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 . This office action is in response to an amendment/argument submitted on 04/21/2026. The applicant amends claims 1 and 8, and applicant adds claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 - 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hara US 2022/0001970 in view of Azukawa US 2015/0089427 in view of Drake US 2021/0347449.
Claim 1, A berthing assistance device for assisting berthing of a ship to which a propulsion unit is attached, the berthing assistance device comprising:
a controller configured to control the propulsion unit, based on an operation amount from an operation device; (Hara paragraph 0059 discloses, "The ship-steering control device 1 includes a route controller (route generation device) 2, a control target controller (control target generation device) 4, and a control controller (propulsion control device) 3."
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a ship condition, the ship condition including a current ship position and a current bow direction; (Hara paragraph 0060 discloses, "The route controller 2 may generate a route for automatically navigating the ship 95. The route controller 2 includes an environment information input unit 21, a location/orientation information input unit 22, a map generating unit 31, a docking point setting unit 41, a route generating unit 51, a display data generating unit 71, and an interface unit 81." And paragraph 0066 discloses, "The orientation sensor 13 acquires the orientation of the bow of the ship 95. The orientation sensor 13 may be, for example, a magnetic orientation sensor or a satellite compass.")
a calculation unit configured to calculate a berthing route from the current ship position to a berthing position; (Hara paragraph 0077 discloses, "The route generating unit 51 calculates the route for the ship 95 from the current location of the ship 95 to the docking point B1 based on an appropriate route search algorithm. This calculation of a route uses both the local map 36 generated by the local map generating unit 32 and the wide area map generated by the wide area map generating unit 33. After the calculation of a route is completed, the route generating unit 51 generates a plurality of waypoints A1, A2, defining a route 56, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The route generating unit 51 sets the information regarding the target location and the target orientation for each of the waypoints A1, A2, The target location and the target orientation of the waypoint A1 located at the start point of the route 56 match the location and the orientation of the ship 95 at the time when the generation of the route 56 is instructed. The end point of the route 56 is the docking point B1.")
a correction unit configured to correct control of the propulsion unit, based on the ship condition and the berthing route; (Akuzawa paragraph 0103 teaches, "The automatic berthing control unit 110 includes a berthing target position setting/change accepting unit 116 and a route planning unit 117. The berthing target position setting/change accepting unit 116 accepts a berthing target position setting input or a berthing target position changing input that the user performs by operating the touch panel 10A. The set or changed berthing target position information is passed to the route planning unit 117. The berthing target position information may include attitude designation information that designates the attitude of the small vessel 1 at the berthing position. The route planning unit 117 acquires the current position information from the GNSS receiver 72. The route planning unit 117 plans a route from the current position to the berthing target position to generate planned route information. The route planning unit 117 acquires the current position information periodically from the GNSS receiver 72 and renews the planned route each time. The automatic berthing control unit 110 determines a course to navigate the small vessel 1 along the planned route prepared by the route planning unit 117 and generates steering command signals that are in accordance with the course. The automatic berthing control unit 110 provides the output command signals to the engine ECUs 33 of the respective outboard motors 3 so that the small vessel 1 runs at a predetermined low speed. When the berthing target position is approached, the small vessel 1 may have to undergo turning or parallel movement. Such special vessel behavior is achieved by a combination of steering angle control and propulsive force control (control of direction and magnitude) of the outboard motors 3. The automatic berthing control unit 110 measures the distance from a docking object (a pier, etc.) at the berthing target position and the bow direction (heading of the hull 2), calculates the propulsive force and the steering angle necessary for the movement and turning of the vessel 1 based on the measurement result, and generates the output command signals and the steering command signals accordingly. The measurement of the distance from the small vessel 1 to the docking object preferably is performed using the distance measuring unit 73a. Also, the heading of the hull 2 is measured by the compass 73b. The automatic berthing control unit 110 acquires the respective measurement results from the distance measuring unit 73a and the compass 73b to determine the propulsive forces and the steering angles to be output by the outboard motors 3.")
and
a switching unit configured to perform switching between a maneuvering mode and a berthing assistance mode, (Drake paragraph 0059 teaches, “The control unit 43 is configured to be able to switch between a manual navigation mode and an automatic navigation mode. This mode switching can be performed by the user operating the interface unit 41 (specifically, the terminal device 42).”)
wherein the switching unit is configured to perform the switching from the maneuvering mode to the berthing assistance mode, in a case where a start condition of the berthing assistance mode is satisfied. (Drake paragraph 0059 teaches, “The control unit 43 is configured to be able to switch between a manual navigation mode and an automatic navigation mode. This mode switching can be performed by the user operating the interface unit 41 (specifically, the terminal device 42).”) and (Akuzawa paragraph 0080 teaches, “the operation screen 61 includes an automatic shore arrival mode start button 67 and an automatic shore arrival mode stop button 68. As indicated above, after the target position has been set, the automatic shore arrival control is started when the operator presses the automatic shore arrival mode start button 67. When the automatic shore arrival control is started, the controller 41 generates instruction signals to control the propulsion devices 4L and 4R so that the boat body 2 arrives at the target position. Hereinbelow, the processing to start and end the automatic shore arrival control will be explained.”)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Hara does not disclose a switching unit that for transition from manual to automatic during the start condition. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Drake teaches a switching unit that for transition from manual to automatic during the start condition Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. and Drake et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 2, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein a plurality of propulsion units are attached to the ship, the ship condition includes a current ship speed, the correction unit is configured to:
obtain a target turning angle, based on a difference between the current bow direction and a target direction of the berthing route; (Hara paragraph 0086 discloses, "The control controller 3 is configured as a Dynamic Positioning system (DPS) that is a known system. DPS is a system that automatically controls a propulsion device against external forces such as tidal current, wave, or wind to automatically hold a ship in a predetermined location. Specifically, the control controller 3 calculates the thrust of the ship 95 necessary to eliminate the difference between the target location output by the control target controller 4 and the current location of the ship 95. Furthermore, the control controller 3 calculates the turning moment of the ship 95 necessary to eliminate the difference between the target orientation output by the control target controller 4 and the current orientation of the ship 95. Then, the control controller 3 gives an instruction to the propulsion device 5 so as to obtain the calculated thrust and turning moment. The control controller 3 repeats the above processing." And paragraph 0109 discloses, "A first condition is that the deviation (a distance D1 in FIG. 5) between the target location of the transit target point 65 and the current location of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold. A second condition is that the deviation (an angle Θ) between the target orientation of the transit target point 65 and the current orientation of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold. A third condition is that a distance D2 between the partial route 56s of interest and the current location of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold.) and
in a case where the current ship speed is equal to or less than a predetermined ship speed and the target turning angle is equal to or less than a predetermined angle, decrease thrust of a propulsion unit among the plurality of propulsion units on an inner side in a turning direction. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 3, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein a plurality of propulsion units are attached to the ship,the ship condition includes a current ship speed,the correction unit is configured to:
obtain a target turning angle, based on a difference between the current bow direction and a target direction of the berthing route; (Hara paragraph 0086 discloses, "The control controller 3 is configured as a Dynamic Positioning system (DPS) that is a known system. DPS is a system that automatically controls a propulsion device against external forces such as tidal current, wave, or wind to automatically hold a ship in a predetermined location. Specifically, the control controller 3 calculates the thrust of the ship 95 necessary to eliminate the difference between the target location output by the control target controller 4 and the current location of the ship 95. Furthermore, the control controller 3 calculates the turning moment of the ship 95 necessary to eliminate the difference between the target orientation output by the control target controller 4 and the current orientation of the ship 95. Then, the control controller 3 gives an instruction to the propulsion device 5 so as to obtain the calculated thrust and turning moment. The control controller 3 repeats the above processing." And paragraph 0109 discloses, "A first condition is that the deviation (a distance D1 in FIG. 5) between the target location of the transit target point 65 and the current location of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold. A second condition is that the deviation (an angle Θ) between the target orientation of the transit target point 65 and the current orientation of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold. A third condition is that a distance D2 between the partial route 56s of interest and the current location of the ship 95 is less than a predetermined threshold.) and
in a case where the current ship speed is equal to or less than a predetermined ship speed, the target turning angle is larger than a predetermined angle, and a steering direction does not coincide with a target turning direction, decrease thrust of a propulsion unit among the plurality of propulsion units on an inner side in the turning direction. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 4, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein the ship condition includes a current ship speed,the correction unit is configured to:
obtain a target turning angle, based on a difference between the current bow direction and a target direction of the berthing route, and in a case where the current ship speed is greater than a predetermined ship speed, turn the propulsion unit such that the target turning angle becomes smaller. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 5, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein a plurality of propulsion units are attached to the ship,the ship condition includes a current ship speed, the correction unit is configured to:
obtain a target turning angle, based on a difference between the current bow direction and a target direction of the berthing route, and in a case where the current ship speed is equal to or less than a predetermined ship speed, the target turning angle is larger than a predetermined angle, and a steering direction coincides with a target turning direction, decrease thrust of a propulsion unit, among the plurality of propulsion units, on an inner side in the turning direction rearward. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 6, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein the ship condition includes a current ship speed and a required distance to a berthing position, correction processing is performed by the correction unit after switching from a maneuvering mode to a berthing assistance mode, andin a case where the distance to the berthing position is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the ship is put into forward gear, and the ship speed is greater than a predetermined ship approach speed, the ship is decelerated before switching to the berthing assistance mode. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 7, The berthing assistance device according to The berthing assistance device according to wherein correction processing is performed by the correction unit after switching from a maneuvering mode to a berthing assistance mode, and in a case where it is detected that the ship arrives at the berthing position, that steering is performed by a predetermined angle or more, that the ship is deviated from the berthing route, or that the propulsion unit is put into neutral gear or reverse gear, the berthing assistance mode is ended. (Akuzawa paragraph 0103)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 8, A berthing assistance device for assisting berthing of a ship to which a propulsion unit is attached, the berthing assistance device comprising:
a first controller configured to control the propulsion unit, based on an operation amount from an operation device; (Hara paragraph 0059 discloses, "The ship-steering control device 1 includes a route controller (route generation device) 2, a control target controller (control target generation device) 4, and a control controller (propulsion control device) 3.")
a second controller configured to:
acquire a ship condition, the ship condition including a current ship position and a current bow direction; (Hara paragraph 0060 discloses, "The route controller 2 may generate a route for automatically navigating the ship 95. The route controller 2 includes an environment information input unit 21, a location/orientation information input unit 22, a map generating unit 31, a docking point setting unit 41, a route generating unit 51, a display data generating unit 71, and an interface unit 81." And paragraph 0066 discloses, "The orientation sensor 13 acquires the orientation of the bow of the ship 95. The orientation sensor 13 may be, for example, a magnetic orientation sensor or a satellite compass.")
calculate a berthing route from the current ship position to a berthing position; correct control of the propulsion unit, based on the ship condition and the berthing route; (Hara paragraph 0077 discloses, "The route generating unit 51 calculates the route for the ship 95 from the current location of the ship 95 to the docking point B1 based on an appropriate route search algorithm. This calculation of a route uses both the local map 36 generated by the local map generating unit 32 and the wide area map generated by the wide area map generating unit 33. After the calculation of a route is completed, the route generating unit 51 generates a plurality of waypoints A1, A2, defining a route 56, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The route generating unit 51 sets the information regarding the target location and the target orientation for each of the waypoints A1, A2, The target location and the target orientation of the waypoint A1 located at the start point of the route 56 match the location and the orientation of the ship 95 at the time when the generation of the route 56 is instructed. The end point of the route 56 is the docking point B1.") and
perform switching between a maneuvering mode and a berthing assistance mode, (Drake paragraph 0059 teaches, “The control unit 43 is configured to be able to switch between a manual navigation mode and an automatic navigation mode. This mode switching can be performed by the user operating the interface unit 41 (specifically, the terminal device 42).”)
wherein the second controller is configured to perform the switching from a maneuvering mode to the berthing assistance mode, in a case where a start condition of the berthing assistance mode is satisfied. (Drake paragraph 0059) and (Akuzawa paragraph 0080 teaches, “the operation screen 61 includes an automatic shore arrival mode start button 67 and an automatic shore arrival mode stop button 68. As indicated above, after the target position has been set, the automatic shore arrival control is started when the operator presses the automatic shore arrival mode start button 67. When the automatic shore arrival control is started, the controller 41 generates instruction signals to control the propulsion devices 4L and 4R so that the boat body 2 arrives at the target position. Hereinbelow, the processing to start and end the automatic shore arrival control will be explained.”)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Hara does not disclose a switching from transition from manual to automatic during the start condition. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Drake teaches a switching unit that for transition from manual to automatic during the start condition Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. and Drake et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
As per claim 9, The berthing assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the start condition of the berthing assistance mode includes a plurality of conditions, and the switching unit is configured to perform the switching from the maneuvering mode to the berthing assistance mode in a case where all of the conditions are satisfied. (Drake paragraph 0059 teaches, “The control unit 43 is configured to be able to switch between a manual navigation mode and an automatic navigation mode. This mode switching can be performed by the user operating the interface unit 41 (specifically, the terminal device 42).”) and (Akuzawa paragraph 0080 teaches, “the operation screen 61 includes an automatic shore arrival mode start button 67 and an automatic shore arrival mode stop button 68. As indicated above, after the target position has been set, the automatic shore arrival control is started when the operator presses the automatic shore arrival mode start button 67. When the automatic shore arrival control is started, the controller 41 generates instruction signals to control the propulsion devices 4L and 4R so that the boat body 2 arrives at the target position. Hereinbelow, the processing to start and end the automatic shore arrival control will be explained.”)
Hara discloses control target generation device and ship steering control device. Hara does not disclose a controller for berthing of a ship. Hara does not disclose a switching unit that for transition from manual to automatic during the start condition. Akuzawa teaches of controlling for berthing of a ship. Drake teaches a switching unit that for transition from manual to automatic during the start condition Therefore, at the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of Akuzawa et.al. and Drake et.al. into the invention of Hawa. Such incorporation is motivated by the need to ensure a ship is berthed safely and in the right location.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/21/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The amended claims introduce a new material feature that required further search. Thus, new art is applied to the new feature.
Conclusion
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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/TYLER D PAIGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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