logs into the loading space from the grapple, wherein the location represents the current position of the grapple. (Tossavainen [0030] reads “In stage 603, the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this move by controlling the set of booms 12. The grab 15 can then be above the load space 27 and also the load stakes 28. The grab 15 is guided to such a position on top of the load space 27 that it can be rotated and thus oriented freely by using the rotation device 13, even though there may be trees 16 in the grab 15.”);
Regarding claim 39 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 37, wherein the method further comprises: manually transferring the grapple by the operator to a location that is suitable for gripping logs in the pile, by opening gripping jaws of the grapple. (Tossavainen [0031] reads “In stage 604, the grab 15 is rotated on top of the load space 27 into an attitude for setting the trees 16 into the load space 27 or alternatively for picking the trees 16 out of the load space 27. The work machine's 10 operator performs this rotating movement too using the control system 24.1. The grab 15 is then oriented on top of the load space 27 in such a way that its jaws 34 open towards the load stakes 28 at both edges of the load space 27 and, for example, a tree 16 can also be picked from the load space 27 by the grab 15 when it is open.”);
Regarding claim 40 Tossavainen teaches A method for controlling a forwarder, wherein the forwarder includes: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; a grapple for handling logs and suspended from the head; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the method comprises: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
including a first path, wherein, for unloading logs from the loading space to a pile of logs on the ground, the first path is constituted by: a first location of the head or the grapple inside the loading space, a first target position outside the loading space, and a second target position of the head or the grapple above or on top of pile of logs that is on the ground, (Tossavainen [0040] reads “The opening or closing of the grab 15 can be performed by the work machine's 10 operator. In stage 807 the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the stack 21, again also defining at the same time the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 when performing the operation by means of the set of booms 12.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along the first path, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from the first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the first path, along the first path to the second target position representing a stopping position of the first path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Tossavainen does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by a current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location inside the loading space at the moment of the enabling.
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by a current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location inside the loading space at the moment of the enabling. (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position;
Palmroth in analogous art, teaches stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Regarding claim 41 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 40, wherein each path is constituted by two or more predetermined target positions for the head or the grapple, wherein the target positions are located in the space around, in the vicinity of, or within reach of the boom, the head, or the grapple, and wherein the path is represented by the target positions in a predetermined sequence. (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, these two positions are points or areas in connection with the end points of the path of movement of the set of booms. Examples of these positions are the positions of the end of the set of booms in the area of the load space and the stack, more generally in the target area, target point, and/or target space. According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
Regarding claim 42 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 40, wherein the one or more predetermined paths further include a second path, and wherein the method further comprises: automatically storing the starting position of the first path as constituting the stopping position of the second path; (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, before the operation to be performed using the set of booms, the orientation of the wood-handling device corresponding to the position of the end of the set of booms is tied for repeating the operation performed using the set of booms in at least two positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably by recording in the memory of the work machine's control system the orientation of the wood-handling device in at least two positions of the end of the set of booms.” It would be understood by one with ordinary skill in the art that for a forestry machine of the nature of Tossavainen or the current application that the two location or paths required would be from the loading vehicle to the stack or back.);
enabling by the operator an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along the second path. (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Regarding claim 43 Tossavainen teaches A forwarder comprising: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the head is adapted to have, for handling logs, a grapple suspended from it; and wherein the control unit is adapted to automatically, under control of the operator, to carry out a method including: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple, (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
wherein, for moving the grapple that is empty from the loading space in preparation for loading logs, the path is constituted by: a first target position that is above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground, a second target position that is outside the loading space, (Tossavainen [0040] reads “The opening or closing of the grab 15 can be performed by the work machine's 10 operator. In stage 807 the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the stack 21, again also defining at the same time the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 when performing the operation by means of the set of booms 12.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along one of the paths, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from a first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the path, along the path to the second target position, and to an end of the path to the first target position representing a stopping position of the path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Tossavainen does not teach and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position.
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position.
stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position. (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Regarding claim 44 Tossavainen teaches A forwarder comprising: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the head is adapted to have, for handling logs, a grapple suspended from it; and wherein the control unit is adapted to automatically, under control of the operator, to carry out a method including: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple, (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
including a first path, wherein, for loading logs, the first path is constituted by: a first target position inside the loading space, a second target position outside the loading space, and a first location of the head or the grapple above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground and from which logs are to be loaded into the loading space; (Tossavainen [0027] reads “The example of an embodiment shown here is the unloading of a load from the forwarder to a stack or the loading of the forwarder, in which trees 16 are moved from the stack (or heap) to the load space 27 of the forwarder. Thus the wood-handling device 14 used in the example is a grab 15 for handling trees 16 or other objects or moving then from one place to another.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along the path, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from the first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the first path, along the first path to the second target position, and to an end of the first path to the first target position representing a stopping position of the first path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Tossavainen does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location above or on top of the pile of logs at the moment of the enabling.
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches wherein the starting position of the first path is represented by the current position of the head or the grapple that is in the first location above or on top of the pile of logs at the moment of the enabling. (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position;
Palmroth in analogous art, teaches stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the first path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position; (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Regarding claim 45 Tossavainen teaches A forwarder comprising: an articulated boom including a head of the boom, wherein the boom is movable in vertical and horizontal directions and slewable around a vertical rotation axis; a loading space that is open at the top; (Tossavainen figure 1 depicts this forwarding device and [0076] reads “The invention also relates to a computer software product for controlling the operation of a wood-handling device 14 in a work machine 10. The product comprises program-code means stored on a media/storage device readable by computer 24.”);
PNG
media_image1.png
328
298
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Tossavainen Figure 1
a control unit including a memory device for controlling movements of the boom; and at least one control device operatively connected to the control unit and adapted to be manually operable by an operator for setting off operations; (Tossavainen [0010] reads “According to one embodiment, the orienting of the tree-handling device is tied to the position of the end of the set of booms in one or more positions of the end of the set of booms, preferably, for example, by the action of the work machine's operator. Most advantageously, the operator only needs to program the orienting of the tree-handling device once before starting the operation to be performed using the set of booms when starting work.”);
wherein the head is adapted to have, for handling logs, a grapple suspended from it; and wherein the control unit is adapted to automatically, under control of the operator, to carry out a method including: storing in the control unit one or more predetermined paths of the head or the grapple, (Tossavainen [0011] reads “According to one embodiment, in addition to the mainly automatic orienting of the wood-handling device, the movement of the set of booms, for example, in the case of the pivots, can also be stored, in order to guide the set of booms along the stored path of movement.”);
wherein, for moving the grapple that is empty from the loading space in preparation for loading logs, the path is constituted by: a first target position that is above or on top of a pile of logs that is on the ground, a second target position that is outside the loading space, (Tossavainen [0040] reads “The opening or closing of the grab 15 can be performed by the work machine's 10 operator. In stage 807 the grab 15 is moved by the set of booms 12 to on top of the stack 21, again also defining at the same time the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 when performing the operation by means of the set of booms 12.”);
enabling an automatic transfer of the head or the grapple along one of the paths, wherein the enabling is carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0029] reads “In stage 601, the programming of the orientation of the wood-handling device 14 is activated by the driver or activates automatically through the forwarder's control system 24.1. Activation can lead on the control system's 24.1 user interface to stage 602, from which it is then possible to further particularize the object of the programming of the orientation to be performed using the set of booms 12 according to the intended operation.”);
setting off the automatic transfer with the help of a predetermined motion or sequence of motions carried out manually by the operator with the help of the control device; (Tossavainen [0038] reads “In stage 801, the selection of the operation to be performed using the set of booms 12 is activated from the work machine's 10 control system 24.1. This activation can take place automatically with the aid of the control system 24.1 or by the driver's selection.”);
automatically transferring the head or the grapple under control of the control unit, from a first location of the head or the grapple representing a starting position of the path, along the path to the second target position, and to an end of the path to the first target position representing a stopping position of the path; (Tossavainen [0045] reads “For example, the repetition of the path of movement can be running one or more pivot angles by repeating the stored path-of-movement data, which can be data on the control of the pivot angle. And in addition also when performing an operation using the set of booms 12 the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is altered according to the stored path-of-movement data, or the position data of the end 19 of the set of booms 12. Once again, the position of the end 19 of the set of booms 12 is known or can be computed, if the attitude of the set of booms 12 and/or the pivots is known. The set of booms 12 is then moved principally automatically by the work machine's 10 control system 24.1 without essential user interaction and the rotation device 13 repeats the orientations set for it at the ends of the path of movement, or along the path of movement. This too facilitates the work of the work machine's 10 driver.”);
Tossavainen does not teach and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position.
Oglesby in analogous art, teaches and a current position of the head or the grapple that is inside the loading space; (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Oglesby to include a method that would allow for the automatic operation of the machine to start at the machines current position. This would allow the system to better handle changing conditions that the vehicle may face. (Oglesby [0005] reads “It would be desirable to reliably automate certain coordinated operations based on the type of terrain upon or across which the work vehicle is travelling, including for example ramps and flat surfaces, thereby increasing vehicle stability and further reducing operator fatigue and/or mitigating the impact of operator inexperience when otherwise manually operating a large number of simultaneous controls.);
Tossavainen/Oglesby does not teach stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position.
Palmroth in analogous art, teaches stopping the head or the grapple at the end of the path; and automatically disabling the automatic transfer of the head or the grapple under control of the control unit after reaching the stopping position. (Palmroth [0012] reads “The storing can be done, for example, by selecting a specific storing mode by means of a keyboard or a touch screen in the cabin 15, which storing mode can be started at the beginning of the operation and stopped at the end of the operation, by pressing the respective key or icon on the touch screen. In this way, operations stored in the memory 61 of the control unit 60 can be run later on so that the control unit 60 will control the actuators 101 to 104 of the crane 20 by implementing the control functions stored in the memory, with the same duration and timing as when they were stored in the memory in the storage step. In other words, when running an operation stored in the memory, the control unit 60 will implement the functions which are set off by the driver via control levers 70 and 80 in the cabin 15 when the corresponding operation is controlled manually; that is, at its simplest, the control of the crane 20 for performing an operation is carried out as a kind of sequential control.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen with that of Palmroth to include a method for stopping the automatic operation of the machine. This would allow the operator to maintain better control and understanding for the current actions of the machine. (Palmroth [0003] reads “Therefore, it has not been reasonable to automate the movements of the crane in the same way as the movements of e.g. an industrial robot, but it is preferable that the driver of the forest machine is in control all the time when moving the crane of the forest machine, and can select the paths according to the conditions, as he/she deems appropriate.”);
Claim(s) 28 and 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as applied to Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth, in further view of Olsson (US 10920436 B2).
Regarding claim 28 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 23.
Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth does not teach wherein one of the paths represents a default path to be selected automatically when the operator enables the automatic transfer.
Olsson in analogous art, teaches wherein one of the paths represents a default path to be selected automatically when the operator enables the automatic transfer. (Olsson [0054] reads “The command to set the working line may be a command through one of the controls 24,25,26 to select between previously stored (possible default) working lines whereby the controller would set the working line to be maintained to a selected working line. In such an embodiment, the controller may further be configured to move the tool 11 b to the working line, the working line being defined by a height or distance to a reference, and a direction or an angle.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth with that of Olsson to include a method of selecting the default path. This would allow the system to preform safer operations. (Olsson [0007] reads “ However, the manner of maintaining an angle does not solve how to set the angle correctly the first time, and the manner of automatically setting the angle takes away the control of the boom from the operator and may cause unexpected movement of the boom, thereby possibly endangering operators or bystanders.”);
Regarding claim 31 Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth teaches The method according to claim 30.
Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth does not teach wherein the second path represents a default path to be selected automatically when the operator enables the automatic transfer and after reaching the stopping position of the first path.
Olsson in analogous art, teaches wherein the second path represents a default path to be selected automatically when the operator enables the automatic transfer and after reaching the stopping position of the first path. (Olsson [0054] reads “The command to set the working line may be a command through one of the controls 24,25,26 to select between previously stored (possible default) working lines whereby the controller would set the working line to be maintained to a selected working line. In such an embodiment, the controller may further be configured to move the tool 11 b to the working line, the working line being defined by a height or distance to a reference, and a direction or an angle.”);
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Tossavainen/Oglesby/Palmroth with that of Olsson to include a method of selecting the default path. This would allow the system to preform safer operations. (Olsson [0007] reads “ However, the manner of maintaining an angle does not solve how to set the angle correctly the first time, and the manner of automatically setting the angle takes away the control of the boom from the operator and may cause unexpected movement of the boom, thereby possibly endangering operators or bystanders.”);
Other references not Cited
Throughout examination other references were found that could read onto the prior art. Though these references were not used in this examination they could be used in future examination and could read on the contents of the current disclosure. These references are, Stanger (US 20210072727 A1); Heimann (US 20190308852 A1); Halonen (US20210345560A1);
Response to arguments
Applicant argues < The Palmroth reference fails to disclose that a current position of the grapple (i.e., the present or prevailing location where the grapple happens to be) can be applied as constituting the start of the path.> [page 14 spanning paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. In the current office action of record Palmroth is not citied to teach the starting operation from the current location of the boom. Oglesby in analogous art, is used to teach that limitation. Oglesby teaches moving the head of boom or other equipment from its measured current location to a new location. (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”); Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Applicant argues < The Tossavainen reference also fails to disclose that a current position of the grapple (i.e., the present or prevailing location where the grapple happens to be) can be applied as constituting the start of the path> [page 15 second paragraph]. The examiner respectfully disagrees. In the current office action of record Tossavainen is not citied to teach the starting operation from the current location of the boom. Oglesby in analogous art, is used to teach that limitation. Oglesby teaches moving the head of boom or other equipment from its measured current location to a new location. (Oglesby [0008] reads “The exemplary disclosed method includes retrieving from data storage at least respective predetermined target positions and/or operations of the at least one work implement, corresponding to a determined travel mode for the self-propelled work vehicle, receiving feedback signals from one or more sensors corresponding to respective current positions and/or operations of the at least one implement, and generating one or more control signals for automatically controlling the at least one work implement to the respective predetermined target positions and/or through the respective operations, responsive to the determined travel mode and the received feedback signals.”); Therefore, the combination teaches the claimed invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN MARTIN O'MALLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-6228. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9 am - 5 pm.
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, Ramon Mercado can be reached at (571) 270 - 5744. 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.
/JOHN MARTIN O'MALLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658