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 .
This is the First Office Action on the merits of Application No. 19/073536, filed on 03/07/2025. Claims 1-20 are still pending in the application.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 9-12, 14-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0010480 to Nguyen (henceforth referred to as Nguyen).
Regarding claims 1 and 4, Nguyen discloses a removable attachment (i.e. Fig. 51A, 51B) configured to be removably coupled to a vehicle (i.e. Fig. 52A, ref. 1100) for distribution of a plurality objects (i.e. Fig. 52A, 52B, ref. 1111) at a worksite, the vehicle including an accessory coupling mount (i.e. Fig. 52A, not referenced but mast of fork lift truck shown with attachment forks) and a hydraulic pressure source (i.e. implied since hydraulic pistons shown in Fig. 52B extending from truck toward lifting mast), the removable attachment comprising:
a coupling portion (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4038) including at least one coupling member configured to removably coupled to the accessory coupling mount of the vehicle;
a material support portion (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4021) extending from the coupling portion, the material support portion defining a surface operable to support the objects during movement of the vehicle;
a distribution arm assembly extending from one of the material support portion and the coupling portion, the distribution arm assembly including:
a first arm (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 5100) extending in a first direction;
a first hydraulic actuator (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 5102) coupled to the first arm and operable to linearly translate at least a portion of the first arm, the first hydraulic actuator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pressure source;
a second arm (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4021A) extending from the first arm generally in a second direction that is different from the first direction;
a second hydraulic actuator (i.e. not referenced in Fig. 51A, 51B but actuators to adjust distance between forks 4021A and 4021B shown in Fig. 2B, ref. 226 and detailed in paragraph 0476: “each fork can be coupled to a hydraulic… cylinder for moving toward or away from the other fork”) coupled to the second arm and operable to linearly translate at least a portion of the second arm, the second hydraulic actuator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pressure source; and
a coupler (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4005) extending from the second arm, wherein the coupler is positioned to selectively interface an object of the plurality of objects (i.e. Fig. 51B, ref. 4005 and ref. 4311).
Wherein the material support portion includes at least two forks (i.e. Fig. 52B, shows two forks ref. 4021) extending generally horizontally.
Regarding claims 9 and 12, Nguyen discloses a vehicle (i.e. Fig. 52A, ref. 1100) for distribution of a plurality objects (i.e. Fig. 52A, 52B, ref. 1111) at a worksite, the vehicle comprising:
a plurality of ground engaging members (i.e. Fig. 52B, two wheels shown on fork lift truck);
a powertrain assembly (i.e. given in an industrial truck) supported by the frame and operably coupled to at least one of the ground engaging members;
a hydraulic pressure source supported by the frame and including a coupling member (i.e. implied since hydraulic pistons shown in Fig. 52B extending from truck toward lifting mast);
an accessory coupling mount (i.e. Fig. 52A, not referenced but mast of fork lift truck shown with attachment forks) supported on the frame; and
a removable attachment (i.e. Fig. 51A) configured to be removably coupled to a vehicle (i.e. Fig. 52A, ref. 1100) for distribution of a plurality objects (i.e. Fig. 52A, 52B, ref. 1111) at a worksite, the vehicle including an accessory coupling mount and a hydraulic pressure source (i.e. implied since hydraulic pistons shown in Fig. 52B extending from truck toward lifting mast), the removable attachment comprising:
a coupling portion (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4038) including at least one coupling member configured to removably coupled to the accessory coupling mount of the vehicle;
a material support portion (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4021) extending from the coupling portion, the material support portion defining a surface operable to support the objects during movement of the vehicle;
a distribution arm assembly extending from one of the material support portion and the coupling portion, the distribution arm assembly including:
a first arm (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 5100) extending in a first direction;
a first hydraulic actuator (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 5102) coupled to the first arm and operable to linearly translate at least a portion of the first arm, the first hydraulic actuator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pressure source;
a second arm (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4021A) extending from the first arm generally in a second direction that is different from the first direction;
a second hydraulic actuator (i.e. not referenced in Fig. 51A, 51B but actuators to adjust distance between forks 4021A and 4021B shown in Fig. 2B, ref. 226 and detailed in paragraph 0476: “each fork can be coupled to a hydraulic… cylinder for moving toward or away from the other fork”) coupled to the second arm and operable to linearly translate at least a portion of the second arm, the second hydraulic actuator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pressure source; and
a coupler (i.e. Fig. 51A, ref. 4005) extending from the second arm, wherein the coupler is positioned to selectively interface an object (i.e. Fig. 51B, ref. 4005 and ref. 4311) of the plurality of objects.
Wherein the material support portion includes at least two forks (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 13 are two forks) extending generally horizontally.
Regarding claims 17 and 19, Knutson discloses a removable attachment (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 10) configured to be removably coupled to a vehicle (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 1) comprising:
a coupling portion (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 11) including at least one coupling member configured to removably coupled to the vehicle;
a material support portion (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 13) extending from the coupling portion and defining a surface configured to receive cargo;
a distribution assembly extending from one of the material support portion and the coupling portion, the distribution assembly including:
a moveable arm (i.e. Fig. 7, ref. 31 pivots about a pivot, thus considered moves along at least two axes) operable to provide movement along at least two axes, and
a coupler (i.e. Fig. 5 and 7, ref. 32, 39) extending from the movable arm, wherein the coupler is positioned to selectively engage and disengage an object for unloading from the material support portion (i.e. Fig. 5).
Wherein the coupler comprises a coupling actuator (i.e. Fig. 11, ref. 43), the coupling actuator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pressure source (i.e. Column 6, lines 63-65: “motor assembly 43 is hydraulically coupled to the skid loader 1 such that the motor assembly 43 is operated by the hydraulics of the skid loader 1”).
Wherein the material support portion includes at least two forks (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 13 are two forks) extending generally horizontally.
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) 5 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent No. 6,655,900 to Knutson in view of US Patent Application publication No. 2022/0212360 to Yutzy (henceforth referred to as Yutzy).
Regarding claims 5 and 12, Nguyen does not specifically teach a camera. However, cameras are not novel to the invention and are known in the art. For example, Yutzy teaches an attachment device (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 20) for a work vehicle (i.e. Fig. 2) and further teaches a camera (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 108) mounted on an arm of the attachment device for transmit image to a display in the vehicle so the operator can better ascertain a desired processing point of the material being distributed (i.e. paragraph 0071). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a camera as taught in Yutzy in the removable attachment as taught in Nguyen to better ascertain a desired position and processing of the objects being moved or distributed at the end of a long fork arm and there would have been reasonable expectation of success.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent No. 6,655,900 to Knutson in view of US Patent Application publication No. 2022/0212360 to Yutzy.
Regarding claims 20, Knutson does not specifically teach a camera. However, cameras are not novel to the invention and are known in the art. For example, Yutzy teaches a similar attachment device (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 20) for a work vehicle (i.e. Fig. 2) and further teaches a camera (i.e. Fig. 4, ref. 108) mounted on an arm of the attachment device for transmit image to a display in the vehicle so the operator can better ascertain a desired processing point of the material being distributed (i.e. paragraph 0071). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a camera as taught in Yutzy in the removable attachment as taught in Knutson to better ascertain a desired position and processing of the objects being moved or distributed and there would have been reasonable expectation of success.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 6-8, 10-11, 14-16, and 18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 107473140 to Wu et al teaches a removable attachment with distribution arms moving in two axes;
CN 118183577 to Tang et al teaches a removable attachment with distribution arms moving in two axes;
CN 108892081to Shi teaches a removable attachment with distribution arms moving in two axes.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654