DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-20 of application 18/993,211, filed on 10-January-2025, are presented for examination. The IDS received on the same date has been considered.
The present application, filed on or after 16-March-2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1)
2.1 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)(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.
2.2 Claims 1-8 and 11-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishibashi, USP Publication 2022/0065628.
2.3 Ishibashi discloses:
Claims 1 and 11: A system for setting a vehicle body coordinate system based on a first vehicle body in a work machine [0007 (a second vehicle body portion); 0034 (The second vehicle body portion 11b is disposed above, attached to, and supported on the first vehicle body portion 11a.); Fig. 3 (11b)] including a second vehicle body [0007 (a first vehicle body portion); 0032 (vehicle body frame); Fig. 3 (11a)], the first vehicle body rotatably connected to the second vehicle body [0047 (As illustrated in FIG. 5, the second vehicle body portion 11b is displaced in a twisted manner with respect to the first vehicle body portion 11a. As a result, the azimuth of the second vehicle body portion 11b differs from the azimuth of the first vehicle body portion 11a.); 0060 (The work machine 1 is not limited to a bulldozer, and may be another vehicle such as a wheel loader, a motor grader, a hydraulic excavator, or the like. (Each of which is commonly comprised of body portions that are rotatably connected))], and a work implement movably attached to the first vehicle body [0060 (wherein, in at least the embodiment including the excavator, the implement is commonly attached to the second vehicle body portion 11b, and is disposed above, attached to, and supported on the first vehicle body portion 11a)], the system comprising:
an attitude sensor configured to detect an attitude of the first vehicle body [0035 (The attitude sensor 32, the vehicle body positional sensor 33, and the work implement positional sensor 34 are attached to the second vehicle body portion 11b.); 0036 (The attitude sensor 32 outputs attitude data which indicates the attitude of the second vehicle body portion 11b.)];
a position measurement device configured to measure a position of a first target part included in the work implement [0035 (a work implement positional sensor 34); 0038 (As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the work implement positional sensor 34 captures images including predetermined characteristic points Al, A2, and A3 on the work implement 13. The work implement positional sensor 34 acquires the relative position of the work implement 13 with respect to the second vehicle body portion 11b from the images.); 0039 (The controller 26 computes a blade tip position PB of the work implement 13 from the work implement position data, the vehicle body position data, and the attitude data.)]; and
a controller [0027-0029] configured to
acquire, from the attitude sensor, the attitude of the first vehicle body while the first vehicle body is stationary with respect to the second vehicle body [0036; 0040], and
set the vehicle body coordinate system based on the attitude of the first vehicle body and the position of the first target part [0038 (The work implement positional sensor 34 acquires work implement position data. The work implement position data indicates the position of the work implement 13 in a vehicle body coordinate system. The vehicle body coordinate system is a coordinate system based on the second vehicle body portion 11b. Specifically, the vehicle body coordinate system is based on the positions of the receivers 33a and 33b.); 0040 (The machine data indicates the relative positions of the attitude sensor 32, the vehicle body positional sensor 33, and the work implement positional sensor 34 on the second vehicle body portion 11b. That is, the machine data includes the position of the attitude sensor 32 in the vehicle body coordinate system. The machine data includes the position of the vehicle body positional sensor 33 in the vehicle body coordinate system. The machine data includes the position of the work implement positional sensor 34 in the vehicle body coordinate system. Specifically, the machine data includes the distances from the characteristic points Al, A2, and A3 to the blade tip position PB.); 0041 (The controller 26 calculates the position of the blade tip position PB in the global coordinate system based on the position of the second vehicle body portion 11b in the global coordinate system and the position of the blade tip position PB in the vehicle body coordinate system, and the attitude data.)].
Claims 2 and 12: wherein the controller is configured to
acquire a plurality of positions of the first target part by causing the work implement to move with respect to the first vehicle body while the first vehicle body is stationary with respect to the second vehicle body [0040 (The machine data includes the position of the work implement positional sensor 34 in the vehicle body coordinate system. Specifically, the machine data includes the distances from the characteristic points Al, A2, and A3 to the blade tip position PB.); See Figs. 3a and 3b (where the second vehicle body portion 11b is not displaced in a twisted manner with respect to the first vehicle body portion 11a.)], and
set the vehicle body coordinate system based on the attitude of the first vehicle body and the plurality of positions of the first target part [0038; 0040; 0041].
Claims 3 and 13: wherein the work implement is attached to the first vehicle body to be movable within a work implement plane extending in an up-down direction and a front-back direction of the first vehicle body [0060 (The work machine 1 is not limited to a bulldozer, and may be another vehicle such as a wheel loader, a motor grader, a hydraulic excavator, or the like), (wherein, in at least the embodiment including the excavator, in the digging motion, the implement is commonly moved up and down, as well as extended and retracted))]; , and
the controller [0039] is configured to
acquire a plurality of positions of the first target part within the work implement plane by causing the work implement to move while the first vehicle body is stationary with respect to the second vehicle body [0040],
calculate normal vector of the work implement plane based on the plurality of positions of the first target part [0039], and
determine a direction of a y-axis of the vehicle body coordinate system indicating a left-right direction of the first vehicle body, based on the normal vector of the work implement plane [0056 (As a result, even if the second vehicle body portion 11b is twisted in the yaw direction with respect to the first vehicle body portion 11a, the blade tip position PB of the work implement 13 can be calculated accurately.); Fig. 8].
Claims 4 and 14: wherein the attitude of the first vehicle body includes a pitch angle of the first vehicle body [0049; 0050; 0057; Figs. 6 and 9], and
the controller is configured to determine a direction of an x-axis of the vehicle body coordinate system indicating a front-back direction of the first vehicle body, based on the pitch angle of the first vehicle body [0049; 0050; 0057; Figs. 6 and 9].
Claims 5 and 15: wherein the work implement is attached to the first vehicle body to be movable within a work implement plane extending in an up-down direction and a front-back direction of the first vehicle body [0060 (The work machine 1 is not limited to a bulldozer, and may be another vehicle such as a wheel loader, a motor grader, a hydraulic excavator, or the like), (wherein, in at least the embodiment including the excavator, in the digging motion, the implement is commonly moved up and down, as well as extended and retracted))],
the attitude of the first vehicle body includes a pitch angle of the first vehicle body [0049; 0050; Fig. 6], and
the controller [0039] is configured to
acquire a plurality of positions of the first target part within the work implement plane by causing the work implement to move while the first vehicle body is stationary with respect to the second vehicle body [0040],
calculate a normal vector of the work implement plane based on the plurality of positions of the first target part [0039],
determine a direction of a y-axis of the vehicle body coordinate system indicating a left-right direction of the first vehicle body, based on the normal vector of the work implement plane [0056; Fig. 8],
determine a direction of an x-axis of the vehicle body coordinate system indicating a front-back direction of the first vehicle body, based on the pitch angle of the first vehicle body [0049; 0050; 0057; Figs. 6 and 9],
and determine a direction of a z-axis of the vehicle body coordinate system indicating an up-down direction of the first vehicle body, based on the direction of the y-axis and the direction of the x-axis [0058 (even if the second vehicle body portion 11b is sloped in the roll direction with respect to the first vehicle body portion 11a, the blade tip position PB of the work implement 13 can be calculated accurately.)].
Claims 6 and 16: wherein the work machine further includes a positional sensor,
the positional sensor is configured to detect a position of the positional sensor in an external coordinate system based on an outside of the work machine [0039 (Specifically, the controller 26 calculates the position of a reference point of the second vehicle body portion 11b in the global coordinate system based on the vehicle body position data. The controller 26 calculates the position of the blade tip position PB in the vehicle body coordinate system based on the work implement position data and machine data.)], and
the controller [0039] is configured to
store a machine parameter that defines a positional relationship between the positional sensor and a blade tip of the work implement in the vehicle body coordinate system [0039; 0040] and
calculate a position of the blade tip in the external coordinate based on the position of the positional sensor in the external coordinate system and the machine parameter [0039; 0040].
Claims 7 and 17: wherein the controller is configured to
acquire a target locus of the blade tip for performing predetermined construction work [0043-0045 (the controller 26 determines a target locus 70 of the work implement 13)],
and control the work implement so that the blade tip moves along the target locus based on the position of the blade tip in the external coordinate system [0043-0044 (Specifically, the controller 26 generates command signals for the work implement 13 so as to move the blade tip position PB of the blade 18 in accordance with the target locus 70.)].
Claims 8 and 18: wherein the position measurement device is configured to measure a position of a second target part included in the work implement in an external coordinate system based on an outside of the work machine [0039 (Specifically, the controller 26 calculates the position of a reference point of the second vehicle body portion 11b in the global coordinate system based on the vehicle body position data. The controller 26 calculates the position of the blade tip position PB in the vehicle body coordinate system based on the work implement position data and machine data.); 0040 (The machine data indicates the relative positions of the attitude sensor 32, the vehicle body positional sensor 33, and the work implement positional sensor 34 on the second vehicle body portion 11b. Specifically, the machine data includes the distances from the characteristic points Al, A2, and A3 to the blade tip position PB.)], and
the controller [0039] is configured to
store a machine parameter that defines a dimension of the work implement [0038 (the work implement positional sensor 34 detects the azimuth and distance of the work implement 13 with respect to the second vehicle body portion 11b, as the work implement position data.); 0040 (Specifically, the machine data includes the distances from the characteristic points Al, A2, and A3 to the blade tip position PB.)], and
calibrate the machine parameter based on the measured position of the second target part [0039; 0040].
Claim Objections
3. In regard to the 35 U.S.C. § 102 rejections noted above, claims 9, 10, 19 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
Prior Art
4. The following prior art, discovered in an updated search and herein made of record, is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure, and consists of documents A-F on the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited:
Documents A-C define documents of particular relevance, wherein the claimed invention cannot be considered novel or cannot be considered to involve an inventive step when the document is taken alone.
Documents D-E define documents of particular relevance, wherein the claimed invention cannot be considered to involve an inventive step when the document is combined with one or more other such documents, such combination being obvious to a person skilled in the art.
Document F defines the general state of the art which is not considered to be of particular relevance.
Prior Art of Record
5. The Examiner has cited particular paragraphs or columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested of the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner. The prompt development of a clear issue requires that the replies of the Applicant meet the objections to and rejections of the claims. Applicant should also specifically point out the support for any amendments made to the disclosure (see MPEP §2163.06). Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation (BRI) of the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicant’s definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. [SEE MPEP 2141.02 [R-07.2015] VI. PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS: A prior art reference must be considered in its entirety, i.e., as a whole, including portions that would lead away from the claimed invention. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. Garlock, Inc., 721 F.2d 1540, 220 USPQ 303 (Fed. Cir. 1983), cert, denied, 469 U.S. 851 (1984). See also MPEP §2123].
In addition, disclosures in a reference must be evaluated for what they would fairly teach one of ordinary skill in the art [See In re Snow, 471 F.2d 1400, 176 USPQ 328 (CCPA 1973) and In re Boe, 355 F.2d 961, 148 USPQ 507 (CCPA 1966)]. Specifically, in considering the teachings of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only the specific teachings of the reference, but also the inferences that one skilled in the art would reasonably have been expected to draw from the reference [See In re Freda, 401 F.2d 825, 159 USPQ 342 (CCPA 1968) and In re Shepard, 319 F.2d 194, 138 USPQ 148 (CCPA 1963)]. Likewise, it is proper to take into consideration not only the teachings of the prior art, but also the level of ordinary skill in the art [See In re Luck, 476 F.2d 650, 177 USPQ 523 (CCPA 1973)]. Specifically, those of ordinary skill in the art are presumed to have some knowledge of the art apart from what is expressly disclosed in the references [See In re Jacoby, 309 F.2d 513, 135 USPQ 317 (CCPA 1962)].
Response Guidelines
6.1 A shortened statutory period for response to this non-final action is set to expire 3 (three) months and 0 (zero) days from the date of this letter. Unless the applicant is notified in writing that a reply is required in less than six months (see the shortened response period previously noted), a maximum period of six months is allowed, if a petition for an extension of time and the fee set in § 1.17(a) are filed [see MPEP 710 and 35 U.S.C. 133]. Failure to respond within the required period for response will cause the application to become abandoned [see MPEP 710.02, 710.02(b)].
6.2 Any response to the Examiner in regard to this non-final action should be
directed to: Russell Frejd, telephone number (571) 272-3779, Monday-Friday from 0730 to
1600 ET. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful,
please contact the examiner’s supervisor, Peter Nolan, who can be reached at
(571) 270-7016.
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/RUSSELL FREJD/ Primary Examiner AU 3661
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