DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5 7-9, 11, 13-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Wendling (DE 102016202628).
In reference to claim 1, Wendling discloses a harvesting implement for an agricultural harvester 10, the harvesting implement comprising:
an implement frame 22 defining a plane extending in a longitudinal direction between a forward end of the implement frame and an aft end of the implement frame 22, the plane further extending in a lateral direction between a first side of the implement frame 22 and a second side of the implement frame 22, the lateral direction extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (Fig 3);
a cutter bar 42 supported on the implement frame 22, the cutter bar 42 configured to sever crops present within a field across which the agricultural harvester is traveling in a forward direction of travel (Fig. 3);
a support arm 78/80 coupled to the implement frame 22; and
a sensor 62 coupled to the support arm 78/80,
wherein the support arm 78/80 is configured to rotate relative to the implement frame 22 about an axis, intersecting the plane, between a first position at which the sensor has a field of view directed at a portion of the field forward of the harvesting implement relative to the forward direction of travel (Fig. 3) and a second position at which a distance between the sensor 62 and the aft end of the implement frame 22 in the longitudinal direction is less than when in the first position (Fig. 5).
In reference to claim 2, Wendling discloses that the support arm 78/80 is at the first position (Figs. 3 and 4), the sensor 62 is positioned forward of the cutter bar 42 relative to the forward direction of travel (Figs. 3 and 4).
In reference to claim 3, Wendling discloses that when the support arm 78/80 is at the second position, the sensor 62 is positioned aft of the cutter bar 42 relative to the forward direction of travel (Figs. 4 and 5).
In reference to claim 4, Wendling discloses that when the support arm 78/80 is at the second position, the sensor 62 is positioned forward of the aft end of the implement frame 22 relative to the forward direction of travel (Fig. 5).
In reference to claim 5, Wendling discloses a reel assembly 44 coupled to the implement frame 22 such that the reel assembly 44 is moveable relative to the implement frame 22 independently of the support arm 78/80 (Fig. 3).
In reference to claim 7, Wendling discloses a linkage 82 or 84 configured to rotate the support arm 78/80 between the first position and the second position (Figs. 4 and 5).
In reference to claims 8 and 9, Wendling discloses that the linkage 82 or 84 is manually actuatable; or an actuator configured to actuate the linkage 82 or 84 to rotate the support arm 78/80 between the first position and the second position (Figs. 4 and 5; par. 0028. “pivot bearings 82, 84 can be operated manually or by motor”).
In reference to claim 11, Wendling does not explicitly disclose that the sensor comprises a transceiver-based sensor. However, the sensor 62 is disclosed as a camera that receives optical data and then transmits that data (par. 0023, “the transmission of the image data of the camera 68 to a control arrangement 74”), so the sensor 62 constitutes a transceiver-based sensor.
In reference to claim 13, Wendling discloses a sensor support system for a harvesting implement of an agricultural harvester 10, the sensor support system comprising:
an implement frame 22 defining a plane extending in a longitudinal direction between a forward end of the implement frame and an aft end of the implement frame 22, the plane further extending in a lateral direction between a first side of the implement frame 22 and a second side of the implement frame, the lateral direction intersecting the longitudinal direction (Fig. 3);
a cutter bar 42 supported on the implement frame 22, the cutter bar 42 configured to sever crops present within a field across which the agricultural harvester 10 is traveling in a forward direction of travel (Fig. 3);
a support arm 78/80 coupled to the implement frame 22; and
a sensor 62 coupled to the support arm,
wherein the support arm 78/80 is configured to rotate relative to the implement frame 22 about an axis, intersecting the plane, between a first position (Figs. 3 and 4) at which the sensor 62 has a field of view directed at a portion of the field forward of the harvesting implement 10 relative to the forward direction of travel and a second position (Fig. 5) at which a distance between the sensor 62 and the aft end of the implement frame 22 in the longitudinal direction is less than when in the first position (Figs. 4 and 5).
In reference to claim 14, Wendling discloses that when the support arm 78/80 is at the first position, the sensor 62 is positioned forward of the cutter bar 42 relative to the forward direction of travel (Fig. 4).
In reference to claim 15, Wendling discloses that when the support arm 78/80 is at the second position, the sensor 62 is positioned aft of the cutter bar 42 relative to the forward direction of travel (Figs. 4 and 5).
In reference to claim 16, Wendling discloses that when the support arm 78/80 is at the second position, the sensor 62 is positioned forward of the aft end of the implement frame 22 relative to the forward direction of travel (Fig. 5).
In reference to claim 18, Wendling discloses a linkage 82 or 84 configured to rotate the support arm 78/80 between the first position and the second position (Figs. 4 and 5).
In reference to claim 19, Wendling discloses an actuator configured to actuate the linkage 82/84 to rotate the support arm 78/80 between the first position and the second position (Figs. 4 and 5; par. 0028. “pivot bearings 82. 84 can be operated manually or by motor”).
In reference to claim 20, Wendling does not explicitly disclose that the sensor comprises a transceiver-based sensor. However, the sensor 62 is disclosed as a camera that receives optical data and then transmits that data (par. 0023, “the transmission of the image data of the camera 68 to a control arrangement 74”), so the sensor 62 constitutes a transceiver-based sensor.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wendling (DE 102016202628) in view of Faust et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0095539).
In reference to claim 12, Wendling fails to disclose that the support arm is arcuate.
Faust discloses a support arm 108 for sensors 106 or 107 (par. 0022) that is arcuate (Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to form the support arm as arcuate with a reasonable expectation of success as it amounts to a substitution of known equivalents to perform the same function, which is in this case to support a sensor in a position to monitor a harvesting activity.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 10 and 17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Homburg et al. (US Patent No. 6,397,569) discloses a sensor 1 mounted on an arm 10 (Fig. 2); Diekhans (US Patent No. 7,155,888) discloses a sensor 3 mounted on an arm 9 that rotates about an axis 11 (Fig. 1); and Mussack et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0340285) discloses a sensor 206 mounted on an arm 202 that rotates into a stored position (Fig. 6).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRAD HARCOURT whose telephone number is (571)272-7303. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at (571)272-4137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRAD HARCOURT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674
3/05/26