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) 1-4, 6, 7, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Akita, et al. US2016/0183454.
Regarding claim 1, Akita, et al. teaches a work machine (lawn mower) comprising a body 10, a front wheel 2a, and a rear wheel 2b to which work machine a mower unit 4 is attachable below the body 10 and between the front wheel 2a and the rear wheel 2b (as shown in Figure 2), the work machine comprising:
a lifting and lowering link mechanism 3 comprising a front link unit 6 and a rear link unit 32 apart from each other (spaced laterally) in a front-rear direction (left to right in Figure 2) relative to the body 10;
a machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31, see Figure A below, annotated from Figure 5) provided for the body 10;
a blade housing 40 configured to be coupled to the lifting and lowering link mechanism (via engagement with 69a and 820);
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Figure A: annotated Figure 5
at least one mower coupler 63 at an end of the front link unit 6; and
a mower-side coupling unit 610 provided for the blade housing 40 and swingable (wherein to be coupled to the at least one mower coupler 63, and wherein the front link unit 6 is swingable in such a restricted manner as to have an angle (wherein 880 is a rotational shaft ¶0099) relative to the blade housing 40 which angle is suitable for the front link unit 6 to be coupled to the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) (as shown in Figure 5).
Regarding claim 2, Akita, et al. teaches:
at least one front stay 620 fixed to the blade housing 40, wherein the at least one mower coupler 63 comprises:
a coupling module 820 configured to be coupled to the at least one front stay 620 in such a manner as to be movable upward and downward (wherein 820 is disposed on rotating shaft 880, thus rotation of 880 angularly raises and lowers 820); and
a stopper 800 extending laterally relative to the body 10, wherein the mower-side coupling unit 610 is configured to be coupled swingably (via the above described rotating shaft) to the at least one front stay 620, wherein the at least one front stay 620 comprises a holding depression 623 (wherein 623 is held an angle relative to 630, thus provides a depression), and wherein the front link unit 6 is at the suitable angle (when 623 guides 624 to provide guidance between 6 and housing 40 ¶0088) in response to the holding depression holding the stopper 800 (Figure 3 shows the depression and stopper being assembled together, thus, the depression is interpreted to hold the stopper).
Regarding claim 3, Akita, et al. teaches that:
the at least one mower coupler 63 comprises a receiving bracket 630, and the stopper 800 is a lateral pin (wherein 800 is a laterally arranged elongated cylinder, thus is considered a lateral pin) fixed (via sitting on the l-shape at 69b) to the receiving bracket 630.
Regarding claim 4, Akita, et al. teaches that:
the coupling module 820 comprises:
a coupling shaft 630; and
a stay guiding groove 69c shaped to allow the front link unit 6 to be moved relative to the at least one front stay 620 (via horizontal movement relative to the width of the groove 69c until the rightmost part of 69c is reached as shown in Figure 5) to be coupled to the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31).
Regarding claim 6, Akita, et al. teaches that:
the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) is configured to be coupled to the front link unit 6 in response to the front wheel 2a climbing over the blade housing 40 on ground (as shown in Figure 1) for the work machine to climb over the blade housing 40.
Regarding claim 7, Akita, et al. teaches:
a machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31, connected to the hook that engages 63 as shown in Figure 5. See Figure A above) at a first end of the front link unit 6, wherein the end of the front link unit 6 at which end the at least one mower coupler 63 is disposed is a second end (right side) of the front link unit 6, wherein the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) is configured to be coupled to the machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31), wherein the mower-side coupling unit 610 is so swingable as to be detachably coupled to the mower coupler 63, and wherein the machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31) is guidable to the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) to be automatically coupled (via engagement of the hook on the right end of 31 with 63) to the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) while the body 10 is moved relative to the blade housing 40.
Regarding claim 12, Akita, et al. teaches that:
the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) is configured to be (i) coupled to the machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31) in response to the body 10 moving forward (Figure 1, wherein the hook on the end of 31 engages with 63 when 1 is moved forward) and (ii) decoupled from the machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31) in response to the body 10 moving rearward (¶0112 “ the vehicle body 1 will be traveled in reverse so that the front wheels 2a ride over the blade housing 40 past above this blade housing 40 from the front side of the mower unit 4, with utilization of the ride-over units 5. With this reverse traveling, the engaging portions 610 (four guides 611-614 on the front, rear and right and left sides) provided in the intermediate structure 6 will be removed from the engaged portions 620 (four guides 621-624 on the front, rear and right and left sides) provided in the blade housing 40. When the front wheels 2a have ridden past over the blade housing 40, the mower unit 4 will become free”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 8-11 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:
Regarding claim 5, Akita, et al. teaches that:
the at least one front stay 620 comprises a left front stay 620 and a right front stay 620 laterally apart from each other. Akita does not teach the at least one mower coupler 63 comprises: a left U-shaped mower coupler 63 configured to receive the left front stay 620; and a right U-shaped mower coupler 63 configured to receive the right front stay 620, and the work machine further comprises an anti-scalp roller held by the left front stay 620 and the right front stay 620 and disposed between the left mower coupler 63 and the right mower coupler 63. Akita, et al. only discloses a single mower coupler. Modification could have required impermissible hindsight reasoning to recreate the invention including providing an anti-scalp roller held by left and right front stays.
Regarding claims 8-11, Akita, et al. does not teach, in combination, that:
the machine body 10 coupler (right side of 31) comprises a lateral member, and the machine-side coupling unit (left side of 31) comprises a pair of left and right front-rear guide grooves extending in the front-rear direction relative to the body 10, having respective openings facing forward, and configured to guide the lateral member while the body 10 is moved relative to the blade housing 40.
It would not have been obvious to modify Akita, et al. since this would have required impermissible hindsight reasoning, and destroy Akita, et al.’s intended purpose of having a single hook to engage a single centrally located connection for forward travel engagement of the body relative to the mowing deck.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Rose US4120136 teaches a work machine Figure 1 comprising a body 10, a front wheel 19, and a rear wheel 18 to which work machine a mower unit 14 is attachable below the body and between the front wheel and the rear wheel, the work machine comprising: a lifting and lowering link mechanism 12 comprising a front link unit 78 and a rear link unit 53 apart from each other in a front-rear direction relative to the body; a machine-side coupling unit 76 provided for the body; a blade housing (outside of 14) configured to be coupled to the lifting and lowering link mechanism (as shown in Figure 2); at least one mower coupler 82 at an end of the front link unit; and a mower-side coupling unit 63 provided for the blade housing and swingable to be coupled to the at least one mower coupler 61, and wherein the front link unit is swingable (on pivot 81) in such a restricted manner (restricted by engagement of 75 and 81 in respective slots/ elongated apertures 77 and 86) as to have an angle relative to the blade housing which angle is suitable for the front link unit to be coupled to the machine-side coupling unit
Sugio, et al. US2008/0236125 teaches a work machine 1 comprising a body 10, with a rear link mechanism 19, and forward link mechanism 22, mower unit 21. Forward link mechanism includes a slot in 43 (best shown in Figure 2) to engage pin at the end of 23, but does not teach the details of claims 5 and 8-11.
Tada, et al. US2015/0181803 teaches a work machine with body 11, a mower unit 4, front linkage 31, rear linkage 25a, but does not teach the details of claims 5 and 8-11.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Cathleen Hutchins whose telephone number is (571)270-3651. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 11am-9:30PM EST.
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/CATHLEEN R HUTCHINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3672 9/22/2026
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