Ex Parte 6,935,093 et alDownload PDFPatent Trial and Appeal BoardJun 20, 201395001742 (P.T.A.B. Jun. 20, 2013) Copy Citation UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www.uspto.gov APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 95/001,742 09/06/2011 6,935,093 JAR-3696-82 3410 23117 7590 06/21/2013 NIXON & VANDERHYE, PC 901 NORTH GLEBE ROAD, 11TH FLOOR ARLINGTON, VA 22203 EXAMINER JASTRZAB, JEFFREY R ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 3993 MAIL DATE DELIVERY MODE 06/21/2013 PAPER Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________________ THE TORO COMPANY Requester, Cross-Appellant, Respondent v. WRIGHT MANUFACTURING, INC. Patent Owner, Appellant, Respondent ____________________ Appeal 2013-002900 Inter partes Reexamination Control 95/001,742 Patent US 6,935,093 B21 Technology Center 3900 ____________________ Before RICHARD M. LEBOVITZ, JEFFREY B. ROBERTSON and DANIEL S. SONG, Administrative Patent Judges. SONG, Administrative Patent Judge DECISION ON APPEAL 1 Patent US 6,935,093 B2 (hereinafter "'093 patent") issued August 30, 2005, to Velke et al. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE Claims 1, 3, 4 and 6-17 stand rejected and are the subject of the present appeal. Claims 2 and 5 have been canceled, and claims 7-17 were added during the reexamination (RAN2 PTOL-2066; ABPO 3; CABR 1). The Patent Owner appeals under 35 U.S.C. §§ 134(b) and 315 (2002) from the rejection of claims as discussed infra. The Requester cross-appeals under 35 U.S.C. §§ 134 and 315 from the Examiner's refusal to enter proposed rejections of claims 1, 3, 4 and 6-17 (CABR 1). We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. §§ 134(b) and 315. In addition to their respective briefs, the Patent Owner also relies on the declaration of inventor William R. Wright while the Requester also relies on the declaration of Garry Busboom, who is a named inventor of an applied prior art and employee of Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Requester (Resp. Br. R 1). We also note that the '093 patent is involved in the legal action Wright Manufacturing, Inc. v. The Toro Company and Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc., 11- 2 Because the Examiner's Answer mailed September 24, 2012 merely incorporates the Right to Appeal Notice mailed May 2, 2012, we refer to the same in this decision. We also refer to and address only specific portions of the record necessary to the disposition of the appeal, abbreviating the documents as follows: 1. Right of Appeal Notice = RAN 2. Appeal Brief of Patent Owner = ABPO 3. Rebuttal Brief of Patent Owner = Reb. Br. PO 4. Respondent Brief of Patent Owner = Resp. Br. PO 5. Cross-Appeal Brief of Requester = CABR 6. Respondent Brief of Requester = Resp. Br. R Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 3 cv-01373-MJG (D. Maryland) which has been stayed pending the outcome of the present reexamination proceedings (ABPO 2; CABR 1). The application that issued as the '093 patent is a continuation of an application which issued as US 6,438,931 and is the subject of Reexamination Control 95/001,741 and Appeal No. 2013-002864 (ABPO 2; CABR 1). A combined oral hearing with the representatives of the Patent Owner and Requester with respect to the present case and the related case was held before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board on May 1, 2013, and a transcript thereof will be entered into the electronic record in due course. The Board's decision with respect to Appeal No. 2013-002864 is mailed concurrently with this decision. We AFFIRM with respect to the Appeal of the Patent Owner. In addition, because our decision with respect to the Appeal of the Patent Owner maintains the rejections of all of the claims, we do not reach the Requester's Cross-Appeal.3 3 In presenting the Requester's cross-appeal during the Oral Hearing, the Requester's representative Mr. Miller stated: MR. MILLER: … Well, with that, we think that if you tipped -- you know, this whole set of rejections that are at issue in the cross-appeal are moot in a sense, if the basic set of rejections is maintained. They were proposed because in the inter partes reexamination due to the estoppel effect, you need to make the arguments. I think they are good rejections, should the first set of rejections be, for some reason, not upheld, but like I said, I think they are moot in the event the main set of rejections would be upheld. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 4 THE INVENTION The '093 patent describes a mower and representative independent claim 1 reads as follows (ABPO, Claims App'x, with underlining showing added subject matter and bracketing showing deleted subject matter relative to the originally issued patent claims, italics added): 1. A self-propelled power lawn mower comprising: a pair of rear drive wheels; a cutter deck assembly; an engine deck assembly supporting a combustion engine; a foot platform for supporting a standing operator of the mower; a deck lift system for raising and lowering the cutter deck assembly, engine deck assembly, and combustion engine together in order to adjust a blade cutting height of the mower; [and] first and second pivoting control arms for helping provide lateral positioning of the cutter deck assembly, engine deck assembly, and combustion engine during the raising and lowering, wherein the first and second control arms are pivotally connected to either the cutter deck assembly or [[an]] the engine deck assembly, so as to pivot upward and downward along with corresponding upward and downward movement of the cutter deck assembly and combustion engine; and wherein the first and second pivoting control arms are located entirely forward of both (a) respective rear edges of said rear drive wheels, and (b) the foot platform for supporting the standing operator; wherein at least one of said control arms pivots about a rear pivot axis, said rear pivot axis as viewed in side view being located (i) forward of said foot platform, (ii) forward of a rear end of the engine deck assembly, and (iii) rearward of a front edge of at least one of the rear drive wheels; and wherein pivoting of the control arms an angle ɸ of fifteen (15) degrees during raising or lowering of the cutter deck Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 5 assembly and engine causes the cutter deck assembly to move a vertical distance "d" of no more than 2.5 inches. Independent claim 4 is substantively similar to claim 1. PRIOR ART The prior art in the appeal record is: Hamouz 3,672, 137 June 27, 1972 Wright 5,507,138 Apr. 16, 1996 Musgrave 3,460,325 Aug. 12, 1969 Busboom 5,816,033 Oct. 6, 1998 Hale 3,402,536 Sep. 24, 1968 Hale 3,408,798 Nov. 5, 1968 Velke 5,809,755 Sep. 22, 1998 Velke 5,984,031 Nov. 16, 1999 Berrios 5,653,466 Aug. 5, 1997 Cox AU 271377 Nov. 18, 1965 Procomas GB 2 013 073 A Aug. 9, 1979 FINDINGS OF FACT The record supports the following findings of fact (FF) by a preponderance of the evidence. 1. A. Wright discloses a zero turn radius mower wherein the "[m]ower deck 9 is mounted on and below frame 11 in front of engine 7 and engine deck 13[,]" and further discloses that "mower deck 9 is mounted on and connected to both engine deck 13 and frame 11" (col. 4, ll. 27-34; Fig. 2). B. However, Wright does not disclose the manner in which the mower deck is mounted/connected to the frame and engine deck, or Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 6 require that the mower deck be fixed in position relative to the engine deck so as to preclude relative movement therebetween. C. Wright also states that "[m]ower deck 9 (or alternatively the mower wheels) is vertically movable or adjustable so as to adjust the height of the cut." (Col. 4, ll. 36-39). D. However, Wright does not specifically disclose the details of the height of cut adjustment mechanism. 2. A. Busboom discloses a zero turn radius mower including a mower deck height control for adjusting the height of cut (Abst.; Figs. 1, 3, 4). B. The mower 10 of Busboom includes a frame means 12, an engine support deck 18, an engine 20 and a mower deck 28 (col. 2, ll. 52-60; col. 2, l. 66-col. 3, l. 1; Figs. 1, 3). C. Busboom discloses that the mower deck is supported by a plurality of chain members 42 which are connected to a mower deck height control mechanism 44 that enables the mower deck to be raised or lowered with respect to the frame 12 (col. 3, ll. 4-9; Figs. 1, 3). D. Busboom teaches that the deck height control mechanism 44 further includes lift arms 82, 76 to which the chain members 42 are secured, and is operated by actuation of a control lever 54 (col. 3, ll. 20-32; col. 3, ll. 45-49; Fig. 4). Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 7 E. Busboom also teaches that the mower 10 includes a stabilizer rod 40 that connects mower deck 28 to frame 12 "in conventional fashion." (Col. 3, ll. 2-4; Fig. 3). 3. A. Cox discloses a mower with an adjustable frame 24, an engine mounted to the adjustable frame 24, and a rotor disc 31 with blades 32 (pg. 4, ll. 5-18; Figs. 1, 2). B. Cox teaches that the height of cut is adjusted by raising and lowering the adjustable frame 24 via height adjustment lever 33 which changes the height of the rotor and blades (pg. 4, ll. 19-22; Figs. 1, 2). Thus, the engine mounted on the adjustable frame 24 is also raised and lowered. 4. A. Musgrave discloses a mower including a motor 21 mounted on plate 20 and a mower deck 50 mounted to plate extensions 37 of plate 16 with slots 13 (col. 2, ll. 17-26, 38-44; col. 3, ll. 25-28; col. 4, ll. 55-61; Figs. 1, 2). B. Musgrave teaches that the vertical height adjustment is attained by raising or lowering the entire connected structure including the motor, plate 20 and mower deck 50 (col. 4, ll. 55-63; Figs. 1, 2). 5. Hale '536 discloses a vehicle 20 with a mower unit 36 which is connected to linkage members 136 (i.e., control arms) to rear axle 26 (col. 2, ll. 25-37; col. 4, ll. 53-66). Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 8 6. Hale '798 discloses a mower with a circular mower frame 94 (i.e., mower deck) which is connected to control arms 86, 87 that are connected to a support bar 83 (col. 4, l. 68-col. 5, l. 12; Figs. 1, 2, 6). 7. A. Velke '031 discloses a zero-turning radius mower with a cutter deck 1, an engine 9 mounted on an engine deck 3 and a standing platform 18 (col. 5, ll. 13-16, 32-46; Figs. 1, 2). B. Velke '031 states that "the mower and cutter decks are separate structures for performing different functions" (col. 5, ll. 32-33), and that the cutting deck 1 is mounted to the engine deck 3 (col. 11, l. 66-col. 12, l. 2). C. In the mower of Velke '031, the height of cut adjustment is disclosed as being achieved by adjusting the mounting position of the wheel motor brackets 157 for the rear drive wheels 7 along numerous mounting holes 169 provided, together with adjusting the vertical position of the front caster wheels 5 (col. 5, ll. 32-46; col. 11, ll. 52-58; Figs. 1, 3, 10). 8. A. Velke '755 discloses a zero turn radius mower similar to that of Wright including a mower deck 9 mounted on and below a frame 11 in front of an engine 7 and an engine deck 13 (col. 6, ll. 1-5; Fig. 2). B. Velke '755 also discloses a platform 71 for supporting the standing operator between the rear drive wheels of the mower (col. 8, ll. 52-60; Figs. 2, 3, 5). Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 9 C. In describing Figure 5, Velke '755 states the compartment of foot platform 71 undercuts the frame or engine deck 13 according to certain embodiments of this invention. See also FIGS. 2-4. As shown, the foot supporting surface 163 of platform 71 extends forwardly of and underneath of a portion of frame or deck 13 until reaching front or forward wall 159 of the foot platform compartment. Thus, space is saved in that the engine deck, pulley and belt assembly 161, and/or pumps 31, 33 are located vertically above each of the operator's feet and a substantial portion (e.g. at least about 1-3 inches) of the foot platform. This both conserves space is [sic] and functions to protect the operator's feet from flying debris and the like. (Col. 13, ll. 23-35; Fig. 5). PRINCIPLES OF LAW In KSR, the Supreme Court reaffirmed principles based on its precedent that "[t]he combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results." KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007). The Court also stated that "when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable result." Id. The Court also explained that "[w]hen a work is available in one field of endeavor, design incentives and other market forces can prompt variations of it, either in the same field or a different one. If a person of ordinary skill can implement a predictable variation, §103 likely bars its patentability." Id. at 417. The Court further noted that "[a] person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, not an automaton." Id. at 421. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 10 EXAMINER'S REJECTIONS The Examiner rejects the following claims of the '093 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as obvious over the cited prior art references:4 4. Claims 1, 3, 4, 6-14, 16 and 17 over Wright in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755. Claim 11 is also alternatively rejected in further view of Procomas and Hamouz. 4A. Claim 15 over Wright, Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755 in view of Velke '031 or Berrios. 6. Claims 1, 3, 4 and 6-17 over Velke '031 in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536 and Hale '798, and alternatively in further view of Velke '755. Claim 11 is also alternatively rejected in further view of Procomas and Hamouz. ISSUES The following dispositive issues have been raised in the present appeal: 1. Whether the Examiner erred in concluding that the claims are obvious principally based on the combination Wright in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755. 2. Whether the Examiner erred in concluding that the claims are obvious principally based on the combination of Velke '031 in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536 and Hale '798, and alternatively in further view of Velke '755. 4 For clarity, the following enumerated Rejections utilize numbering that corresponds to the numbering of the "Issues" used by the Patent Owner in its briefs and by the Examiner in the RAN. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 11 ANALYSIS Rejections 4 and 4A Rejections 4 and 4A are based principally on the combination of Wright in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755. All of the claims except claim 15 stand rejected in Rejection 4 as unpatentable over this combination of prior art (RAN 2-14). The Examiner finds that Wright teaches a mower with independent hydromotors, a mower deck 9 and a combustion engine 7 where the mower deck is mounted together and connected (RAN 2-3; see also FF 1A). However, the Examiner concedes that Wright "fails to teach that vertical adjustment of the mower deck enables movement of both the engine and the mower as one unit and fails to teach the specifics of the vertical deck adjustment mechanism." (RAN 3) (i.e., the recited "deck lift system for raising and lowering the cutter deck assembly, engine deck, and combustion engine together in order to adjust a blade cutting height of the mower" of the claims). Indeed, while Wright suggests including a mechanism for adjusting the height of cut (also referred to herein as "HOC"), it does not actually disclose a specific mechanism for doing so (FF 1B-1D). For the actual HOC adjustment mechanism and the control arm, the Examiner relies Busboom that discloses a mower with "bell cranks 82, 104 and 76, 86, deck suspension chains 42, counterbalance springs 96, adjustment handle 54, height control pin 106[,] and control arms 40 pivotally connected to the mower deck (Figure 3)." (RAN 3). The Examiner concludes that "[i]t would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 12 the art at the time of the invention, given the Wright suggestion of vertical height adjustability to have incorporated the Busboom HOC structures into the mower of Wright '138 as a mere substitution of known mechanisms for making mower decks 'vertically moveable or adjustable[.]'" (RAN 3; see also FF 2A-2E). The Examiner also finds that HOC adjustment in which "the engine moves with the cutting deck were well known in the art at the time of the invention" as evidenced by both Cox and Musgrave (RAN 3; see also FF 3A-4B). The Examiner states that given the teachings of Cox and Musgrave, "it would have been obvious to have arranged the modified Wright HOC adjustment to allow for the engine to move in concert with the deck structure as such HOC structures were well established alternatives for allowing an operator to change the cutting height." (RAN 3-4). The Examiner concedes that "Wright as modified by Busboom, Cox and Musgrave would not necessarily provide for the claimed control arm length, i.e. that they are short enough such that 15 degree angular movement corresponds to 2.5 inches of vertical adjustment as claimed[.]" (RAN 4). However, the Examiner finds that Hale '536 and Hale '798 establish that different length control arms were known in the art and states that "[g]iven these combined teachings, merely adjusting the control arm length in the modified Wright system would have amounted to an obvious choice in engineering design in order to effect a desired range of vertical height adjustment." (RAN 4; see also FF 5, 6). As to the position of the control arm pivot, the Examiner states that it being mounted forward of the foot platform would have been understood from Busboom "[s]ince the front wall of the Wright foot platform is the only Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 13 structure directly to the rear of the deck[,]" and this attachment point would also be rearward of the front edge of the drive wheel (RAN 4). The Examiner states that the modified Wright system fails to teach that the control arm pivot is located forward of the foot platform (RAN 5). The Examiner relies on Velke '755 for its teaching that it is "desirable to extend the rear edge of the engine deck over the foot platform to conserve space and protect the operator's feet from flying debris" so that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to have incorporated this feature for the noted safety and space saving benefits, and "[i]n doing so, the resultant control arm pivot would be located forward of the rear end of the engine deck 13 as claimed." (RAN 5; FF 8A-8C). Thus, the Examiner's position is that it would have been obvious to apply the HOC adjustment mechanism of Busboom, including the disclosed chains and control arm, to provide stable, vertical adjustability to the deck of Wright where the engine moves with cutting deck as known in the art as demonstrated by Cox/Musgrave. In addition, it is also the Examiner's position that mounting the control arms' pivot in the location recited would have been obvious, especially in view of the safety and space benefits taught by Velke '755. The Examiner's position is supported by preponderance of the evidence. We address the Patent Owner's arguments infra. The Patent Owner argues that even if the prior art references are combined, such combination does not result in the recited angle because the control arm of Busboom is too long (ABPO 9-10; see also Decl. of Wright ¶ 6). According to the Patent Owner, Busboom requires a control arm in order to stabilize the mower deck which is suspended by chains, and requires Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 14 the long length to prevent slackening or tightening of the belt by minimizing fore/aft movement during raising and lowering of the mower deck (ABPO 11; see also Decl. of Wright, ¶ 7). In contrast, the Patent Owner asserts that in the claimed invention, engine and deck moves together so that slack in the belt is not an issue (ABPO 11-12). The Patent Owner argues that there is no teaching or suggestion to adjust control arm length or recognition that it is a result effective variable that is to be optimized (ABPO 12-13). The Patent Owner further argues that both of the Hale references are directed to automatic leveling systems that cannot be implemented in Wright (ABPO 13-14). The Patent Owner's arguments are unpersuasive because they do not take into account what the collective teachings of the prior art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 425 (CCPA 1981) ("The test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art"). It is not necessary that the inventions of the references must be physically combinable, without change, to render obvious the invention under review. See In re Sneed, 710 F.2d 1544, 1550 (Fed. Cir. 1983). As the Examiner noted, Wright suggests a mechanism for adjusting the height of the mower deck, but fails to disclose the specifics thereof (FF 1C, 1D). Absent such information, one of ordinary skill in the art would have logically considered known HOC adjustment mechanisms to Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 15 implement in the mower of Wright. Busboom is one such known mechanism. When implementing the HOC adjustment mechanism of Busboom in the mower of Wright, we agree with the Examiner (RAN 4) that it would have been obvious to provide control arms that are sized to be appropriate to the application so that when applied to the compact standing mower of Wright which has a compact frame, the control arms would be shorter than that disclosed in Busboom.5 (RAN 8). In this regard, we agree with the Requester that "[t]he logical reason for making the control arms shorter was merely to fit them into the more compact form of mower that Wright had already invented and patented in Wright '138 - to fit what Owner acknowledges in Wright '138 was the 'reduced overall length ' of the mower." (Resp. Br. R 9). We further agree with the Examiner (RAN 8) that the resultant application of the control arm into the existing compact structure satisfies the recited stabilization function. The Patent Owner also argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art would not provide Busboom's control arm in the mower of Wright because there is no room and it would require substantial reconstruction and redesign rendering Wright unsuitable for its intended purpose of providing compact stand-on mower (ABPO 16-18). Again, these arguments are unpersuasive because they are based on bodily incorporation and fail to consider the combined teachings of the art and the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art. 5 While not forming the basis of our decision, we also observe that size is not ordinarily a patentable feature. In re Rose, 220 F.2d 459, 463 (CCPA 1955) ("size of the article under consideration [] is not ordinarily a matter of invention"); see also Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 1346, (Fed. Cir. 1984); In re Kirke, 40 F.2d 765, 767 (CCPA 1930). Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 16 See In re Keller, 642 F.2d at 425; In re Sneed, 710 F.2d at 1550. Persuasive evidence has not been provided that implementing Busboom's HOC adjustment mechanism in Wright's mower by appropriately sizing it to fit would have been beyond the skill of those in the art. KSR, 550 U.S. at 417. The Patent Owner contends that Wright has no chains and there is no need to provide a control arm because "the cutter deck 9 in Wright is already structurally connected to engine deck 13 and frame 11" (ABPO 18, 21-22). The Patent Owner further argues that neither Cox nor Musgrave discloses any uncontrolled lateral movement and "[o]ne would not have added a control arm to Wright/Musgrave or Wright/Cox to address an alleged problem that did not exist or, at worst, was already solved." (ABPO 23-24). However, as noted above, while Wright suggests a HOC adjustment mechanism, it does not disclose a particular mechanism. Hence, when the HOC adjustment mechanism of Busboom which includes chains is implemented in the mower of Wright, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have also provided a stabilizer rod (i.e., a control arm) disclosed in Busboom for stabilization of the mower deck. While the mower of Wright discloses that the "mower deck 9 is mounted on and connected to both engine deck 13 and frame 11" (FF 1A), this does not preclude relative movement between the mower deck and the engine deck (see Resp. Br. PO 13-14 (Patent Owner agreeing with the Examiner that the mower deck and the engine deck of Wright can be "mounted on" each other and "connected," Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 17 but "not necessarily move up/down together as one unit.")6; see also FF 4A, 4B). Wright also does not teach against the use of a mower deck supported by chains which is well-known in the art and indeed present in the Busboom mower (see Busboom, Figs. 3, 4) and not in dispute between the parties. Thus, while the Patent Owner asserts that a control arm may not be necessary in a mower based on the combination of Wright/Musgrave or Wright/Cox, when the mower deck height control mechanism 44 of Busboom with its chains is implemented in the Wright's mower to provide the various functions thereof, a control arm would be desirable to stabilize the mower deck. The Patent Owner also argues that Wright criticizes sit-down mowers like that of Busboom (ABPO 17-18). However, while Wright may criticize sit-down mowers because of high centers of gravity and the difficulty of users in ducking under low hanging tree limbs (see Wright, col. 1, l. 60-col. 2, l. 6), this teaching does not provide a correlation between the HOC adjustment mechanisms known in the art and the seating position of the user. Thus, the criticism in Wright with respect to seating position would not dissuade one of ordinary skill in the art from implementing the HOC adjustment mechanism that is also taught in Busboom. Furthermore, as noted by the Requester, Wright '138 also "criticizes" many different kinds of mowers which would, according to the Patent Owner's logic, result in the 6 In response to questioning regarding relative movement between the engine, the engine deck and the cutting deck in the mower of Wright, the Patent Owner's legal representative Mr. Rhoa also stated: MR. RHOA: Wright 138, yes. Is it possible that there is some movement there between? Yes, it's possible. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 18 untenable position of removing a substantial body of art pertinent to mowers from consideration (Resp. Br. R 15 and citations therein). Nonetheless, a known or obvious product "does not become patentable simply because it has been described as somewhat inferior to some other product for the same use." In re Gurley, 27 F.3d 551, 553 (Fed. Cir. 1994). The Patent Owner also takes issue with the Examiner's statement that "[g]iven these combined teachings, merely adjusting the control arm length in the modified Wright system would have amounted to an obvious choice in engineering design in order to effect a desired range of vertical height adjustment." (RAN 4). The Patent Owner argues that the "proposed rationale for the alleged shortening of Busboom's control arm length is technically inaccurate and fundamentally flawed" because the length of the control arm in Busboom "does not determine or effect the range of vertical height adjustment of the cutter deck." (ABPO 15-16, citing Decl. of Wright ¶ 8). The Patent Owner argues that "the length of control arm 40 in Busboom has nothing to do with determining/effecting the range of vertical height adjustment of the cutter deck." (Id.). We are not persuaded that the Examiner erred. Firstly, the Patent Owner misstates the Examiner. The Examiner did not say that the control arm "determine[s] or effect the range of vertical height adjustment of the cutter deck" as asserted by the Patent Owner (emphasis added). Secondly, the Examiner stated that the phrase has been taken "out of context" by the Patent Owner and in view of the apparent misunderstanding, explained that "[c]learly it is not the control arms that control the height adjustment. In the proposed rejection, the control arms allow, thus effect, the vertical height Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 19 range that was claimed for the control arms, but do not actually perform, i.e. directly cause the height adjustment." (RAN 9, emphasis added). In other words, by virtue of their connection to the mower deck, the control arms move as the vertical height of the mower deck is adjusted to result in the vertical height adjustment range of the control arm of "no more than about 2.5 inches" as articulated in the claims. Indeed, the paragraph in which the statement at issue occurs sets the context by beginning with the statement that "Wright as modified by Busboom, Cox and Musgrave would not necessarily provide for the claimed control arm length, i.e. that they are short enough such that 15 degree angular movement corresponds to 2.5 inches of vertical adjustment as claimed[.]" (RAN 4, emphasis added). Thus, we agree with the Examiner that the Patent Owner has taken the statement at issue "out of context," and the Examiner has adequately clarified the statement misunderstood by the Patent Owner. Thirdly, the crux of the Examiner's articulated reason for the rejection is that "merely adjusting the control arm length in the modified Wright system would have amounted to an obvious choice in engineering design" based on the evidence of record including Busboom and the Hale references (RAN 4). In this regard, the Examiner also stated that: Those having ordinary skill in the art would have understood that in incorporating the HOC structures of a sitting mower in a more compact standing mower as Wright as suggested into the rejection, that certain aspects would have needed to be adjusted to accommodate the parts… Plainly, those in the art would have understood that moving the Busboom HOC structures to a compact frame would have required shorter control arms, especially when the art was well aware that Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 20 different frame structures require different length control arms as evidenced by the Hale patents. (RAN 8). In addition, the Examiner further stated that: Those having ordinary skill in the art would have understood that when stabilization was required, control arms can be used as evidenced by any of Busboom or the Hale patents. Clearly it can be gleaned from those teachings that control arms do not have a finite length, but are instead dependent upon the distance between the mower deck and the portion of the frame that the engineer/designer sees fit to establish the requisite degree of stability. When attempting to stabilize in a more compact mower design such as Wright's, it is only reasonable to conclude that those in the art would have understood that shorter control arms would have been required to fit into that more compact system. (RAN 9-10). We also highlight the fact that the explanation for the statement at issue was first provided in the Action Closing Prosecution of March 6, 2012, pages 4, 8-10. Thus, the Patent Owner had ample opportunity to respond, and the Patent Owner did respond, to the substance of the rejection as discussed above. To the extent that the Patent Owner believes that the clarification changed the ground of rejection as articulated in the Non-Final Office Action, the Patent Owner could have petitioned to have the rejection denominated as a new ground of rejection and prosecution reopened. Finally, the Patent Owner observes that the claims require the rear pivot axis of the control arm to be located "forward of a rear end of the engine deck assembly." (ABPO 24). The Patent Owner asserts that "[t]he rear of the engine deck 13 in Wright essentially abuts the front wall 89 of the platform structure, and therefore there is no way to extend the engine deck Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 21 farther rearwardly as alleged in the Office Action." (ABPO 24). However, this argument is unpersuasive because it is again essentially based on bodily incorporation, and does not account for accommodating the extended engine deck in the manner shown in Figure 5 of Velke '755 to which the teachings regarding the safety and space benefits are directed (FF 8C). See In re Keller, 642 F.2d at 425. As to claims 4 and 6, the Patent Owner does not provide any separate arguments as to their patentability (ABPO 25). As to claim 17, the Patent Owner observes that it requires control arms that are even shorter than that of claim 1, but does not proffer arguments that substantively differ from those already considered (ABPO 25). The Patent Owner also does not proffer separate arguments with respect to claims 3, 7-14 and 16. In view of the above, the Examiner has set forth a prima facie case of obviousness with respect to Rejection 4 which was not rebutted by the Patent Owner considering the totality of the evidence. We therefore affirm the Examiner. The Patent Owner relies on the same arguments with respect to claim 15 rejected in Rejection 4A (ABPO 26) which is also principally based on the combination of Wright in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755. Thus, we affirm Rejection 4A as well. Rejection 6 Rejection 6 rejects all of the claims as obvious over the combination of Velke '031 in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536 and Hale '798, and alternatively in further view of Velke '755 (RAN 14-19). The Examiner's rejection is substantively similar to Rejection 4 except that prior Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 22 art reference Velke '031 is substituted for Wright (RAN 19; ABPO 26). In particular, Velke '031 teaches a zero turn radius mower with a foot platform wherein height of cut is adjusted by changing the mounting each front caster wheel and wheel/drive motor using mounting holes (FF 7A, 7C). Hence, Velke '031 differs from Wright discussed supra in that Velke '031 does disclose an HOC adjustment mechanism. The Examiner concludes that using the HOC adjustment mechanism of Busboom instead of that provided in Velke '031 is a "mere substitution of known mechanisms for making mower decks vertically moveable or adjustable and to incorporate the added bonus of ease of adjustment to Velke ['031]." (RAN 15). As to the provision of a control arm and the length thereof, the disagreement and arguments between the Patent Owner and the Examiner are substantively the same as those discussed supra relative to Rejection 4 (RAN 16; ABPO 27-32). For the reasons substantially similar to those already discussed supra relative to Rejection 4, we find no error in the Examiner's rejection. We further add that providing ease of adjustment as articulated by the Examiner is another rational reason for implementing the HOC adjustment mechanism of Busboom that uses a lever, the HOC adjustment in Velke '031 of adjusting each wheel height being cumbersome in comparison (see Resp. Br. R 19-20). We further agree with the Examiner that modification of the length of the control arm would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the reasons already discussed. We also note that in contrast to Rejection 4, the Patent Owner does not submit arguments as to the specific positioning of the rear pivot axis of the control arm in response to the Examiner's findings that the modified Velke '031 appears to satisfy the Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 23 positioning recited, and even if it did not, the application of teachings in Velke '755 results in such positioning (RAN 16-17). As to claims 4 and 6, the Patent Owner again does not provide any separate arguments as to their patentability (ABPO 32). As to claim 17, the Patent Owner again observes that it requires control arms that are even shorter than that of claim 1, but does not proffer arguments that substantively differ from those already considered (ABPO 32-33). The Patent Owner also does not proffer separate arguments with respect to claims 3, 7-14 and 16. Correspondingly, we find that the Examiner has set forth a prima facie case of obviousness with respect to Rejection 6 and we affirm the same. CONCLUSIONS 1. The Examiner did not err in concluding that the claims are obvious principally based on the combination Wright in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536, Hale '798 and Velke '755. 2. The Examiner did not err in concluding that the claims are obvious principally based on the combination of Velke '031 in view of Cox, Musgrave, Busboom, Hale '536 and Hale '798, and alternatively in further view of Velke '755. 3. We do not reach the Cross-Appeal of the Requester. Requests for extensions of time in this inter partes reexamination proceeding are governed by 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.956. Appeal 2013-002900 Reexamination Control 95/001,742 US 6,935,093 B2 24 AFFIRMED PATENT OWNER: NIXON & VANDERHYE PC 901 North Glebe Road 11th Floor Arlington, VA 22203 THIRD PARTY REQUESTER: James W. Miller 527 Marquette Avenue Suite 1960, Rand Tower Minneapolis, MN 55402 Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation