DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on December 7, 2023.
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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 16, 20, 26-27 and 30 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 16, line 6: "the result" lacks antecedent basis and should be --a result--.
Claim 20, line 1: "the locking unit" should be --the locking element--.
Claim 26, line 2: the examiner suggests changing "this slide" to --the slide-- or --said slide--.
Claim 27, line 3: "the movement" lacks antecedent basis and should either be --a movement-- or --movement--.
Claim 30, line 1: "a seat arrangement" should be --the seat arrangement--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 16-17, 19-20 and 27-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Line, et al. (US-20210078510-A1).
With respect to Claim 16:
Line discloses a plug-in unit for a plug-in connector, comprising:
a housing 34,
a plug 58 with a number of plug-in contacts (Figs. 4-5),
a triggering unit 70 which is mounted movably on the housing 34 (Fig. 5; [0060]), and
a drive unit 62/66, the triggering unit 70 unblocking or releasing the drive unit 62/66 upon triggering ([0066]), with a result that the plug 58, driven by the drive unit 62/66, is movable relative to the housing 34 from a rest position into a plug-in position (Figs. 4-7).
With respect to Claim 17:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plug-in unit is configured as a mounting module (Figs. 4-5: the plug-in unit is a module that is mounted on a track 18).
With respect to Claim 19:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the triggering unit 70 comprises at least one movable locking element 206 which, in a first position, blocks the drive unit and holds the plug in the rest position and, in a second position, unblocks the drive unit, to adjust the plug out of the rest position into the plug-in position (Figs. 5 and 7; [0039], [0060]: when the actuator 70 is engaged, the tab 206 moves into a locked position, shown in Fig. 7, which prevents the actuation member 62 from moving).
With respect to Claim 20:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 19, the locking element 206 being mounted on the housing 34 pivotably about a pivot axis or linearly movably (Figs. 5 and 7; [0060]).
With respect to Claim 27:
Line discloses a plug-in connector, comprising the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 16 and a socket 30 which is complementary with respect to the plug-in unit, the plug making contact automatically with the socket during a movement into the plug-in position (Figs. 4-7; [0067]).
With respect to Claim 28:
Line discloses a seat arrangement with at least one seat, a seat group and/or a seat bench, the seat, the seat group or the seat bench each comprising at least one of the plug-in units as claimed in claim 16 (Figs. 1-2; [0016]).
With respect to Claim 29:
Line discloses the seat arrangement as claimed in claim 28, the seat, the seat group or the seat bench comprising in each case of the two plug-in units which are mounted in such a way that the seat, the seat group or the seat bench is mountable in each case in different orientations and is couplable by one of the plug-in units to a complementary socket (Figs. 1-2).
With respect to Claim 30:
Line discloses a vehicle with the seat arrangement as claimed in claim 28 (Figs. 1-2; [0039]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 18 and 21-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Line, et al. (US-20210078510-A1) in view of Medved, et al. (WO-2023105424-A1).
With respect to Claim 18:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 16, the triggering unit 70 being mounted pivotably at an end of the housing 34 (Fig. 5; [0060]).
Line does not explicitly disclose wherein the triggering unit is mounted pivotably at an upper end of the housing.
However, Medved teaches a device for automatically connecting and disconnecting an electrical plug of a vehicle seat, wherein a plug-in connector 5 comprises a locking cam 8 (triggering unit) that is mounted pivotably at an upper end of a housing 7 of the connector (Figs. 3 and 7-10).
Thus, Line and Medved each disclose plug-in connectors for removable vehicle seats. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the locking cam of Medved could be combined with the actuator of Line because it would reduce the amount of space required by the original actuator design. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 21:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 19.
Line does not explicitly disclose wherein the locking element is configured as an unlocking eccentric cam or as a locking pin.
However, Medved teaches a device for automatically connecting and disconnecting an electrical plug of a vehicle seat, wherein a locking element 8 is configured as a locking/unlocking eccentric cam (Figs. 3 and 7-10).
Thus, Line and Medved each disclose plug-in connectors for removable vehicle seats. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the locking cam of Medved could be combined with the locking tab of Line because it would reduce the amount of space required by the original actuator/tab design. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 22:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 19.
Line does not explicitly disclose wherein the locking element is fixable in a predefined rotary angle position by a spring.
However, Medved teaches a device for automatically connecting and disconnecting an electrical plug of a vehicle seat, wherein a locking element 8 is fixable in a predefined rotary angle position by a spring 18 ([0060]; Figs. 7-10).
Thus, Line and Medved each disclose plug-in connectors for removable vehicle seats. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the locking cam and spring combination of Medved could be combined with the locking tab of Line because it would reduce the amount of space required by the original actuator/tab design. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 23:
Line discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 19.
Line does not explicitly disclose wherein the locking element comprises a blocking portion which, in the first position of the locking element, engages in a blocking manner into a blocking opening of a slide.
However, Medved teaches a device for automatically connecting and disconnecting an electrical plug of a vehicle seat, wherein a locking element 8 comprises a blocking portion (Figs. 3 and 7-10: the portion of 8 which engages with locking surface 9; [0047]) which, in the first position of the locking element, engages in a blocking manner into a blocking opening 22 of a slide (the slide being the body of plug 5: Figs. 3-5; [0047]).
Thus, Line and Medved each disclose plug-in connectors for removable vehicle seats. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the blocking portion of Medved could be combined with the actuator and locking tab of Line because it would reduce the amount of space required by the original actuator/tab design and achieve the same goal of limiting movement of the drive unit and the triggering unit. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the modification.
With respect to Claim 24:
Line in view of Medved discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 23.
Medved also discloses wherein the slide is movement-coupled to the drive unit 14 (Fig. 5; [0050]).
With respect to Claim 25:
Line in view of Medved discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 23.
Medved also discloses wherein the slide is mounted and guided movably in the housing (Figs. 3-5; [0047]-[0048]).
With respect to Claim 26:
Line in view of Medved discloses the plug-in unit as claimed in claim 25.
Medved also discloses wherein the plug 5 is supported on the slide or is held by the latter and being mounted and guided movably in the housing by way of the slide (Figs. 3-5; [0047]-[0048]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amara Anderson whose telephone number is (703)756-1470. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:00 EST..
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/AMARA ANDERSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831