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 .
General Remarks
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/26/2026 have been fully considered. In regards to concerns raised regarding “rotationally asymmetrical cross section of the profiled shaft”, at this time, it appears to be a typo-graphical and/or direct translation issue, and will be treated as such, insofar as, the specification supports a generic profiled shaft, and shows a rectangular/square shaft with chamfered corners, which ARE rotationally symmetric. Should scope being sought outside of that, it would appear to create concerns under 112a/b and create drawing objections.
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, 2, 4, 9-15,16, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hann, Mark (CA 2475193).
Re claims 1, 14, 15. Hann discloses an armrest arrangement for a vehicle seat structure a supporting structure (see frame, see para 27) fixed to the vehicle in a mounted state and having a profiled shaft (70) fixed to the vehicle in a mounted state; a bearing device (14 assembly); an armrest body having a carrier structure (30), the armrest body being mounted by the bearing device on the profiled shaft so as to be pivotably movable relative to the supporting structure about a longitudinal axis of the profiled shaft between a resting position and a supporting position, the carrier structure being held on the bearing device so as to be pivotably movable about the longitudinal axis, the profiled shaft having a free end portion ,and the bearing device is axially positioned on the free end portion such that the bearing device is positively connected to the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis (figs 2,3).
RE claim 2. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing device is premounted on the armrest body, and in a premounted state the bearing device together with the armrest body is positioned on the free end portion or is removable from the free end portion (figs 2,3). Further, it is noted, ‘premounted’ is construed as a product-by-process limitation, and as such the end product is met, thus meeting the scope of the claim.
RE 4. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing device has at least one bearing piece positively positioned on the free end portion of the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis, and the carrier structure has for the at least one bearing piece a bearing opening, the bearing opening receiving the at least one bearing piece so as to be rotatably movable relative to the carrier structure (figs 1,3).
RE 9. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the armrest arrangement has a friction ring (32) clamped along the longitudinal axis between the carrier structure and the bearing device.
RE 10. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the armrest arrangement includes a fastening device (82,84, OR 44, 46) and a resiliently deformable (32) compensating device for compensating for axial play between the bearing device and the carrier structure, the fastening device for releasably holding the bearing device on the profiled shaft and/or on the carrier structure.
RE 11. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the bearing device is held axially and radially on the profiled shaft by the compensating device (figs 2,3).
RE 12. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the profiled shaft has a cross section and the bearing device has a receiving opening having a shape complementary to the cross section of the profiled shaft, the free end portion of the profiled shaft being inserted into the receiving opening along the longitudinal axis to connect the bearing device positively to the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis (figs 2,3).
RE 13. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing device has a bearing piece (32), the bearing piece having an integral pretensioning portion deformable by the profiled shaft for compensating for axial play between the profiled shaft and the bearing device by generating an axial pretensioning force (see fig 3, as the post pushes or pulls the bearing assembly, ring 32 is able to flex, thus meeting the scope of the claim.
RE 16. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one bearing piece is sleeve-shaped (figs 1-3), and the at least one bearing piece has a radially protruding (48 or 62) shoulder forming an axial stop for the carrier structure.
RE 19. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free end portion of the shaft has a non-circular cross-section (fig 1).
Re 20. The armrest arrangement as claimed in The armrest arrangement as claimed in wherein the free end portion of the shaft has a polygonal cross- section (fig 1).
Claim(s) 1, 3-8, 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by KR 100350352 hereafter ‘352.
Re claims 1, 14, 15, . ‘352 discloses an armrest arrangement for a vehicle seat structure a supporting structure (F) fixed to the vehicle in a mounted state and having a profiled shaft (35) fixed to the vehicle in a mounted state; a bearing device (30,40,50,36 assembly); an armrest body having a carrier structure (20), the armrest body being mounted by the bearing device on the profiled shaft so as to be pivotably movable relative to the supporting structure about a longitudinal axis of the profiled shaft between a resting position and a supporting position, the carrier structure being held on the bearing device so as to be pivotably movable about the longitudinal axis, the profiled shaft having a free end portion ,and the bearing device is axially positioned on the free end portion such that the bearing device is positively connected to the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis (at least fig 3).
Re 3. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing device has a rotary stop element (32) positively positioned on the free end portion of the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis, and the armrest body has a stop device (23), the stop device being adjustable relative to the carrier structure, and the stop device bears against the rotary stop element in the supporting position.
RE 4,16. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing device has at least one bearing piece (fig 3) positively positioned on the free end portion of the profiled shaft about the longitudinal axis, and the carrier structure has for the at least one bearing piece a bearing opening (fig 3), the bearing opening receiving the at least one bearing piece so as to be rotatably movable relative to the carrier structure (all figs).
RE 5. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one bearing piece comprises two bearing pieces and the bearing device includes a rotary stop element (32), the bearing pieces being disposed on respective opposite sides of the rotary stop element of the bearing device and being positively positioned on the free end portion of the profiled shaft so as to be fixed in terms of rotation (see at least fig 3).
Re 6. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 4, further including a fastening device (36 and/or 50), wherein the bearing device is releasably held on the carrier structure axially and radially relative to the longitudinal axis by the fastening device of the armrest arrangement and/or the bearing device is releasably held axially on the profiled shaft by the fastening device (at least fig 3).
Re 7. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fastening device has a resiliently deformable pretensioning element, the pretensioning element having an engagement portion, the engagement portion being resiliently deflectable transversely relative to the longitudinal axis, the free end portion has an engagement contour and the engagement portion of the pretensioning element engages in the engagement contour in order to hold the bearing device releasably on the profiled shaft along the longitudinal axis (36,50).
Re 8. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the profiled shaft has a profile interior accessible on a front face along the longitudinal axis (fig 3).
RE 16. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bearing piece is sleeve-shaped and has a shoulder that forms an axial stop, see all figs.
RE 17. The armrest arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of the bearing pieces and/or the rotary stop element has a positioning aid for orienting the at least one bearing piece and the rotary stop element relative to one another (at least fig 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joshua J Michener whose telephone number is (571)272-1467. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4pm EST.
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JOSHUA J. MICHENER
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3642
/JOSHUA J MICHENER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3642
Prosecution Insights