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 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.
Response to Amendment
Applicant did not make any amendments in the reply of 07/15/2026.
Claims 1-8 are pending; claims 9-17 are non-elected, i.e. withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 07/15/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-8 under 35 USC 102 with Thompson (U.S. 2018/0364155) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made hereafter. As such this is a 2nd Non-Final Rejection.
Applicant’s arguments regarding drawing objections are persuasive. Applicant has pointed to the drawings which show the bypass line connected to both at an upstream and a downstream connection to the recirculation line. Drawing objections are now withdrawn.
Previous 112(b) rejection is overcome by arguments. Same as the drawing objection, Applicant successfully showed that the bypass line 314 is indeed connected to the recirculation line 310 at both an upstream connection and a downstream connection. This is seen in Figs 3 and 5. As such, the rejection is withdrawn.
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Engelbrecht et al (U.S. 10,631,531) in view of Thompson (U.S. 2018/0364155).
Regarding claim 1, Engelbrecht teaches a liquid distribution system (10, seen in Fig 6) for a sprayer vehicle (224), comprising:
a product tank (12) configured to contain a liquid (tank 12 stores a solution made of water and chemicals), the product tank having a fluid inlet (shown below) and a fluid outlet (shown below);
a pump (16) in fluid communication with the product tank (pump 16 is fluidly downstream of the outlet);
a plurality of nozzles (22) carried by a boom (18);
a recirculation line (shown below in dashed lines, defined by lines 62, 68 and 82) connecting the fluid outlet, the pump, at least some of the plurality of nozzles, and the fluid inlet (the recirculation line connects the outlet to the pump, to the plurality if nozzles via line 76, to the inlet via return line 82, as seen in Fig 6);
a bypass line (defined by lines 86 and 100) connected at an upstream connection (shown below) and a downstream connection (shown below) to the recirculation line (as shown below; col 7, lines 50-59 describe bypassing feature).
However, Engelbrecht does not teach at least one water quality sensor configured to detect a water quality property of liquid flowing through the bypass line.
Thompson teaches an agricultural liquid distribution system (seen as a whole in Fig 2), comprising at least one water quality sensor (detector system 11) configured to detect a water quality property of liquid (the detection system 11 includes a photodetector device 13 including one or more detectors 15 positioned to detect light in a passage 35 in which a fluid, such as water, flows thereby to detect a substance in the fluid – see Par 0135 and 144; the substance detected can be any of an adjuvant, a fertilizer, a growth regulator, a micronutrient, a biological control agent, a plant health agent, an inoculant, a surfactant, an osmoprotectant, a safener, a trace molecule, a buffering agent, a trace element, a water conditioning agent and a hard water solute – see Par 0018; as such the detection system 11 detects water quality) flowing through the system and into the water tank after water has been recirculated (Par 0161 discloses the conduit 35 of the detection system 11 configured to circulate flow back to the tank, i.e. placed in a bypass line, which sends fluid back to the tank).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Engelbrecht to incorporate the teachings of Thompson to provide means for detecting concentration of agriculture chemicals in the distribution system in order to quantify concentrations of one or more agrochemicals during monitoring periods or during a cleaning process and to alert the user of any discrepancies (as disclosed in Pars 0192-0206 of Thompson). This would ensure the distribution system is operating at the target solution concentration at all times. In combination, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the sensor detecting water quality through the bypass line since Engelbrecht teaches the bypass line being used to return fluid to the solution tank before the boom (col 7, lines 50-59) and Thompson teaches placing the quality sensor (detection system 11) downstream of screen (131, as seen in Fig 11); which as shown in Fig 2, screen 131 is connected to a line that bypasses the boom in order to return fluid to the tank 105. Further evidence in Par 0161 which discloses the conduit 35 of the detection system 11 configured to circulate flow back to the tank, i.e. placed in a line that sends fluid back to the tank.
Regarding claim 2, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the liquid distribution system of claim 1, further comprising at least one valve (92, seen in Fig 6 of Engelbrecht) configured to control flow through the bypass line (as disclosed in col 7, lines 41-59 of Engelbrecht).
Regarding claim 3, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the liquid distribution system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water quality sensor comprises at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a pH sensor, a turbidity sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, a salinity sensor, an ammonia sensor, a chlorine sensor, a nitrate sensor, a sulfite sensor, and a total organic carbon sensor (as disclosed in Par 0253 of Thompson, the detection system 11 determines concentration of fertilizer in the fluid, which includes ammonium nitrate; thus its sensors comprise a nitrate sensor and/or an ammonia sensor).
Regarding claim 4, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the liquid distribution system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water quality sensor is configured to report the water quality property to an operator of the sprayer vehicle (as seen in Fig 1 and Par 0142 of Thompson, the system includes a data exchange interface 25 that communicates to the detection system 11, wherein such data is sent to a personal computer, tablet computer, smartphone, or other mobile device; thus reporting water quality to an operator of the sprayer).
Regarding claim 5, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the liquid distribution system of claim 1, further comprising a rinse tank (24 of Engelbrecht) configured to contain rinse water separate from the liquid in the product tank (24 is separate from the product tank 12, as seen in Fig 6 of Engelbrecht) and to selectively provide rinse water (rinse tank holds rinse solution, see claim 1 of Engelbrecht) to the recirculation line (rinse tank 24 provides rinse water to the recirculation line via line 66, as seen in Fig 6 and col 5, lines 42-43 of Engelbrecht).
Regarding claim 6, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach a sprayer vehicle (seen in Fig 2 of Engelbrecht) comprising the liquid distribution system of claim 1 (as seen in Fig 2, the vehicle comprises the distribution system).
Regarding claim 7, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the sprayer vehicle of claim 6, further comprising a self-propelled chassis carrying the liquid distribution system (tractor 224 of Engelbrecht carries the liquid distribution system, wherein tractors are considered self-propelled, i.e. they are moved by their engines. Moreover, Engelbrecht discloses their invention also used in “self-propelled sprayers”, see col 2, line 51).
Regarding claim 8, Engelbrecht and Thompson teach the sprayer vehicle of claim 6, further comprising a towed chassis carrying the liquid distribution system (Fig 2 of Engelbrecht shows the vehicle 224 towing a chassis that carries the liquid distribution system).
Annotated Figure of Engelbrecht:
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUAN C BARRERA whose telephone number is (571)272-6284. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F Generally 10am-4pm and 6-8pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ARTHUR O. HALL can be reached on 571-270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
If there are any inquiries that are not being addressed by first contacting the Examiner or the Supervisor, you may send an email inquiry to TC3700_Workgroup_D_Inquiries@uspto.gov.
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/JUAN C BARRERA/
Examiner, Art Unit 3752
/CODY J LIEUWEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
