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 Objections
The claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 10, penultimate line reads “mount point” and should read --mounting point—
Claim 1, line 9 reads “the other of the front frame bracket” and should read –the other of the front frame bracket or the rear frame bracket--
Appropriate correction is required.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5-9, 10, 12, 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park (US 20240324498 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Park discloses a deck leveling system comprising:
a front frame bracket (140);
a rear frame bracket (240) disposed rearward along a transverse direction at a fixed height along a vertical direction relative to the front frame bracket (see fig. 2-3, 140 and 240 are linked and stay at the same vertical height relative to each other);
a first linkage arm (230) attached to either the front frame bracket to support a front end of a moveable deck (3) or the rear frame bracket (240) to support a rear end of the moveable deck, the first linkage arm defining a fixed arm length from a first upper mounting point (at 300) to a first lower mounting point (see fig. 2, where 230 attaches to deck 3) to support the moveable deck (see fig. 2);
a second linkage arm (130) pivotably attached to the other of the front frame bracket to support the front end of the moveable deck or the rear frame bracket to support the rear end of the moveable deck; and
a linkage mount (fig. 3) supported on whichever of the front or rear frame bracket (240) is attached to the first linkage arm (230) and connected to the first linkage arm at the first upper mounting point, the linkage mount comprising a moveable interface (141) defining a vertical lift path on which the first upper mounting point is moveable relative to the supported-on frame bracket between a high position and a low position disposed below the high position (paragraphs 0026-0030).
Regarding claim 3, Park discloses the deck leveling system of claim 1, wherein a lift point (the center of 230) is defined on the first linkage arm (230) between the first upper mounting point and the first lower mounting point.
Regarding claim 5, Park discloses the deck leveling system of claim 1, wherein the linkage mount defines an attachment slot (141) extending along the vertical lift path and comprises an attachment pin (300) slidably disposed within the attachment slot.
Regarding claim 6, Park discloses the deck leveling system of claim 5, wherein the linkage mount further comprises an adjustment rod (201) extending from the first upper mounting point, and wherein the attachment pin (300) is supported on the adjustment rod to move therewith relative to the supported-on frame bracket (paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 7, Park discloses the deck leveling system of claim 6, wherein the adjustment rod defines a threaded interface on which an adjustment nut (202) is roto-translatably supported (paragraphs 0030-31).
Regarding claim 8, Park discloses the deck leveling system of claim 1, wherein the second linkage arm (130) defines a fixed arm length from a second upper mounting point to a second lower mounting point (see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Park discloses a lawnmower (a riding mower, fig. 1) comprising:
a frame (10);
a rotatable blade (paragraph 0015) disposed below at least a portion of the frame;
a moveable deck (3) on which the rotatable blade is supported; and
an adjustable linkage assembly (see fig. 2) connecting the moveable deck to the frame, the adjustable linkage assembly comprising:
a front linkage arm (130) pivotably attached to the frame to support a front end of the moveable deck,
a rear linkage arm (230) defining a fixed rear-arm length from an upper rear mounting point to a lower rear mounting point to support a rear end of the moveable deck, and
a rear linkage mount (see fig. 3) supported on the frame and connected to the rear linkage arm at the upper rear mounting point, the rear linkage mount comprising a moveable interface (141) defining a vertical lift path on which the upper rear mount point is moveable relative to the frame between a high position and a low position disposed below the high position (paragraphs 0026-0030).
Regarding claim 12, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 10, wherein a lift point (the center of 230) is defined on the rear linkage arm (230) between the upper rear mounting point and the lower rear mounting point.
Regarding claim 14, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 10, wherein the rear linkage mount defines an attachment slot (141) extending along the vertical lift path and comprises an attachment pin (300) slidably disposed within the attachment slot.
Regarding claim 15, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 14, wherein the rear linkage mount further comprises an adjustment rod (201) extending from the upper rear mounting point, and wherein the attachment pin (300) is supported on the adjustment rod to move therewith relative to the frame (paragraph 0030).
Regarding claim 16, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 15, wherein the adjustment rod (201) defines a threaded interface on which an adjustment nut (202) is roto-translatably supported (paragraphs 0030-31).
Regarding claim 17, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 10, wherein the front linkage arm (130) defines a fixed front-arm length from an upper front mounting point to a lower front mounting point (see fig. 2).
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.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park (US 20240324498 A1) in view of Ebihara (US 20120111655 A1).
Regarding claim 20, Park discloses the lawnmower of claim 10.
Park does not disclose a blade motor supported on the moveable deck in mechanical communication with the rotatable blade.
In the same field of endeavor, Ebihara discloses a motor (15) in mechanical communication with a rotatable mower blade (BL).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have provided Park with a motor supported on the moveable deck in mechanical communication with the rotatable blade, as disclosed by Ebihara, as a way of driving the blade to mow the lawn.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 9, 11, 13, 18-19 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 5163274 A discloses an actuator attached to a midpoint of a deck linkage.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE RUNCO whose telephone number is (469)295-9123. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4:30 M-F.
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/MADELINE I RUNCO/ Examiner, Art Unit 3671
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