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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on September 15, 2026 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Non-elected claims 10-21 remain withdrawn from further consideration.
Cancelled Claims
Applicant has cancelled claims 24 and 26-35.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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(s) 1, 2, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN217753537U in view of JP2819052B2.
The primary reference shows all claimed features of the instant invention with the exception of a traction element configured to be driven by rotation of the supporting leg from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards the base (claim 1); wherein the traction element is a flexible element (claim 2); wherein an inner top wall of the base is provided with a fixing column, and a first end of the traction element is fixed on the fixing column by a first fastener (claim 9).
In the primary reference, note a base assembly comprising: a base (1); a supporting leg (21); a sliding element (22) telescopically disposed (at 11) on the base, wherein the supporting leg is pivotally connected to the sliding element and extends and retracts together with the sliding element (see Figs. 4-5); wherein the supporting leg being in the unfolded position forms a ground-contact support for the base assembly.
The secondary reference teaches configuring a base assembly (see Figs. 9 and 11) as having a supporting leg (6-1) pivotally connected (by the top leaf and pivot pin) to a supporting element (bottom leaf of the hinge), and including a traction element (46, 48) configured to be driven by rotation of the supporting leg (6-1) from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards a base (4) of the base assembly; wherein the traction element is a flexible element (coil spring); wherein an inner top wall of the base is provided with a fixing column (42), and a first end of the traction element is fixed on the fixing column by a first fastener (see Figs. 9 and 11).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the primary reference in view of the teachings of the secondary reference by adding a traction element in the form of a spring and supporting member that is capable of driving by rotation of the supporting leg from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards the base (regarding claim 1); wherein the traction element is a coil spring (i.e. a flexible element) (regarding claim 2); and adding to an inner top wall of the base, a fixing column, and providing a first end of the traction element as fixed on the fixing column by a first fastener (regarding claim 9). This modification provides an assembly that enhances selective movement of the supporting leg to a folded position for storage or transport.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN217753537U in view of JP2819052B2, as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of DeMoss et al (US8720872).
The primary reference, as modified above, shows all claimed features of the instant invention with the exception of the flexible element being a steel wire, a cord, or a webbing.
The tertiary reference conventionally teaches configuring a coil spring (i.e. a flexible element) as being made of steel wire. See line 20 in col. 1.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to further modify the primary reference in view of the teachings of the tertiary reference by configuring the coil spring of steel wire. This modification provides a conventionally used configuration for a coil spring that is made with a durable, readily available material.
Claim(s) 23 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN217753537U in view of JP2819052B2 and CN111923795A.
The primary reference shows all claimed features of the instant invention with the exception of a seat rotatably disposed on a the base assembly, the seat having at least a forward position and a backward position (claim 23); a traction element configured to be driven by rotation of the supporting leg from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards the base (claim 23); wherein after the supporting leg is folded at the bottom of the base, a lower surface of the supporting leg does not protrude from a bottom surface of the base (claim 25).
In the primary reference, note child safety seat for a vehicle (in the translation, see the title; line 1 of the abstract; and the first paragraph of the “Background”); a base assembly comprising: a base (1); a supporting leg (21); a sliding element (22) telescopically disposed (at 11) on the base, wherein the supporting leg is pivotally connected to the sliding element and extends and retracts together with the sliding element (see Figs. 4-5); wherein the child safety seat has a first use mode (Fig. 1) in which the sliding element extends outside and the supporting leg is unfolded to form a ground-contact support, and the child safety seat has a second use mode in which the sliding element retracts and the supporting leg is folded at a bottom of the base (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 25, note an accommodating groove (11) for accommodating the supporting leg is provided on the bottom of the base.
The secondary reference teaches configuring a base assembly (see Figs. 9 and 11) as having a supporting leg (6-1) pivotally connected (by the top leaf and pivot pin) to a supporting element (bottom leaf of the hinge), and including a traction element (46, 48) configured to be driven by rotation of the supporting leg (6-1) from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards a base (4) of the base assembly.
The tertiary reference conventionally teaches configuring a child safety seat as having a seat (1) rotatably disposed on a base assembly (2-5), wherein the seat has at least a forward position and a backward position. The base is formed with a groove (see Fig. 2 in the bottom thereof, wherein the groove receives a folded supporting leg (see Fig. 3) such that a lower surface of the supporting leg does not protrude from a bottom surface of the base. See Fig. 6.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the primary reference in view of the teachings of the secondary reference by adding a traction element in the form of a spring and supporting member that is capable of driving by rotation of the supporting leg from an unfolded position to a folded position to pull the supporting leg to move towards the base. This modification provides an assembly that enhances selective movement of the supporting leg to a folded position for storage or transport.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the primary reference in view of the teaching of the tertiary reference by configuring seat as rotatably disposed on the base assembly, wherein the seat has at least a forward position and a backward position, in order to selectively enhance positioning the seat relative to the base as desired. It would also have been obvious to form the groove of the base with a sufficient depth such that a lower surface of the supporting leg does not protrude from a bottom surface of the base when in the stored position. This modification enhances aesthetics and provides a more streamlined configuration.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 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.
Claim 22 is allowed.
Response to Amendment/Arguments
Applicant’s response filed September 24, 2026 has been fully considered. Remaining issues are described above.
Note new grounds or rejection as necessitated by amendment and/or newly discovered prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MILTON NELSON JR whose telephone number is (571)272-6861. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30am-1:30pm.
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.
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.
mn /MILTON NELSON JR/October 8, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
