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 with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combined teachings of the references to Park and Bouzid and Krimmer and Bouzid applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Drawings
The replacement drawing was received on 6 May 2026. The drawing is acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-8, 10, 12-16, 18-19 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by NO (KR 102209819), {machine translation, pp 3-4}.
Claim 1- NO discloses a push button (fig. 1), comprising:
a body portion (22a) comprising a proximal end (including button portion 23) contactable by a user, and a distal end (opposite the proximal end) comprising an elastomeric member (22b) operably coupled to the distal end of the body portion (“mounting groove” not shown, pg. 3) and arranged to engage a contact element of a structure (the elastomeric member 22b is arranged with a first elastic fixing part 22b-1 that contacts an inner surface of the guide cover 21, fig. 2);
wherein the push button is operably mountable to the structure (fig. 2) and movable in a first direction from a first position (this direction is outward from the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21), in which the push button locks an adjustable component (headrest pole, Abstract) to the structure, to a second position (this direction is inward toward the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21) in which the adjustable component is unlocked from the structure; and
wherein the elastomeric member (22b) is configured to provide a biasing force back towards the first position when the push button is moved towards the second position (pg. 4), and wherein the body portion (22a) is formed from a thermoplastic material (the body portion 22a is formed from a polyamide resin material, pg. 3).
Claim 2- NO discloses a push button according claim 1, wherein the elastomeric member (22b) is deformed by the contact element to provide the biasing force back towards the first position (pg. 4).
Claim 3- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, wherein the distal end includes a pair of support members spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction (fig. 1 shows that the distal end of the body portion 22a includes an opposing pair of mounting recesses for housing the second elastomeric fixing parts 22b-2 and includes a mounting groove not shown, that meet the limitation “support members”, pg. 3), and wherein the elastomeric member (22b) extends lengthwise between the support members so as to be deformed in a transverse direction to provide the biasing force.
Claim 4- NO discloses a push button according to claim 3, wherein the elastomeric member (22b) adjoins each support member at a connection zone (disclosed as a “mounting groove” not shown, pg. 3).
Claim 5- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, wherein the elastomeric member includes at least one projecting member (22b-1) extending away from the distal end along a lengthwise axis (fig. 1), and wherein the at least one projecting member is configured as to be elastically compressed along the lengthwise axis to provide the biasing force (pg. 3).
Claim 6- NO discloses a push button according to claim 5, wherein the elastomeric member includes a cylinder portion or a bellows portion (22b-1) arranged so that a central axis of the cylinder portion or the bellows portion provides the lengthwise axis (the closed-loop structure of the elastic fixing part 22b-1, which is compressible into itself, is capable of functioning as a bellows portion and thus meets the limitation).
Claim 7- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, wherein the elastomeric member in the first position is partially deformed (via fixing part 22b-1) to provide a preloaded biasing force (pg. 3).
Claim 8- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, further comprising at least one guide element (not designated, fig. 1, pg. 3), engageable with a respective mating portion (“groove formed at the inner edge”, pg. 3) provided on the structure (21) so as to constrain the push button to move linearly relative to the structure.
Claim 10- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, wherein the elastomeric member (22) comprises a material (pg. 4) including at least one of: a thermoplastic polyurethane, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a silicone rubber.
Claim 12- NO discloses an assembly (fig. 2) comprising a push button according to claim 1 moveably mounted therein, wherein the assembly is a headrest guide assembly (Abstract), a sleeve assembly, or a locking mechanism for a vehicle component.
Claim 13- NO discloses an assembly (fig. 2) according to claim 12, wherein the assembly is mounted to a vehicle structure (vehicle seat component), and wherein the adjustable component (headrest pole) is mounted to the vehicle structure to be movable relative to both the vehicle structure and the assembly (Claims, pg. 5).
Claims 14-16 - NO discloses an assembly according to claim 13, wherein the assembly is mounted to the adjustable component (headrest pole), and wherein the adjustable component, including the assembly, is mounted to the vehicle structure to be movable relative to the vehicle structure (Claims, pg. 5); wherein the vehicle structure is a vehicle seat; and wherein the adjustable component is a headrest.
Claim 18- NO discloses a push button (fig. 1), comprising:
a body portion (22a) comprising a proximal end (including button portion 23) contactable by a user, a distal end (opposite the proximal end); and
an elastomeric member (22b) operably coupled to the distal end of the body portion (“mounting groove” not shown, pg. 3) and arranged to engage a contact element of a structure (the elastomeric member 22b is arranged with a first elastic fixing part 22b-1 that contacts an inner surface of the guide cover 21, fig. 2);
wherein the push button is operably mountable to the structure (fig. 2) and movable in a first direction from a first position (this direction is outward from the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21), in which the push button locks an adjustable component (headrest pole, Abstract) to the structure, to a second position (this direction is inward toward the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21) in which the adjustable component is unlocked from the structure; and
wherein the elastomeric member includes at least one projecting member (22b-1) extending away from the distal end of the body portion along a lengthwise axis (fig. 1),
wherein the elastomeric member (22b) is configured to provide a biasing force back towards the first position when the push button is moved towards the second position (pg. 4), and
wherein the at least one projecting member is configured as to be elastically compressed along the lengthwise axis to provide the biasing force (pg. 3).
Claim 19- NO discloses a push button according to claim 18, wherein the elastomeric member includes a cylinder portion or a bellows portion (22b-1) arranged so that a central axis of the cylinder portion or the bellows portion provides the lengthwise axis (fig. 1, the closed-loop structure of the elastic fixing part 22b-1, which is compressible into itself, is capable of functioning as a bellows portion and thus meets the limitation).
Claim 21- NO discloses a push button (fig. 1), comprising:
a body portion (22a) comprising a proximal end (including button portion 23) contactable by a user, and a distal end (opposite the proximal end) comprising an elastomeric member (22b) operably coupled to the distal end of the body portion (“mounting groove” not shown, pg. 3) and arranged to engage a contact element of a structure (the elastomeric member 22b is arranged with a first elastic fixing part 22b-1 that contacts an inner surface of the guide cover 21, fig. 2);
wherein the push button is operably mountable to the structure (fig. 2) and movable in a first direction from a first position (this direction is outward from the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21), in which the push button locks an adjustable component (headrest pole, Abstract) to the structure, to a second position (this direction is inward toward the corresponding distal end of the guide cover 21) in which the adjustable component is unlocked from the structure; and
wherein the elastomeric member (22b) is configured to provide a biasing force back towards the first position when the push button is moved towards the second position (pg. 4), and
wherein the distal end includes a pair of support members spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction (fig. 1 shows that the distal end of the body portion 22a includes an opposing pair of mounting recesses for housing the second elastomeric fixing parts 22b-2, and includes a mounting groove not shown, that meet the limitation “support members”, pg. 3), and wherein the elastomeric member (22b) extends lengthwise between the support members so as to be deformed in a transverse direction to provide the biasing force.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NO (KR 10-2209819) in view of Park (KR 102190698).
Claim 9- NO discloses a push button according to claim 1, wherein the biasing force of the elastomeric member (22b) moves the push button back to the first position (pg. 3). NO does not teach the button further comprising a stop member configured to limit the push button at the first position when the biasing force moves the push button back to the first position.
Park teaches a push button comprising: a body portion (100) comprising a proximal end contactable by a user (via pressing protrusion 130), a distal end (see elements 200 & 300, fig. 4), an elastic member (300) operably coupled to the distal end and arranged to engage a contact element of a structure (fig. 8 shows the surface of the structure contacting the engaged elastic member 300); and further comprising a stop member (including a notch and detent formation, figs. 6-8) configured to limit the push button at the first position when the biasing force moves the push button back to the first position (figs. 6-7 show the underside of Park’s button body portion includes a central detent adjacent the proximal end, and fig. 8 shows the contacting element has a “floor” that includes a central notch formed therein to limit the button movement).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the push button of NO with a stop member, as taught by Park, in order to provide an effective position limit for the first position.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 17 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/T.A./Examiner, Art Unit 3636
/DAVID R DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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