Office Action 4: Notice of Allowance (2026-01-28)

CLAIMS:
AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS

This listing of claims replaces all prior versions of claims in the application:

1\. (Currently Amended) A machine comprising:a main body mounted to a chassis;
a swing system for rotating the main body relative to the chassis;
a travel system for driving the machine across a terrain;
an implement system and an implement hydraulic system for operating the implement system; and
a swing-travel hydraulic system comprising:
a swing-travel pump arrangement including a swing pump, a first travel pump, and a second travel pump coupled to a rotatable drive member, wherein the rotatable drive member is rotatable to operate all of the swing pump, first travel pump, and second travel pum;
a closed loop swing circuit including the swing pump and a swing motor arrangement operably mounted to the swing system for rotating the main body;
a closed loop travel circuit including a travel motor arrangement operably mounted to the travel system for driving the machine, the travel motor arrangement including at least one left travel motor and at least one right travel motor, the at least one left travel motor and the first travel pump forming a first closed loop travel circuit, the at least one right travel motor and the second travel pump forming a second closed loop travel circuit; and
a swing-travel valve system including a first swing valve disposed upstream of the swing pump, a second swing valve disposed downstream of the swing pump, a first left travel valve disposed upstream of the first travel pump, a second left travel valve disposed downstream of the first travel pump, a first right travel valve disposed upstream of the second travel pump, and a second right travel valve disposed downstream of the second travel pump, the swing\-travel valve arrangement having:a first configuration tha fluidly connects the swing motor arrangement to the swing pump of the closed loop swing circuit for rotating the main body in a main body swing operation, wherein the first and second swing valves are open in the first configuration;
a second configuration tha fluidly connects the travel motor arrangement to at least one of the first and second travel pumps of the closed loop travel circuit

for driving the machine in a machine travel operation, wherein the first and second left travel valves and/or the first and second right travel valves are open in the second configuration; and a third configuration that simultaneously fluidly connects the swing motor arrangement of the closed loop swing circuit to the first travel pump, the second travel pump, and the swing pump for rotating the main body in a main body swing and no travel operation, wherein the first and second left travel valves are closed, the first and second right travel valves are closed, and the first and second swing valves are open in the third configuration;wherein pressurised fluids in each of the swing-travel hydraulic system and the implement hydraulic system are fluidly isolated from one another.

2\. (Previously Presented) The machine of claim 1 wherein the swing-travel valve system is configured to:selectively fluidly connect the at least one left travel motor to the swing-travel pump arrangement in the first closed loop travel circuit; and
selectively fluidly connect the at least one right travel motor to the swing-travel pump arrangement in the second closed loop travel circuit.

3\. (Canceled)

4\. (Currently Amended) The machine of claim \[\[2\]\] 1 wherein the swing-travel valve system is configured to selectively fluidly connect the at least one left travel motor to the first travel pump in the first closed loop travel circuit and selectively fluidly connect the at least one right travel motor to the second travel pump in the second closed loop travel circuit.

5\. (Original) The machine of claim 4 wherein the swing-travel valve system is configured to selectively fluidly connect the first and second closed loop travel circuits for driving in a straight direction and fluidly isolate the first and second closed loop travel circuits for steering the machine whilst driving.

6\. (Previously Presented) The machine of claim 1 wherein the swing-travel valve system is configured to fluidly isolate the closed loop swing and travel circuits from each other such that the swing motor arrangement is controllable independently of the travel motor arrangement.

7\. (Canceled)

8\. (Currently Amended) The machine of claim \[\[7\]\] 1 wherein the swing-travel valve system is configured to selectively fluidly connect the swing pump to the swing motor arrangement in fluid isolation to the first and second travel pumps.

9\. (Previously Presented) The machine of claim 1, the implement hydraulic system comprising:at least one implement actuator;
an implement pump arrangement; and
an implement valve system configured to connect the implement pump arrangement to the at least one implement actuator in an open loop circuit.

10\. (Canceled)

11\. (Previously Presented) The machine of claim 1 wherein:the travel motor arrangement is mounted to the chassis;
the swing-travel pump arrangement and swing-travel valve system are mounted to the main body; and
the travel motor arrangement is fluidly connected to the swing-travel valve system through the swing system.

12\. (Currently Amended) A method of operating a machine, the machine comprising:a main body mounted to a chassis;
at least one implement, and an implement hydraulic system for operating the at least one implement;
a swing system for rotating the main body relative to the chassis;
a travel system for driving the machine across a terrain; and
a swing-travel hydraulic system comprising:
a swing-travel pump arrangement including a swing pump, a first travel pump, and a second travel pump coupled to a rotatable drive member, wherein the rotatable drive member is rotatable to operate all of the swing pump, first travel pump, and second travel pum;

a closed loop swing circuit including the swing pump and a swing motor arrangement operably mounted to the swing system for rotating the main body;
a closed loop travel circuit including a travel motor arrangement operably mounted to the travel system for driving the machine, the travel motor arrangement including at least one left travel motor and at least one right travel motor, the at least one left travel motor and the first travel pump forming a first closed loop travel circuit, the at least one right travel motor and the second travel pump forming a second closed loop travel circuit; and
a swing-travel valve system including a first swing valve disposed upstream of the swing pump, a second swing valve disposed downstream of the swing pump, a first left travel valve disposed upstream of the first travel pump, a second left travel valve disposed downstream of the first travel pump, a first right travel valve disposed upstream of the second travel pump, and a second right travel valve disposed downstream of the second travel pump,
wherein the method comprises:operating the swing-travel valve system to place the swing\-travel valve system in a first configuration that fluidly connects the swing motor arrangement to the swing pump of the closed loop swing circuit, wherein the first and second swing valves are open in the first configuration, and operating the swing pump to selectively direct hydraulic fluid around the closed loop swing circuit to operate the swing system to rotate the main body about the chassis in a main body swing operation;
operating the swing-travel valve system to place the swing\-travel valve system in a second configuration that fluidly connects the travel motor arrangement to at least one of the first and second travel pumps of the closed loop travel circuit1 wherein the first and second left travel valves and/or the first and second right travel valves are open in the second configuration, and selectively operating the at least one of the first and second travel pumps to direct hydraulic fluid around the closed loop travel circuit to operate the travel system to drive the machine across a terrain in a machine travel operation; and operating the swing\-travel valve system to place the swing\-travel valve system in a third configuration that simultaneously fluidly connects the swing motor arrangement of the closed loop swing circuit to the first travel pump, the second travel pump, and the swing pump for rotating the main body in a main body swing and no travel operation, wherein the first and second left travel valves are closed, the first and second right travel valves are closed, and the first and second swing valves are open in the third configuration;

wherein during operation pressurised fluids in each of the swing-travel hydraulic system and the implement hydraulic system are fluidly isolated from one another.

13\. (Previously Presented) The method of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises:operating the swing-travel valve system to selectively fluidly connect the at least one left travel motor to the swing-travel pump arrangement in the first closed loop travel circuit and operating the swing-travel pump arrangement to direct hydraulic fluid around the first closed loop travel circuit to drive the machine across a terrain in a right direction of travel; and
operating the swing-travel valve system to selectively fluidly connect the at least one right travel motor to the swing-travel pump arrangement in the second closed loop travel circuit and operating the swing-travel pump arrangement to direct hydraulic fluid around the second closed loop travel circuit to drive the machine across a terrain in a left direction of travel.

14\. (Previously Presented) The method of claim 12 comprising operating the swing-travel valve system to fluidly isolate the closed loop swing and travel circuits from each other and thereby operate the swing motor arrangement independently of the travel motor arrangement.

15\. (Previously Presented) The method of claim 12 wherein the implement hydraulic system further comprises:at least one implement actuator;
an implement pump arrangement; and
an implement valve system,
wherein the method further comprises operating the implement valve system to fluidly connect the implement pump arrangement to the at least one implement actuator in an open loop circuit.

OFFICE ACTION:
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks, filed 11/25/2025, with respect to U.S.C. 103 rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive.  The rejections of the office action dated 09/16/2025 have been withdrawn.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, 11-15 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art does not disclose nor render obvious the machine or method including the articulated implement system, closed loop swing circuit, closed loop travel circuit, a swing-travel valve system, with the specified valve configuration and operation with the interconnections of the various circuits, etc. as claimed in claim 1 and 12.
The dependent claims are allowed because they depend from an allowed base claim.
While the prior art discloses various configurations of closed loop circuits for implements, travel, and swing operations, etc., the articulated swing-travel valve system including its operating configurations appear to be novel and non-obvious. The specification states that the claimed invention enables increased flexibility in terms of the pumps to operate the swing function selectively each time to produce even wear across them.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKS
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, and 11-15 are pending. Claim 7 is canceled herein. Claims 3 and 10 were previously canceled.
Interview Summary
Applicant thanks Examiner Nguyen for the time and attention given to this matter during the telephonic interview conducted on November 5, 2025. During the interview, the Examiner, Jonathan Urbanek, and Jacqueline Thompson discussed proposed amendments to claim 1 with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103. As agreed during the interview, amended claim 1 presented herein overcomes the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103 although further search and consideration would be required. Claim 1 is revised to recite
"a third confi
g
uration that simultaneously
fluidly connects the swing motor arrangement
of the closed loo
p
swin
g
circuit
to the first travel pump" to make the claim easier to read.
Claim 12 is amended similarly to claim 1. Applicant respectfully submits that claim 12 likewise overcomes the rejections.
Claim Re
j
ections 35 USC
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 11, 12, 13, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knussman (US 8943819) ("Knussman").
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knussman in view of Asakage (US 2006/0266029) ("Asakage").
Claims 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Knussman in view of Asakage and Wetzel (US 2004/0060747) ("Wetzel").
Applicant respectfully traverses these rejections. As discussed during the examiner interview, the amendments to claim 1 overcome the art rejections. Independent claim 12 is amended to incorporate amendments similar to those made to claim 1. Accordingly, Applicant submits that claims 1 and 12 and the claims that depend therefrom are allowable.
Conclusion