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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on January 14, 2025 and August 14, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim 13 is 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.
In claim 13, line 2, “the left and right work lights” appear to lack proper antecedent basis.
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.
Claims 1-8 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kamoda et al. (USPGPub 2020/0130758).
Regarding claim 1: Kamoda discloses a working vehicle (page 2, paragraph [0043]) comprising:
a weight support portion (as seen in figure 4A, area of 13) in a front portion of a vehicle body (as seen in figure 1) to support a weight body (as seen in figure 4A, at 14);
a front detector (as seen in figure 4A, at 22) to detect a detection target in front of the vehicle body (page 3, paragraph [0066]); and
a support (as seen in figure 4A, area of 30) that is fixed to an upper surface of the weight support portion to support the front detector.
Regarding claim 2: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support is formed in a hollow shape (as seen in figures 4A and 4B).
Regarding claims 3 and 4: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support includes a front portion (as seen in figure 4A, area of 31) defining a front surface of the support, and a rear portion (as seen in figure 4B, area of 311) defining a rear surface of the support and wherein the support includes a left surface and a right surface integral with one of the front portion and the rear portion (as seen in annotated figure 4A below).
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Regarding claims 5 and 6: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support includes a first portion (as seen in figure 4A, generally 32) with a lateral width gradually narrowing from a lower side to an upper side (as seen in figure 4A, moving from area of 322 to area of 321) and wherein the support includes a second portion (as seen in figure 4A, generally 31) above the first portion and with a lateral width gradually widening from the lower side to the upper side.
Regarding claim 7: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the front detector is supported by the support such that an attachment angle with respect to the support is changeable (page 3, paragraph [0070]).
Regarding claims 8 and 10: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support includes an opening penetrating the support in a front-rear direction (as seen in figures 4A and 4B, between members 321) and wherein the support includes a partition portion that partitions an internal space of the support and the opening (as seen in annotated figure 4A below).
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Regarding claim 11: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein a front surface of the support includes a first erect surface, a second erect surface on an upper side of the first erect surface and inclined forward with respect to the first erect surface, and a third erect surface on an upper side of the second erect surface and parallel with the first erect surface (as seen in annotated figure 4A below).
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Regarding claims 12 and 13: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support is between left and right headlights/ work lights in a front view (as seen in figure 3).
Regarding claim 14: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle of claim 1. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein at least one of the front detector or the support includes a reference portion providing a reference of a direction of the vehicle body.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamoda et al. (USPGPub 2020/0130758) in view of Letscher et al. (USPGPub 2020/0114989).
Regarding claim 9: Kamoda discloses the working vehicle substantially as discussed above but fails to show the use of a vertical hitch pin assembly. However, Letscher teaches that it is well known to employ such an assembly in concert with a work vehicle having a weight support (as seen in figure 1). Letscher discloses a working vehicle (as seen in figure 1, generally 10) wherein a weight support portion (as seen in figures 8 and 9) includes a hitch pin holding portion (as seen in figure 9, area of 60) in the weight support portion to hold a hitch pin (as seen in figure 9, at 62); and the opening overlaps with the hitch pin holding portion in a vertical direction. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kamoda with the teachings of Letscher since it would be a simple matter of combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield the predictable results of an attachment system which could be more easily and effectively connected/disconnected.
Regarding claim 15: Kamoda as modified by Letscher discloses the working vehicle of claim 9. Further, Kamoda discloses wherein the support includes a partition portion that partitions an internal space of the support and the opening (as seen in annotated figure 4A below).
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Maddox et al. (USPGPub 2022/0150392) discloses a working vehicle having a first weight portion and second sensor portion.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT ERIC PEZZUTO whose telephone number is (703)756-1320. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm.
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/ROBERT E PEZZUTO/ Examiner, Art Unit 3671
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