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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuchie et al., U.S. Patent Publication 2021/0018942 (hereinafter “Tsuchie”) in view of Fallahi, U.S. Patent Publication 2019/0017520 (hereinafter “Fallahi”).
In Reference to Claim 1:
Tsuchie discloses a hydraulic system (Figure 2) of a working machine (Figure 1), comprising: a hydraulic actuator to be driven by a hydraulic fluid; a control valve (141) to perform a switching operation for switching a flow rate of a hydraulic fluid supplied to the hydraulic actuator (HA); and a controller (120) to control the control valve, wherein the control valve includes a solenoid (143 m and 143p) and performs the switching operation in accordance with a current supplied to the solenoid, and the controller supplies, to the solenoid, a shift current for causing the control valve to perform the switching operation and intermittently supplies a standby current when the shift current is not supplied, the standby current having a current value smaller than the shift current and within a range in which the control valve does not perform the switching operation. See, Paragraph [0078] and Figure 5 and 9.
Tsuchie also discloses the use of pulse width modulation (a similar concept to applicants newly amended limitation) to determine the angular position, but fails to explicitly disclose the newly amended limitation of intermittently supplying a standby current such that a time over which the standby current is supplied and another time over which the standby current is not supplied are alternately repeated. Essentially the use of pulse width modulation to control the valve units.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Fallahi, discloses a valve featuring a solenoid wherein said solenoid is actuated by a servo governer utilized pulse width modulation. See, Figure 2.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify the controller and valves of Tsuchie with the teachings of Fallahi, specifically to modify the controller and valves to have the capability of having the controller supply a pulse width modulation signal ( a current for a period and then a period without current) to the valves to control their standby and actuation because such a modification is a simple substitution of one known control system for solenoid controlled servo valves for another providing the same predictable results .
In Reference to Claim 2:
Tsuchie further discloses a plurality of the hydraulic actuators; and a plurality of the control valves each corresponding to one of the plurality of hydraulic actuators, wherein the controller supplies the standby current to a plurality of the solenoids of the plurality of control valves at different timings. See, Paragraph [0023] which states Tsuchies control system for the hydraulic system of the work machine would also be present for the other actuators of the work machine.
In Reference to Claim 3:
Tsuchie further discloses wherein the control valve includes a directional switching valve (151) to switch a flow rate of a hydraulic fluid supplied to the hydraulic actuator (HA) and a solenoid proportional valve (142) including the solenoid, the solenoid being configured to cause, in accordance with the shift current, the directional switching valve to operate. See, Figure 2.
In Reference to Claim 4:
Tsuchie further discloses wherein the solenoid of the control valve includes a first solenoid to act on switching of the control valve to one side and a second solenoid to act on switching of the control valve to another side, and the controller intermittently supplies the standby current to one of the first solenoid and the second solenoid that is not supplied with the shift current. See, Figure 2, 5 and 9.
Tsuchie also discloses the use of pulse width modulation to determine the angular position, but fails to explicitly disclose the newly amended limitation of intermittently supplying a standby current such that a time over which the standby current is supplied and another time over which the standby current is not supplied are alternately repeated. Essentially the use of pulse width modulation to control the valve units.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Fallahi, discloses a valve featuring a solenoid wherein said solenoid is actuated by a servo governer utilized pulse width modulation. See, Figure 2.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify the controller and valves of Tsuchie with the teachings of Fallahi, specifically to modify the controller and valves to have the capability of having the controller supply a pulse width modulation signal ( a current for a period and then a period without current) to the valves to control their standby and actuation because such a modification is a simple substitution of one known control system for solenoid controlled servo valves for another providing the same predictable results .
In Reference to Claim 5:
Tsuchie further discloses, wherein the controller supplies the standby current to the first solenoid and the second solenoid in the control valve simultaneously when neither the first solenoid nor the second solenoid is supplied with the shift current. See, Figure 5 and also the combination of Figure 8 and 9 which shows simultaneous standby current.
In Reference to Claim 6:
Tsuchie further discloses wherein the controller supplies the standby current to the first solenoid and the second solenoid in the control valve at different timings when neither the first solenoid nor the second solenoid is supplied with the shift current. See, Figure 7 which discloses the logic control, Figure 8 which depicts control of the first solenoid and Figure 9 which shows control of the second solenoid. Also See, Paragraph [0083-0084] which disclose that the solenoid valves can receive standby current at different timings when there is no shift current, it would happen when the operator lever is returned to neutral or moved to the opposing motion that this would occur.
In Reference to Claim 7:
Tsuchie further discloses wherein the control valve includes a directional switching valve (141) including a first pressure receiver (141m) and a second pressure receiver (141p), the directional switching valve being configured to perform the switching operation in accordance with a pilot pressure acting on the first pressure receiver and the second pressure receiver, and a solenoid proportional valve including a first proportional valve (142m) to control, by operation of the first solenoid (143m), a pilot pressure acting on the first pressure receiver (141m) and a second proportional valve (142p) to control, by operation of the second solenoid (143p), a pilot pressure acting on the second pressure receiver (141p), and the controller (120) intermittently supplies the standby current (See, Paragraph [0078]) to one of the first proportional valve and the second proportional valve that does not supply a pilot pressure for causing the directional switching valve to perform the switching operation. See, Figure 5 and 9 as well.
Tsuchie also discloses the use of pulse width modulation to determine the angular position, but fails to explicitly disclose the newly amended limitation of intermittently supplying a standby current such that a time over which the standby current is supplied and another time over which the standby current is not supplied are alternately repeated. Essentially the use of pulse width modulation to control the valve units.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Fallahi, discloses a valve featuring a solenoid wherein said solenoid is actuated by a servo governer utilized pulse width modulation. See, Figure 2.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify the controller and valves of Tsuchie with the teachings of Fallahi, specifically to modify the controller and valves to have the capability of having the controller supply a pulse width modulation signal ( a current for a period and then a period without current) to the valves to control their standby and actuation because such a modification is a simple substitution of one known control system for solenoid controlled servo valves for another providing the same predictable results .
In Reference to Claim 8:
Tsuchie further discloses a working machine (Figure 1) including the hydraulic system (Figure 2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 20050211936 A1 disclose a electrohydraulic valve using pulse width modulation control to control the individual valves of an actuator.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/DANIEL S COLLINS/ Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745