DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is a response to an amendment filed on 07/31/2025, in which claims 1-12 are pending and ready for examination.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/09/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 this application and a copy has been placed of record in the file.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (US 2015/0142276 A1) in view of Imaizumi (US 2019/0168776 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses: An activation system (see Fig. 7 and paragraph 69) for a work machine (see Fig. 1) including a power source (see paragraph 65-66) and an additional function unit that realizes a predetermined additional function (see paragraph 69, the electric swiveling apparatus).
Wu does not explicitly disclose: the activation system comprising:
a presentation unit configured to present a precaution related to the predetermined additional function when the power source is not activated; and
an activation control unit configured to determine whether or not the precaution is confirmed by an operator and allow the power source to be activated after it is determined that the precaution is confirmed.
However, Imaizumi from the same or similar endeavor discloses: a presentation unit configured to present a precaution related to the predetermined additional function when the power source is not activated (see Imaizumi, paragraph 74-75, boarding state detection unit detects a passenger boarding state in the driving room. Also see paragraph 98, a display unit); and
an activation control unit configured to determine whether or not the precaution is confirmed by an operator (see Imaizumi, paragraph 177, detecting whether a passenger is present or not, and authenticates the passenger) and allow the power source to be activated (see Imaizumi, paragraph 119, activating the power source 70) after it is determined that the precaution is confirmed (see Imaizumi, paragraph 177, states of the steering locking lever 42 and the locking lever. Also see paragraph 119, the lever sensor 43 transmits boarding detection data representing a state where the operator gets on the driving room 3R to the monitoring control device 60).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have “a presentation unit configured to present a precaution related to the predetermined additional function when the power source is not activated; and an activation control unit configured to determine whether or not the precaution is confirmed by an operator and allow the power source to be activated after it is determined that the precaution is confirmed” as taught by Imaizumi in the working machine taught by Wu to suppress an output of an unnecessary warning sound and to output a necessary warning sound (see Imaizumi, paragraph 6).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein
the additional function includes a function of detecting an obstacle in a periphery of the work machine using an imaging device provided in the work machine (see Wu, Fig. 20, imaging device 7D, and paragraph 53, 69, and 121-123).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 2, wherein
the additional function includes a function of controlling an output of an actuator driven by the power source based on a detection result of the obstacle (see Wu, paragraph 69).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the work machine includes
work equipment driven by an actuator driven by the power source (see Wu, paragraph 56-57 and 65-66), and
a work equipment control device configured to control the actuator that drives the work equipment (see Wu, Fig. 2, control device 30 controlling the inverter), and
the activation control unit is configured to allow the work equipment control device to be activated after the operator confirms the precaution (see Wu, paragraph 39, 49, and 69, control device 30 calls attention of an operator by indicating an emergency level).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein
the work machine includes an operation lever usable to operate for operating an actuator driven by the power source (see Wu, paragraph 54 and 65),
the presentation unit is further configured to present an operation pattern of the operation lever (see Wu, paragraph 39 and Fig. 2, display 135), and
the activation control unit is configured to allow the power source to be activated after the operator confirms the precaution and the operation pattern (see paragraph 39, 49, and 69, control device 30 calls attention of an operator by indicating an emergency level).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, further comprising:
an authentication unit configured to authenticate an operator who operates the work machine (see Imaizumi, paragraph 177),
the presentation unit being configured to present the precaution after the operator is authenticated (see Imaizumi, paragraph 177).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the work machine includes
a power source control unit configured to control the power source (see Wu, paragraph 54), and
a starting switch usable to drive for driving the power source control unit, and the activation control unit (see Wu, Fig. 2, staring key 132) is configured to
operate the power source control unit in a case in which an operation of the starting switch is performed after the operator confirms the precaution (see Wu, paragraph 49 and 69), and
not operate the power source control unit in a case in which an operation of the starting switch is performed before the operator confirms the precaution (see Wu, paragraph 49 and 65).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the presentation unit is configured to
display the precaution on a monitor (see Wu, paragraph 39), and
determine whether or not the precaution is confirmed by an input on the monitor (see Wu, paragraph 39-40).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Wu and Imaizumi discloses: The activation system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the presentation unit is configured to
output the precaution by voice (see Imaizumi, paragraph 6 and 177), and
determine whether or not the precaution is confirmed by voice recognition (see Wu paragraph 39 and Imaizumi, paragraph 6, although the references do not explicitly disclose using voice recognition to receive a command from the operator, however, Examiner takes official notice that using voice recognition is well known in the art).
Regarding claim 10, claim 10 is drawn to a method having limitations similar to the system claimed in claim 1 treated in the above rejections. Therefore, method claim 10 corresponds to system claim 1 and is rejected for the same reasons of anticipation as used above.
Regarding claims 11-12, claims 11-12 are drawn to a machine having limitations similar to the system claimed in claims 1 and 5 treated in the above rejections. Therefore, machine claims 11-12 correspond to system claims 1 and 5 and are rejected for the same reasons of anticipation as used above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARYAM A NASRI whose telephone number is (571)270-7158. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-8:00 M-T.
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/MARYAM A NASRI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483