DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Status of the Application
Claims 1-10 are pending and have been examined in this application. This communication is the first action on the merits. As of the date of this application, the Information Disclosure Statement(s) (IDS) filed on 09/21/2023, 03/24/2025, 04/07/2025, and 07/15/2025 has/have been taken into account.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Su (US 2019/0290008).
In regards to Claim 1, Su discloses an interior component for a conveyance having a design surface, comprising: a base material (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-9; 3); and a skin material (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-9; 4, 5) covering the base material, wherein the skin material includes a linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-7, 9-10; 5) at an end portion of the skin material, and the linear locking member is attached at a position that is not visible from a design surface side of the base material (Su: Fig. 8).
In regards to Claim 2, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 1, wherein the linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-7, 9-10; 5) is formed in a rod shape or an elongated plate shape.
In regards to Claim 3, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the linear locking members (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-7, 9-10; 5) are provided, and the linear locking member includes a first linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - upper) attached to a first terminal portion of the base material, and a second linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - lower) attached to a second terminal portion of the base material, the second terminal portion being located opposite to the first terminal portion.
In regards to Claim 4, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 3, wherein the first linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - upper) and the second linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - lower) are disposed to be separated from each other as the first linear locking member and the second linear locking member extend from an end portion toward a center of the base material.
In regards to Claim 5, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 3, wherein the first linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - upper) is attached to the first terminal portion on an upper side of the base material, the second linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - lower) is attached to the second terminal portion on a lower side of the base material, and the second linear locking member is longer than the first linear locking member (Su: Fig. 2).
In regards to Claim 7, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 1, wherein the base material (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-9; 3) includes an engaging portion (Su: Fig. 3, 5-7; 32) that engages with the linear locking member on a back side of a terminal portion.
In regards to Claim 8, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 7, wherein the base material includes a point-shaped locking portion (Su: Annotated Fig. 6; L) that locks the skin material (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-9; 4, 5) on the back side of the terminal portion in addition to the engaging portion (Su: [0031] – indicated portion grips the skin material).
In regards to Claim 9, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 7, wherein a through-hole (Su: Fig. 6-7; 50) is formed in the vicinity of the terminal portion of the skin material, the engaging portion (Su: Fig. 3, 5-7; 32) includes a hook portion that is hooked onto the linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-7, 9-10; 5), and the linear locking member is attached to the base material by being hooked onto the hook portion inserted into the through-hole (Su: Fig. 7).
In regards to Claim 10, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 7, wherein the engaging portion (Su: Fig. 3, 5-7; 32) includes a locking claw that locks the linear locking member, the linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1, 3, 6-7, 9-10; 5) is formed in an elongated plate shape, and the linear locking member is attached to the base material by being disposed on a back surface side of the base material and by engaging with the locking claw (Su: Fig. 7).
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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Su (US 2019/0290008) in view of Hobl et al. (US 2011/0049948).
In regards to Claim 6, Su discloses the interior component for a conveyance according to claim 3, wherein the first linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - upper) is attached to the first terminal portion on an upper side of the base material, and the second linear locking member (Su: Fig. 1; 5 - upper) is attached to the second terminal portion on a lower side of the base material.
Su fails to explicitly disclose a skin material has a design line between the first linear locking member and the second linear locking member. However, Hobl teaches a skin material that has a design line (Hobl: Fig. 1-2; 22) between a first end and a second end.
Su and Hobl are analogous because they are from the same field of endeavor or a similar problem solving area e.g. mounting brackets; and securing coverings to furniture. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the skin in Su with the design line from Hobl, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a decorative feature for the skin material, thereby further enhancing the aesthetic appearance (Hobl: [0016]).
Annotated Figures
PNG
media_image1.png
658
490
media_image1.png
Greyscale
I: Su; Fig. 6
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 for cited references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Taylor Morris whose telephone number is (571)272-6367. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 10AM-6PM PST / 1PM-9PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Liu can be reached at (571) 272-8227. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Taylor Morris/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631