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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takagi et al. (US 9,796,406).
With respect to claim 1, Takagi et al. disclose a work vehicle (Fig 1, column 12, l2ines 45-47), comprising: a body comprising a body frame (lateral frame 42 and vehicle frame) and provided with: a travel device (11, 12); and a transmission device (46) configured to adjust motive power for use to drive the travel device; a support frame (52) attached to the body frame (Figs 4-5); a steering wheel (21) attached to the support frame (attached to 52B via steering frame 51) and manually operable to steer the work vehicle; and a gear shifter (22) attached to the support frame (attached to 52E via guide member 54) and manually operable to operate the transmission device, and wherein the support frame allows the steering wheel and the gear shifter to be attached to the body (Figs 3-6).
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 2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi et al.
With respect to claim 2, Takagi et al. disclose a power steering motor (57) attached to the support frame (52D) and configured to assist operation of the steering wheel; and a steering control device (58) configured to operate the power steering motor, and wherein the support frame allows the power steering motor and the steering control device to be attached to the body (Figs 3-6), but Takagi et al. do not disclose that the steering control device is attached to the support frame. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was filed to also mount the control device to the support frame, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
With respect to claim 4, Takagi et al. disclose wherein: the travel device comprises front wheels and rear wheels, the work vehicle further comprises a switching operation member manually switchable to set the work vehicle into a four-wheel drive mode in which the front wheels and the rear wheels are drivable, and a two-wheel drive mode in which the rear wheels are drivable, and the support frame allows the switching operation member to be attached to the body (column 7, lines 46-50), but do not disclose that the switching operation member is attached to the support frame. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was filed to also mount the switching operation member to the support frame, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5 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:
With respect to claim 3, Takagi et al. disclose a parking brake but do not disclose that it is attached to the support frame; and one would not have found it obvious to move the parking brake from the seat area to the steering wheel area of the vehicle.
With respect to claim 5, Takagi et al. disclose a vertical section of the body frame member 42 that is connected to a section of the support frame 52 but the section of the support frame that is attached to the body frame member 42 is below the body frame member 42 rather than above as shown in Fig 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DREW J BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-1362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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DREW BROWN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/DREW J BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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