Prior art — US Patent 9321386

The US patent 9321386 (Low profile compact tool carriers) is currently active, filed on April 21, 2015, and published on April 26, 2016. Its anticipated expiration date is April 21, 2035. The current assignee is Vermeer Manufacturing Co.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US patent 9321386

The following patent citations are considered relevant prior art, drawn from the "Citations" and "Family Cites Families" sections of the US9321386B1 patent document. Due to the extensive number of citations, a selection of the most relevant ones has been made based on their titles and abstracts, indicating direct applicability to the field of compact tool carriers, loaders, or related mechanisms.

1. US7980569B2

Full Citation: US7980569B2, "Platform assembly for use with working vehicle"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2007-02-15; Publication date: 2011-07-19
Brief Description: This patent describes a platform assembly for a working vehicle, which can include a telescoping arm assembly to position an operator platform. The platform can be stowed beneath the controls, allowing for conventional walk-behind operation. The loader can be controlled in a conventional, e.g., walk-behind, manner when the platform is stowed.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1: This patent describes a working vehicle with a platform assembly for standing operation and supports walk-behind operation by stowing the platform. It teaches a "control station having operator controls for propelling the compact tool carrier forward and for raising and lowering the loader, the control station being mounted toward the rear of the compact tool carrier and adapted to allow for standing or walk-behind operation." It also mentions a "loader" and an "arm assembly," which could anticipate the "loader having an arm" element of claim 1.
- Claim 15: Similar to Claim 1, this patent describes a working vehicle (analogous to a compact tool carrier) with a platform and controls for operation. While it doesn't explicitly detail "pivot points" relative to a "rotational axis D1" with specific distance ratios, the general concept of a loader, drive mechanism, and operator controls for standing or walk-behind operation could be seen as broadly similar, potentially anticipating the overarching system.

2. US20090116943A1

Full Citation: US20090116943A1, "Compact tracked vehicle for transporting and self-loading material, that can be operated by a standing operator"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2006-04-19; Publication date: 2009-05-07
Brief Description: This patent application describes a compact tracked vehicle designed for transporting and self-loading material, which is operable by a standing operator.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1: The title explicitly mentions a "compact tracked vehicle" and "operated by a standing operator," directly addressing the core elements of a compact tool carrier configured for standing operation with a drive mechanism (tracks). It likely includes a loader and controls for operation.
- Claim 15: Similar to Claim 1, the emphasis on a "compact tracked vehicle" for "standing operator" operation aligns with many aspects of Claim 15 regarding the type of machine and its control. Depending on the detailed disclosure, it could also potentially anticipate aspects of the mainframe, loader, drive mechanism, and control station.

3. US6695568B2

Full Citation: US6695568B2, "Low profile lift arm for small skid steer loader"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2001-11-01; Publication date: 2004-02-24
Brief Description: This patent details a low-profile lift arm specifically for a small skid steer loader. The term "low profile" in the title directly relates to a key inventive aspect of US9321386.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1: The patent explicitly mentions a "low profile lift arm" for a "small skid steer loader." While US9321386 specifically excludes "full size skid steers," a "small skid steer loader" might share characteristics with a compact tool carrier, particularly regarding loader arms and the concept of a low profile. This could potentially anticipate the "loader having an arm" and the general low-profile nature of the mainframe in the context of reducing the overall height for certain applications.
- Claim 15: The focus on a "low profile lift arm" is highly relevant to Claim 15's emphasis on a low-profile mainframe and pivot points being low relative to the rotational axis (distances D2, D3, D4 being less than 1.5 times D1). This prior art would be critical in assessing the novelty of the specific dimensional relationships claimed in US9321386B1. The concept of minimizing the mainframe height through arm design is directly addressed.

4. US5169278A

Full Citation: US5169278A, "Vertical lift loader boom"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 1990-09-05; Publication date: 1992-12-08
Brief Description: This patent describes a vertical lift loader boom, suggesting a loader mechanism designed to move a tool predominantly in a vertical path.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1: The description in US9321386 discusses an advantage of a "vertical travel path" for the loader. US5169278A's title explicitly refers to a "Vertical lift loader boom," which could anticipate the functionality of the loader's travel path as described in the specification of US9321386, even if the specific linkage and actuator arrangements differ.
- Claim 15: The concept of a vertical lift loader boom directly relates to the movement of the loader. While Claim 15 focuses on pivot point geometry, the underlying function of lifting a tool vertically, as achieved by the described linkages and actuators, could be anticipated or rendered obvious by prior art focused on vertical lift mechanisms.

5. US8821104B2

Full Citation: US8821104B2, "Loader work machine"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2008-06-26; Publication date: 2014-09-02
Brief Description: This patent generally describes a loader work machine. While broad, its recent publication date relative to US9321386 and its classification as a loader could indicate relevance.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1 & 15: As a general "loader work machine," this patent could potentially anticipate foundational elements of a compact tool carrier, loader, mainframe, and drive mechanism, depending on the specific details disclosed within its claims and specification. Further examination of its content would be necessary to determine the extent of its overlap with the specific features of claims 1 and 15, such as the engine bracket, pivot point arrangements, and low-profile dimensions.

Note: A comprehensive anticipation analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a detailed claim-by-claim comparison of all elements of claims 1 and 15 against the full disclosures of each cited prior art reference. The descriptions above provide an initial assessment based on the titles and abstracts, indicating areas of potential overlap.