DETAILED ACTION
This is on the merits of Application No. 18/899443, filed on 09/27/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS), submitted on 09/27/2024 and 04/04/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3, 13, 15, 16, and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 line 11 states “guide cooling air” and should state --guide the cooling air--.
Claim 3 line 2 states “cool a to-be-cooled device” and should state --cool the to-be-cooled device--.
Claim 3 line 11 states “guide cooling air” and should state --guide the cooling air--.
Claim 13 line 7 states “a heat exchanger” and should state --the heat exchanger--.
Claim 13 line 9 states “a fan” and should state --the fan--.
Claim 15 line 2 states “cool a to-be-cooled device” and should state --cool the to-be-cooled device--.
Claim 16 states “a heat exchanger” and should state --the heat exchanger--.
Claim 16 states “a fan” and should state --the fan--.
Claim 16 states “a shroud” and should state --the shroud--.
Claim 20 states “a cooler” and should state --the cooler--.
Claim 20 states “a fan” and should state --the fan--.
Claim 20 states “a heat exchanger” and should state --the heat exchanger--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-7, 10, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 states “the fan includes a radiator fan… and an oil cooler fan”. It is unclear how a fan can include multiple fans. It is suggested applicant establish “at least one fan” in claim 1 instead of “a fan”.
Claim 15 states “the fan includes a radiator fan… and an oil cooler fan”. It is unclear how a fan can include multiple fans.
Claim 15 states “the filter includes a first filter... and a second filter”. The term “the filter” lacks antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is also unclear how a single filter can include multiple filters.
Claim 15 states “the mount portion”. There is a lack of antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Is claim 15 meant to depend on 13 or 14 where the filter and mount portion are established?
Claims 4-7 and 10 are rejected for being dependent on a rejected claim.
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2011016437 to Miyazaki et al (cited in applicant’s IDS) in view of U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 20090199792 to Kondou et al.
Miyazaki discloses:
(Claim 1) A working machine (Fig. 1) comprising: a base (1); a working device (2) provided on the base; an exterior cover (13) to define a space where one or more devices are provided on the base; an inspection door (7) openably and closably provided in the exterior cover and including an air exit portion (73a 73b); a cooler (9) including a fan (92) to discharge cooling air sucked from an interior of a machine body toward the air exit portion and a heat exchanger (90) to cool a to-be-cooled target (60) using cooling air sucked by the fan; and a shroud (91) to surround the fan and guide cooling air generated by the fan; wherein when the inspection door is in a closed state (Fig. 5a), a duct (through 94 and 70) to guide cooling air generated by the fan to the air exit portion is defined by an opening edge portion (93a) of the shroud making contact with a portion of the inspection door (70a) that surrounds the air exit portion.
(Claim 2) wherein the inspection door includes, on an inner side thereof, an elastic body (95) provided at the portion that surrounds the air exit portion; and when the inspection door is in the closed state, the elastic body is elastically deformable upon contact with the opening edge portion of the shroud to seal a contact area between the inspection door and the opening edge portion of the shroud (see Figs. 4 and 5).
Miyazaki does not disclose:
(Claim 1) the base being a swivel base.
Kondou teaches:
(Claim 1) a swivel base (Fig. 1 element 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified, with a reasonable expectation of success, the structure of Miyazaki to have a swivel base, as taught by Kondou, as an obvious design choice to the type of working vehicle this air conditioner could be applied to. It is well-known in the art to have working vehicles have swivel bases. A person of ordinary skill in the art could have easily applied the well-known swivel base working vehicle to the working vehicle of Miyazaki and produce predictable results.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7, 10 and 15 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 8-9, 11-14, and 16-20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hirakawa (US 2023/0203781) discloses a support structure for work vehicle and work vehicle.
Kumagai (US 2018/0245310) discloses a construction machine.
Pfohl et al (US 2015/0017901) discloses a vehicle with selectively reversible cooling fan.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY HANNON whose telephone number is (571)270-1943. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10-6.
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/TIMOTHY HANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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