DETAILED ACTION
The following action is in response to application 18/895,520 filed on September 25, 2024.
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
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 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) 1-2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Watanabe (DE112015000160B4 from IDS). With regard to claim 1, Watanabe teaches a working machine comprising: a machine body 3; a seat 35 on the machine body; and a communication unit E1/E2 including an information processing device and a communication device to receive data from and transmit data to the information processing device, the communication device containing a communication antenna and configured to transmit data (paragraph 20), wherein the communication unit E1/E2 is located at a position rearward of the seat and lower than an upper end of the seat such that the communication unit overlaps the seat in rear view (Figs. 1 and 2). With regard to claim 2, Watanabe teaches the machine, further comprising: a unit support 51 to which the communication unit E1/E2 is attached; and a cover member 39 to cover the communication unit and the unit support, wherein the seat 35 includes a seat portion for a user to sit on and a backrest portion 35A provided at a rear portion of the seat portion such that the backrest portion is reclineable, and the unit support includes a load receiver 55to receive a load from the backrest portion when the backrest portion is reclined and the backrest portion contacts the cover member (paragraph 35). With regard to claim 4, Watanabe teaches the machine, further comprising: a seat protector 34 on the machine body; a prime mover (paragraph 15) provided at a rear portion of the machine body; a hood (@33) to house the prime mover; and a support frame (@33) provided on the machine body to support the hood, wherein the seat protector includes an attachment frame 33A attached to the support frame, and the unit support 51 includes an attachment member 52 attached to the attachment frame.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5-7 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record fails to show or render obvious the working machine as claimed, and particularly including an intervening member including an elastic member and provided between and in close contact with the cover member and the load receiver, and including the remaining structure of claim 3. The present invention also particularly includes the machine wherein the unit support includes a pillar member vertically provided on the attachment member at a position that is rearward of the seat, a vertical member located at the same side of the pillar member as the seat and fixed to the pillar member such that the vertical member protrudes upward, and a first device bracket fixed at the opposite side of the vertical member from the seat, and the communication device is located above the pillar member and rearward of the first device bracket and is attached to the first device bracket, and including the remaining structure of claim 5. Claims 6 and 7 depend upon claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wada (JPH1121951A) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a machine body 9, a seat 4, a communication unit 8 located behind the seat (Fig. 5).
Nagano (US 9487158) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a machine body 30, a seat 28, a communications unit 10 and unit support 2 located behind the seat (Fig. 1).
Nishigori (US 20200190774) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a machine body 2, a seat 6, a prime mover E1, a hood 22, a cover 22A and a load receiver 99.
Misaki (US 20210300483) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a communications unit 11 with an antenna (paragraph 28), a unit support 25A and a seat 8.
Ishikawa (US 12090812) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a seat 51,a frame 7, a hood 32, and a cover 80 for a unit 8 behind the seat (Fig. 2).
Takamatsu (US 20250018877) has been cited to show a similar working machine comprising: a seat 12 with a back rest 13, a communications unit 98/99 located behind the seat, and a cover 21.
Honda (US 12553214) has been cited to show a similar working machine with the same assignee and later priority date.
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/ROGER L PANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/ROGER L. PANG/
Examiner
Art Unit 3655B
July 8, 2026
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