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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bassett (USPGPub 2014/0116735).
Regarding claim 14: Bassett discloses a towed agricultural implement (as seen in figure 12, generally 120) for use with an agricultural tractor (as seen in figure 12, generally 121) having at least one hydraulic output (as seen in figures 10 and 11, at 100), the implement comprising:
a main frame (as seen in figures 1-4 and 9, generally 13) arranged for connection to the agricultural tractor for movement across ground in a forward working direction of the tractor;
a plurality of ground engaging tools (as seen in figures 1-4, generally 10) supported on the main frame for selectively engaging the ground (as seen in figures 2-4);
at least one hydraulic actuator (as seen in figure 9, at 19) supported on the implement and being arranged for connection to said at least one hydraulic output of the tractor so as to be operable to control an associated operating characteristic of the implement,
said at least one hydraulic actuator being associated with one or more control valves (as seen in figures 10 and 11; also, paragraphs [0117] to [0120]) to controllably vary said associated operating characteristic in response to a command signal;
at least one operating sensor (page 20, paragraph [0273) supported on the implement so as to be arranged to sense said operating characteristic associated with said at least one hydraulic actuator; and
a controller supported on the implement in communication with said at least one operating sensor, the controller comprising a memory storing programming instructions thereon (page 12, paragraphs 0187] to [0188]) and a processor (as seen in figures 39A to 39C at 2146; also, page 12, paragraph [0187]) arranged to execute the programming instructions whereby the controller is arranged to (i) determine if the operating characteristic associated with said at least one hydraulic actuator falls within a threshold range associated (page 20, paragraph [0270]) with the command signal for said at least one hydraulic actuator, and (ii) generate a corrective command signal for said at least one hydraulic actuator to return the operating characteristic to the threshold range in response to the operating characteristic being outside of said threshold range (pages 27 and 28, paragraphs [0328] to [0330]).
Regarding claim 15: Bassett discloses the towed agricultural implement of claim 14. Further, Bassett discloses wherein the controller is further arranged to generate an alert for communication to the user if the operating characteristic does not return to the threshold range in response to the corrective command signal being directed to said at least one hydraulic actuator (page 22, paragraphs [0287] and [0288]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-21 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not disclose or fairly suggest in combination with other claimed features/limitations, a towed agricultural implement having a controller supported on the implement in communication with at least one monitoring device, the controller comprising a memory storing programming instructions thereon and a processor arranged to execute the programming instructions whereby the controller is arranged to (i) determine if the plurality of hydraulic actuators can be displaced into end-of-travel positions by comparing the one or more operating characteristics of the implement monitored by the at least one monitoring device to phasing criteria stored on the controller, and (ii) generate actuation signals for displacing the plurality of hydraulic actuators into said end-of-travel positions in response to determination that the plurality of hydraulic actuators can be displaced into said end-of-travel positions.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Barry et al. (USPGPub 2025/0133977) discloses a towed agricultural implement having implement position sensors and related control of devices.
Lindberg et al. (USPGPub 2023/0403962) discloses a towed agricultural implement having implement position sensing and control.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT ERIC PEZZUTO whose telephone number is (703)756-1320. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm.
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/ROBERT E PEZZUTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3671
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