Appeal No. 2000-0402
Application 08/720,399
Representative independent claim 1 is reproduced as follows:
1. A system for producing production control software for a plurality of electronic control
modules, the electronic control modules being located on earthmoving machines for controlling
machine operation, each machine having a subset of the electronic control modules, comprising:
a part file staging area for receiving and storing new production control software from a
design engineering group;
a product engineering workstation coupled to the part filed staging area, the product
engineering workstation operated by a product engineering user, the product engineering user
being able to review, modify and approve the new production control software, the product
engineering workstation being adapted to produce approved production control software;
a production staging area coupled to the product engineering workstation for receiving
and storing approved production control software and for receiving an order for production of
an earthmoving machine;
a production workstation coupled to the production staging area for receiving the order,
determining the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered earthmoving
machine, and retrieving approved production control software corresponding to the subset of
electronic control modules located on the ordered machine, the production workstation being
coupled to the ordered machine and adapted to download the production control software from
the production staging area to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered
machine.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Beasley et al. (Beasley) 4,827,423 May 2, 1989
Oba et al. (Oba) 5,241,465 Aug. 31, 1993
Moore-McKee et al. (Moore-McKee) 5,648,898 July 15, 1997
(filed Dec. 19, 1994)
Claims 1-29 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103. As evidence of obviousness, the
examiner cites Oba, Beasley and Moore-McKee.
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