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
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.
Claim(s) 1-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kadobayashi (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0126963).
Regarding claim 1, Kadobayashi teaches a marine propulsion system comprising: a first propulsion device that is steerable, located at a stern of a hull, and includes a rudder (Paragraph 0033 The vessel operation system 3 includes an outboard motor 4 that is an example of a propulsion apparatus… [see FIG. 2, when steering without propulsion the motor fins act as a rudder]); a second propulsion device that is steerable and located in front of the stern of the hull (Paragraph 0033 The vessel operation system 3 includes... a trolling motor 5 that is provided independently of the outboard motor 4 and externally mounted to the hull 2…); and a controller (Paragraph 0033 The vessel operation system 3 includes... a controller 6 that controls these components.) configured or programmed to control a propulsion force of the second propulsion device (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated.) and a steering angle of the rudder (Paragraph 0066 In the steering vessel operation, the vessel-operation request is input into the ECU 7. The ECU 7 into which the vessel-operation request has been input sets the target steering angle in accordance with a handle steering angle (rotational operation amount and rotation direction) of the steering handle 11A that is detected by the steering sensor 62. [steering of the outboard motor is independent of propulsion of the outboard motor]) without generating a propulsion force of the first propulsion device according to a maneuvering instruction in predetermined modes in which the propulsion force of the second propulsion device is used (Paragraph 0075 With the vessel 1, it is possible to perform not only a vessel operation only by the outboard motor 4 (hereinafter, referred to as the "first sole vessel operation") but also a vessel operation only by the trolling motor 5 (hereinafter, referred to as the "second sole vessel operation").).
Regarding claim 2, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to control the steering angle of the rudder according to a steering instruction in the maneuvering instruction (Paragraph 0066 In the steering vessel operation, the vessel-operation request is input into the ECU 7. The ECU 7 into which the vessel-operation request has been input sets the target steering angle in accordance with a handle steering angle (rotational operation amount and rotation direction) of the steering handle 11A that is detected by the steering sensor 62. [steering of the outboard motor is independent of propulsion of the outboard motor]) while maintaining the steering angle of the second propulsion device in a straight direction in a first mode among the predetermined modes (Paragraph 0065 In the vessel 1, it is possible to activate the outboard motor 4 in a state in which the trolling motor 5 has been stopped and to perform a vessel operation that uses only the thrust of the outboard motor 4.).
Regarding claim 3, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to control the steering angle of the second propulsion device (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated.) and the steering angle of the rudder according to a steering instruction in the maneuvering instruction in a second mode among the predetermined modes (Paragraph 0066 In the steering vessel operation, the vessel-operation request is input into the ECU 7. The ECU 7 into which the vessel-operation request has been input sets the target steering angle in accordance with a handle steering angle (rotational operation amount and rotation direction) of the steering handle 11A that is detected by the steering sensor 62. [steering of the outboard motor is independent of propulsion of the outboard motor]).
Regarding claim 4, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to control the steering angle of the second propulsion device according to a steering instruction amount indicated by a steering instruction in the maneuvering instruction in a third mode among the predetermined modes (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated.).
Regarding claim 5, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 4 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller, in the third mode, is configured or programmed to set the steering angle of the second propulsion device to a straight direction in a case where the steering instruction amount is less than a predetermined amount, and set the steering angle of the second propulsion device to an angle corresponding to the steering instruction amount in a case where the steering instruction amount is not less than the predetermined amount (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated. Thus, the vessel 1 undergoes low speed movement by the second sole vessel operation to a point of the fishing site desired by the vessel operator.).
Regarding claim 6, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller, in a fourth mode among the predetermined modes, is configured or programmed to control the steering angle of the rudder according to a steering instruction in the maneuvering instruction, and control the second propulsion device according to a steering instruction amount indicated by the steering instruction and a vessel speed of the marine vessel (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated. Thus, the vessel 1 undergoes low speed movement by the second sole vessel operation to a point of the fishing site desired by the vessel operator.).
Regarding claim 7, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 6 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller, in the fourth mode, is configured or programmed to maintain the steering angle of the second propulsion device in a straight direction in a case where the vessel speed is not less than a predetermined speed and the steering instruction amount is less than a predetermined amount, and change the steering angle of the second propulsion device according to the steering instruction amount in a case where the vessel speed is not less than the predetermined speed and the steering instruction amount is not less than the predetermined amount (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated. Thus, the vessel 1 undergoes low speed movement by the second sole vessel operation to a point of the fishing site desired by the vessel operator.).
Regarding claim 8, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 6 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller, in the fourth mode, is configured or programmed to change the steering angle of the second propulsion device according to the steering instruction amount in a case where the vessel speed is less than the predetermined speed (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated. Thus, the vessel 1 undergoes low speed movement by the second sole vessel operation to a point of the fishing site desired by the vessel operator.).
Regarding claim 9, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 8 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller, in the fourth mode, is configured or programmed to increase the steering angle of the second propulsion device corresponding to the steering instruction amount in a case where the vessel speed is less than the predetermined speed as compared to a case where the vessel speed is not less than the predetermined speed (Paragraph 0075 Then, at the trolling motor 5, the ECU 57 controls the electric motor 50 and the turning unit 56 so that the thrust of the magnitude and direction that are in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 55 by the vessel operator is generated. Thus, the vessel 1 undergoes low speed movement by the second sole vessel operation to a point of the fishing site desired by the vessel operator.).
Regarding claim 10, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the maneuvering instruction is obtained based on an operation of a joystick (Paragraph 0035 The vessel operation platform 10 is provided with a steering operation portion 11 that is operated to perform steering, a throttle operation portion 12 that is operated to adjust an output of the outboard motor 4, and a joystick 13 that is operated to perform steering and to adjust the output of the outboard motor 4.).
Regarding claim 11, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 10 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to control the propulsion force and the steering angle of the second propulsion device according to a tilting operation of the joystick (Paragraph 0070 In the joystick vessel operation, the controller 6 into which the vessel-operation request has been input generates the target shift position and the target throttle opening degree of the outboard motor 4 in accordance with the operation in the front-rear direction of the joystick 13 performed by the vessel operator. Paragraph 0078 As one example, the controller 6 switches the vessel operation mode from the second sole vessel operation to the cooperative vessel operation. In this case, the controller 6 sets the target values of the thrusts of the outboard motor 4 and the trolling motor 5 in accordance with the operation of the joystick 13, that is, a command indicated by the joystick 13.),
Regarding claim 12, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 10 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to set both the steering angle of the second propulsion device and the steering angle of the rudder in a straight direction in a case where the joystick is returned to a neutral position (Paragraph 0073 When a rightward/leftward tilt of the joystick 13 is used to set the target steering angle, the controller 6 sets the target steering angle for right-handed rotation with respect to the tilt operation in the rightward direction of the joystick 13. Likewise, the controller 6 sets the target steering angle for left-handed rotation with respect to the tilt operation in the leftward direction of the joystick 13. In any case, the target steering angle is set so that its absolute value (deflection angle from the neutral position) becomes larger in proportion to an increase in the tilt amount from the neutral position of the joystick 13.).
Regarding claim 13, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the controller is configured or programmed to function as an obtaining unit to obtain an operation of a steering of the marine vessel; wherein the steering includes at least a wheel that provides a turning instruction to the hull by a rotational operation (Paragraph 0066 The ECU 7 into which the vessel-operation request has been input sets the target steering angle in accordance with a handle steering angle (rotational operation amount and rotation direction) of the steering handle 11A that is detected by the steering sensor 62.), first operation instructors to generate an instruction to provide a propulsion force in a lateral direction to the hull (Paragraph 0105 For example, when the vessel operator tilts the joystick 13 to the right to perform berthing, a signal that indicates a rightward tilt amount of the joystick 13 detected by the right-left sensor 65 is input into the controller 6 as a translational movement command.), and second operation instructors to generate an instruction to provide a propulsion force in a front-back direction to the hull (Paragraph 0067 The ECU 7 into which the vessel-operation request has been input sets the target shift position and the target throttle opening degree for the outboard motor 4 in accordance with the tilt amount of the throttle lever 12A detected by the throttle sensor 63.); and the obtaining unit is configured or programmed to obtain the maneuvering instruction from one operation or a combination of two or more operations of the wheel, the first operation instructors, and the second operation instructors (Paragraph 0038 The communication bus 14 includes a first communication bus 14A that connects the controller 6 and the ECU 8 and a second communication bus 14B that connects the ECU 7 and the ECU 8. The steering operation portion 11 is connected to the second communication bus 14B. Each of the throttle operation portion 12 and the joystick 13 is connected to the first communication bus 14A. The throttle operation portion 12 is locally connected to the ECU 8 through a wire or wireless communication line 15.).
Regarding claim 14, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the second propulsion device is located at a bow of the hull (Paragraph 0033 The vessel operation system 3 includes... a trolling motor 5 that is provided independently of the outboard motor 4 and externally mounted to the hull 2… [see FIG. 2]).
Regarding claim 15, Kadobayashi teaches the system of claim 1 as set forth above. Kadobayashi further teaches wherein the second propulsion device includes a trolling motor (Paragraph 0033 The vessel operation system 3 includes... a trolling motor 5 that is provided independently of the outboard motor 4 and externally mounted to the hull 2…).
Regarding claims 16 and 17, the claims are commensurate in scope with claim 1 with the exception that the claims are directed to a marine vessel and a control method respectively. Therefore, the same prior art can be applied to claims 16 and 17 as was applied to claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of the record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
applicant’s disclosure.
Illegems – WIPO Publication WO2025003752
Iwata – U.S. Patent Application Publication 2024/0067323
Mueller – U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0290552
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK D MOHL whose telephone number is (571)272-8987. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6:00AM-4:00PM.
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/PATRICK DANIEL MOHL/Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/ANNE MARIE ANTONUCCI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666