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 Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 19, “the second side edge” should be changed to –a second side edge—. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-6, 8-9, 12-14, 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. US 2023/0292661 A1.
Independent Claim 1: Lee discloses a lawn mower (10), comprising:
a body (18), wherein the body has an output axis (58);
a cutting mechanism (80), wherein the cutting mechanism is located below the body and is mounted in cooperation with the output axis, and the cutting mechanism comprises a cutter head and a blade mounted on the cutter head (these details are shown in Fig. 14); and
two protection mechanisms (see Lee’s annotated Fig. 8 below), wherein each of the two protection mechanisms comprises a first protection portion (see annotated Fig. 5 below), a second protection portion (see annotated Fig. 5 below) and a mounting portion (116, see annotated Fig. 5 below), the mounting portion and the first protection portion are plate shaped structures arranged in a bent configuration (as seen in Fig. 5), the first protection portion is disposed between a first side edge of the body and the cutting mechanism and between a second side edge of the body and the cutting mechanism (seen in Fig. 3), at least a part of the second protection portion is located below the cutting mechanism (see Fig. 10), the mounting portion is connected to the body (see Fig. 2), and the first protection portion is connected to the mounting portion (Fig. 5), the second protection portion is connected to the mounting portion (Fig. 5), the first protection portion and the second protection portion are connected to the body through the mounting portion (see Fig. 2);
the first protection portion is disposed at an end of the mounting portion away from a center of the cutter head, one end of the first protection portion being connected to the mounting portion, and the other end extending below the cutterhead and away from the body (as seen in the figures);
the plate-shaped first protection portion is configured to form a protection barrier at the first side edge and the second side edge of the body (see the location of the longitudinal axis relative to the first protection portions in Fig 8 below), the protection barrier extending substantially along a plane perpendicular to a first direction (a lateral direction); and
the second protection portion is disposed at an inner side of the plate-shaped first protection portion and spaced apart from the first protection portion (see Fig. 5), and is configured to establish a protection barrier below the cutting mechanism (as seen in Fig. 10); and
the second protection portion comprises at least two strip-shaped pieces (128) disposed at intervals, the at least two strip-shaped pieces are spaced apart from each other and independently arranged, the strip-shaped piece comprises a middle portion (the horizontal extension of 128) and two bent portions (the front bent, vertical portion and the rear bent, vertical portion), wherein the two bent portions are respectively disposed at two ends of the middle portion (see Fig. 5), an outer end of each of the two bent portions is bent toward the body and connected to the plate-shaped mounting portion (seen in Fig. 5), and the cutter head is located above the middle portion (Fig. 10), and a length of the middle portion gradually increases in a direction from an outer side to an inner side of the cutting mechanism (Fig. 8), as per claim 1.
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Dependent Claims 3-6, 8-9, 12-14, 18: Lee further discloses wherein the cutter head (80) is circular (see Fig. 14), a plane on which an outer circumference of the cutter head is located is a first plane, and an orthographic projection of the innermost middle portion (128) on the first plane at least partially coincides with the cutter head (this can be seen by the vertical alignment in Fig. 10), as per claim 3;
wherein an orthographic projection of the outermost middle portion (128) on the first plane does not coincide with the cutter head (80, this can be seen by the vertical alignment in Fig. 10), as per claim 4;
wherein a distance between two longest middle portions (the two innermost middle portions 128, seen in Fig. 8) in the two protection mechanisms is a first distance, a distance between the outermost middle portion (the second outer middle portion 128, as seen in Fig. 8) and the innermost middle portion in each of the protection mechanisms is a second distance, and the first distance is greater than the second distance (as seen below), as per claim 5;
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wherein the two protection mechanisms are symmetrically disposed along a central axis (126) in a length direction of the body (126 is the longitudinal axis of body 18), as per claim 6;
wherein a length of the bent portion (the vertical extension of 128 in Fig. 5) is less than the length of the middle portion (the horizontal extension of 128, Fig. 5), as per claim 8;
wherein the strip-shaped piece (128) is parallel to a forward direction of the lawn mower (10, 126 is the longitudinal axis to which strip-shaped piece 128 runs parallel, as seen in Fig. 8), as per claim 9;
wherein an end of the middle portion (the horizontal extension of 128, see Fig. 5) close to a front end of the lawn mower is a first end, an end of the middle portion close to a rear end of the lawn mower is a second end, a first end (a front end) of the innermost middle portion (inner middle portion 128) is closer to the front end of the lawn mower relative to a first end of the outermost middle portion (the outer middle portion as seen in Fig. 8), and a second end (the rear end) of the innermost middle portion is closer to the rear end of the lawn mower relative to a second end of the outermost middle portion (as seen in Fig. 8), as per claim 12;
wherein the body (18) has a first side edge (42, Fig. 3) and a second side edge (46) that are oppositely disposed along a first direction (lateral direction 54), and the first direction intersects with a forward direction (F1) of the lawn mower (10);
the body has a third side edge (34) and a fourth side edge (38) that are oppositely disposed along a second direction (the longitudinal direction 50), and the second direction is the forward direction of the lawn mower (as seen in Fig. 3);
in the first direction, a distance between an outer side edge of the cutting mechanism and the first side edge of the body is a first distance (see Fig. 3), and a distance between the outer side edge of the cutting mechanism and the second side edge of the body is a second distance (see Fig. 3);
in the second direction, a distance between the outer side edge of the cutting mechanism and the fourth side edge of the body is a fourth distance, and the fourth side edge is a rear outer side edge of the lawn mower; and
the fourth distance is greater than the first distance and greater than the second distance (as seen in Fig. 3, the distance from cutting assembly 26 to the fourth, rear side edge 38 is greater than the distance from 26 to 42 and 46), as per claim 13;
wherein the body (18) has a first side edge (42) and a second side edge (46) that are oppositely disposed along a first direction (lateral direction 54), and the first direction intersects with a forward direction (F1) of the lawn mower (10); and
the first protection portion (the left or right side portion) is disposed between the cutter head (80) and the first side edge and/or between the cutter head and the second side edge (see Figs. 3 and 10), as per claim 14;
wherein the outer end (the upper ends) of each of the two bent portions (the vertical extensions of 128) is detachably mounted or integrally (see Figs. 4-5) formed with the mounting portion (116), a gap between the bent portions at two ends of each strip-shaped piece of the at least two strip-shaped pieces is configured for grass to pass through, and the first protection portion does not overlap or obscure the bent portions in a second direction (a longitudinal direction) of the at least two strip-shaped pieces, as per claim 18.
Independent Claim 17: Lee discloses a lawn mower (10), comprising:
a body (18), wherein the body has an output axis (58);
a cutting mechanism (80), wherein the cutting mechanism is located below the body and is mounted in cooperation with the output axis, and the cutting mechanism comprises a cutter head and a blade mounted on the cutter head (seen in Fig. 14); and
a protection mechanism (see Lee’s annotated Fig. 8 below), the protection mechanism comprises a first protection portion (seen in annotated Fig. 5 below), a second protection portion (Fig. 5 below), and a mounting portion (116, see Fig. 5 below), the mounting portion and the first protection portion are plate-shaped structures arranged in a bent configuration (seen in Figs. 4-5), the first protection portion is disposed between a first side edge (42) of the body and the cutting mechanism (seen in Fig. 3), at least a part of the second protection portion is located below the cutting mechanism (Fig. 10), the mounting portion is connected to the body (Fig. 2), and the first protection portion is connected to the mounting portion, the second protection portion is connected to the mounting portion, the first protection portion and the second protection portion are connected to the body through the mounting portion (as seen in the figures);
the first protection portion is disposed at an end of the mounting portion away from a center of the cutter head, one end of the first protection portion being connected to the mounting portion, and the other end extending below the cutter head and away from the body (see Fig. 10); the plate-shaped first protection portion is configured to form a protection barrier at the first side edge and the second side edge (46) of the body, the protection barrier extending substantially along a plane perpendicular to a first direction (seen between Figs. 3 and 8); and
the second protection portion is disposed at an inner side of the plate-shaped first protection portion and spaced apart from the first protection portion, and is configured to establish a protection barrier below the cutting mechanism (see Fig. 10); and
the second protection portion comprises at least two strip-shaped pieces (128) disposed at intervals, the at least two strip-shaped pieces are spaced apart from each other and independently arranged, the strip-shaped piece comprises a middle portion (the horizontal extensions of 128) and two bent portions (the vertical extensions of 128), wherein the two bent portions are respectively disposed at two ends of the middle portion, an outer end of each of the two bent portions is bent toward the body and connected to the plate-shaped mounting portion (all seen in Fig. 5), and the cutter head is located above the middle portion (Fig. 10), and a length of the middle portion gradually increases in a direction from an outer side to an inner side of the cutting mechanism (Fig. 8), as per claim 17.
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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.
Claim(s) 2, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. in view of Du et al. CN 206808075 U.
Dependent Claims 2, 15: The lawnmower is disclosed as applied above. Lee further discloses wherein the middle portions (the horizontal extensions of 128) of the at least two strip-shaped pieces (128) are disposed in parallel (see Fig. 8), as per claim 2.
However, Lee fails to disclose wherein there are only two strip-shaped pieces in the protection mechanism, as per claim 2;
wherein along the forward direction of the lawn mower, a length of the first protection portion is greater than the length of the middle portion, as per claim 15.
Du discloses a similar lawnmower wherein there are only two strip-shaped pieces (146, Figs. 4-5) in the protection mechanism (140), as per claim 2;
wherein along the forward direction of the lawn mower, a length of the first protection portion (144) is greater than the length of the middle portion (as seen in Fig. 4, the vertical protection portion 144 is longer than the horizontal portions of strip-shaped pieces 146), as per claim 15.
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 longer first protection portion of Du on the lawnmower of Lee in order to prevent human or animal contact with the cutting mechanism.
Claim(s) 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. in view of Mathis 2,906,082.
Dependent Claims 10-11: The lawnmower is disclosed as applied above. However, Lee fails to disclose wherein a cross section of the strip-shaped piece is circular, as per claim 10;
wherein the blade is located between the cutter head and the middle portion, as per claim 11.
Mathis discloses a similar protection mechanism wherein a cross section of the strip-shaped piece (27) is circular (see Fig. 4, col. 2, lns. 53-54), as per claim 10;
wherein the blade (134) is located between the cutter head (130) and the middle portion (144, as seen in Fig. 2), as per claim 11.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the circular cross section shape of Mathis’ strip-shaped piece for that of Lee’s since both references disclose lawnmower protection mechanisms and such a predictable result would be achieved and, additionally, to provide the added benefit of providing a very sturdy and rigid protection mechanism.
Furthermore, 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 blades between the cutter head and the middle portion as taught by Du on the lawnmower of Lee since such an arrangement is old and known in the art.
Response to Arguments
Please see the updated art rejections above in response to the applicant’s claim amendments.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alicia M. Torres whose telephone number is 571-272-6997. The examiner’s fax number is 571-273-6997. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph M. Rocca, can be reached at (571) 272-8971.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the group receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-3600. The fax number for this Group is 571-273-8300.
/Alicia Torres/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 May 22, 2026
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