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
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.
Claim(s) 15, 17, 18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dunn US3648444.
Regarding claim 15, Dunn teaches a wobble box 156 for shakers of agricultural harvesters (wherein the wobble box is capable of being attached to shakers of agricultural harvesters), the wobble box comprising:
a housing 158;
an input shaft 120 rotatable about an input axis (horizontal) relative to the housing 158;
a wobble shaft 166 rotatably coupled to the input shaft 120, the wobble shaft 166 being rotatable relative to the housing 158 about an intermediate axis (coming out of the page in Figure 1, defined by 166 engaging with bearings 94 and 96 as shown in Figure 4), the intermediate axis being at an angle (orthogonal) relative to the input axis, the wobble shaft 166 having a central body portion 138, the central body portion 138 being asymmetric (wherein 138 is disposed on one side of the axis) about the intermediate axis;
a pivot sleeve 52 configured to rotate about a sleeve axis (vertical axis), the sleeve axis being at an angle (orthogonal) relative to the intermediate axis, the pivot sleeve 52 defining an opening (within 92) for receiving the central body portion 138 of the wobble shaft 166, the pivot sleeve 52 oscillating between rotating in a first direction (when surface 90 is engaged) and a second direction (when surface 92 is engaged) about the sleeve axis with rotation of the wobble shaft 166 in a first direction about the intermediate axis (Column 2: 75-column 3: 3 “As the driven shaft 132 is rotated within the wobble box 156, the latter is moved in a path causing the crank assembly 52 to be oscillated from side to side, and thus causing oscillation of the shaft 86 and movement of the lever arm and slide bar”); and
an output shaft 86 coupled (as shown in Figure 1) to the pivot sleeve 52, the output shaft 86 being configured to rotate about an output axis (vertical), the output axis being at an angle relative to the sleeve axis, the output shaft 86 rotating in a first direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 52 rotates in the first direction about the sleeve axis, the output shaft 86 rotating in a second direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 52 rotates in the second direction about the sleeve axis (due to the above described oscillating motion), the output shaft 86 being configured to be rotatably fixedly coupled (wherein 86 is attached to 108 with key 104 and pin 106) to a shaker of an agricultural harvester (wherein 18 is a cutter bar, thus is considered an agricultural harvester, since the cutter bar can harvest crop).
Regarding claim 17, Dunn teaches that the input axis (horizontal) is orthogonal to the intermediate axis (as shown in Figures 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 18, Dunn teaches that the output axis is orthogonal to the intermediate axis (as shown in Figures 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 20, Dunn teaches that the wobble shaft 166 and the housing 158 rotate together about the input axis (horizontal), since the housing also is mounted to 128 that rotates about the input shaft 120.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 are allowed.
Claims 16 and 19 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:
Hosking US2002/0062635.
Hosking teaches an agricultural harvester (Figure 1), comprising:
a frame 16;
a shaker 12 supported on the frame 16, the shaker 12 comprising:
a central column 14 rotatable about a column axis (the hinge provided on the end of 16 to angle 12) provided relative to the frame 16; and
a plurality of flexible rods 24 extending outwardly from the central column 14; and
a wobble box (Figure 4), comprising:
a housing 64;
an input shaft (top of 52) rotatable about an input axis (vertical axis) relative to the housing 64;
a wobble shaft 60 rotatably coupled to the input shaft (top of 52), the wobble shaft 60 being rotatable relative to the housing 64 about an intermediate axis 82, the intermediate axis 82 being at an angle (90 degrees) relative to the input axis (vertical axis), the wobble shaft 60 having a central body portion 80, the central body portion being asymmetric (wherein 80 provides connection for 85, which is asymmetric providing the wobble profile shown in dashed lines in Figure 4) about the intermediate axis 82;
a pivot sleeve 90 configured to rotate about a sleeve axis 84, the sleeve axis 84 being at an angle (the angle shown in dashed lines 86, to provide wobbling) relative to the intermediate axis 82, the pivot sleeve 90 defining an opening (wherein 90 is a bearing that supports 85, thus necessarily has an opening) for receiving the central body portion 80 of the wobble shaft 60, the pivot sleeve 90 oscillating between rotating in a first direction and a second direction about the sleeve axis 84 with rotation of the wobble shaft 60 in a first direction about the intermediate axis 82; and
an output shaft 34 coupled to the pivot sleeve 90 and rotatably fixedly coupled to the central column 14, the output shaft 34 being configured to rotate about an output axis, the output shaft 34 rotating in a first direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 90 rotates in the first direction about the sleeve axis 84, the output shaft 34 rotating in a second direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 90 rotates in the second direction about the sleeve axis 84.
Hosking does not teach the output axis being at an angle relative to the sleeve axis 84 and coincident with the column axis. Modification would not have been obvious, as this would materially change how the wobble box operates.
Regarding claim 2, Hosking teaches:
a first gear 52 rotatably fixedly coupled to the input shaft (top of 52) for rotation about the input axis (vertical axis); and
a second gear 56 rotatably fixedly coupled to the wobble shaft 60 for rotation about the intermediate axis 82, the first gear and the second gear being configured to mesh such that rotation of the first gear causes rotation of the second gear.
Regarding claim 3, Hosking teaches that the input axis (vertical axis) is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 7, Hosking teaches that the shaker 12 is a first shaker 12, the agricultural harvester (Figure 1) further comprising a second shaker 12, the first and second shaker 12s being spaced apart such that plants may be received between the first and second shaker 12s.
Regarding claim 8, Hosking teaches a motor, the motor being configured for rotationally driving the input shaft (top of 52) in a first direction about the input axis (vertical axis) to rotate the wobble shaft 60 in the first direction about the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 10, Hosking teaches that the central body portion 80 is substantially cylindrical, with the central body portion 80 being symmetric about a body axis, the body axis being at an angle (90 degrees) relative to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 12, Hosking teaches the input axis (vertical axis) is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 15, Hosking teaches a wobble box (Figure 4) for shaker 12s of agricultural harvester (Figure 1)s, the wobble box (Figure 4) comprising:
a housing 64;
an input shaft (top of 52) rotatable about an input axis (vertical axis) relative to the housing 64;3a wobble shaft 60 rotatably coupled to the input shaft (top of 52), the wobble shaft 60 being rotatable relative to the housing 64 about an intermediate axis 82, the intermediate axis 82 being at an angle (90 degrees) relative to the input axis (vertical axis), the wobble shaft 60 having a central body portion 80, the central body portion 80 being asymmetric about the intermediate axis 82;
a pivot sleeve 90 configured to rotate about a sleeve axis 84, the sleeve axis 84 being at an angle (90 degrees) relative to the intermediate axis 82, the pivot sleeve 90 defining an opening (wherein 90 is a bearing that supports 85, thus necessarily has an opening) for receiving the central body portion 80 of the wobble shaft 60, the pivot sleeve 90 oscillating between rotating in a first direction and a second direction about the sleeve axis 84 with rotation of the wobble shaft 60 in a first direction about the intermediate axis 82; and
an output shaft 34 coupled to the pivot sleeve 90, the output shaft 34 being configured to rotate about an output axis, the output axis being at an angle (90 degrees) relative to the sleeve axis 84, the output shaft 34 rotating in a first direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 90 rotates in the first direction about the sleeve axis 84, the output shaft 34 rotating in a second direction about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 90 rotates in the second direction about the sleeve axis 84, the output shaft 34 being configured to be rotatably fixedly coupled to a shaker 12 of an agricultural harvester (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 16, Hosking teaches:
a first gear rotatably fixedly coupled to the input shaft (top of 52) for rotation about the input axis (vertical axis); and
a second gear rotatably fixedly coupled to the wobble shaft 60 for rotation about the intermediate axis 82, the first gear and the second gear being configured to mesh such that rotation of the first gear causes rotation of the second gear.
Regarding claim 17, Hosking teaches that the input axis (vertical axis) is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 4, Hosking teaches that the output axis is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 5, Hosking teaches that the output axis is coincident with the input axis (vertical axis).
Regarding claim 6, Hosking teaches that the wobble shaft 60 and the housing 64 rotate together about the input axis (vertical axis).
Regarding claim 9, Hosking teaches that the housing 64 has external toothing.
Regarding claim 13, Hosking teaches that the output axis is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 14, Hosking teaches that the output axis is coincident with the input axis (vertical axis).
Regarding claim 18, Hosking teaches that the output axis is orthogonal to the intermediate axis 82.
Regarding claim 19, Hosking teaches that the output axis is coincident with the input axis (vertical axis).
Regarding claim 20, Hosking teaches that the wobble shaft 60 and the housing 64 rotate together about the
Goldsmith US4265080 Goldsmith teaches an agricultural harvester (Column 3: 2-3), comprising:
a frame 17;
a shaker (Figure 1 including 27) supported on the frame 17, the shaker comprising:
a central column 68 rotatable about a column axis (vertical axis shown in Figure 3) relative to the frame 17; and
a plurality of flexible rods 69 extending outwardly from the central column 68; and
a wobble box 27, comprising3:
a housing 51;
an input shaft 60 rotatable about an input axis relative to the housing 51;
a wobble shaft (shaft of 54’) rotatably coupled to the input shaft 60, the wobble shaft (shaft of 54’) being rotatable relative to the housing 51 about an intermediate axis (vertical axis), the wobble shaft (shaft of 54’) having a central body portion 54, the central body portion 54 being asymmetric (wherein 54 is asymmetrically distributed about 54’) about the intermediate axis;
a pivot sleeve 56 configured to rotate about a sleeve axis (vertical axis), , the pivot sleeve 56 defining an opening for receiving the central body portion 54 of the wobble shaft (shaft of 54’), the pivot sleeve 56 oscillating between rotating in a first direction and a second direction (clockwise and counter clockwise) about the sleeve axis (vertical axis) with rotation of the wobble shaft (shaft of 54’) in a first direction (such as clockwise or counterclockwise) about the intermediate axis; and
an output shaft 53 coupled to the pivot sleeve 56 and rotatably fixedly coupled to the central column 68, the output shaft 53 being configured to rotate about an output axis (vertical axis), the output axis coincident with the column axis (vertical axis shown in Figure 3 are aligned with each other), the output shaft 53 rotating in a first direction (clockwise or counter clockwise) about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 56 rotates in the first direction about the sleeve axis (vertical axis), the output shaft 53 rotating in a second direction (the opposite direction of the first direction) about the output axis when the pivot sleeve 56 rotates in the second direction about the sleeve axis (vertical axis).
Goldsmith does not teach the intermediate axis being at an angle relative to the input axis, the sleeve axis being at an angle relative to the intermediate axis; the output axis being at an angle relative to the sleeve axis. Modification would not have been obvious as this would change the operation of Goldsmith beyond its intended vertically aligned transmission of rotation.
Carden WO82/01043 teaches a wobble box (Figure 24) with input shaft 631, output shaft 637, wobble shaft 633, intermediate axis (axis of 633 at approximately 45 degrees from horizontal), a central body portion 635 that is asymmetric (see dashed lines extending from 638), pivot sleeve 641, sleeve axis (horizontal), opening (interior for 641), output shaft 637, output axis (horizontal) aligned with input shaft 631. However, Carden does not teach the output axis is angled relative to sleeve axis.
Conclusion
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/CATHLEEN R HUTCHINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3672 8/26/2026
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