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 .
Claims 1-14 are pending.
Claims 1-14 have been examined.
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)(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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matson (US 4946222).
As concerns claim 1, Matson discloses a massage device comprising: a main frame (Matson, fig. 2: 11) for supporting at least a region of a user's body; a base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) disposed under the main frame (Matson, fig. 2: 11) to support the main frame (Matson, fig. 2: 11); a tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) disposed between the main frame (Matson, fig. 2: 11) and the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) in such a way as to be connected to tilting shafts (Matson, fig. 3: 38, 45) provided at the front of the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) and extending in a lateral direction (Matson, column 4, lines 17-22); and a tilting means (Matson, fig. 3: 56) disposed between the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) and the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) to tilt the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) around the tilting shafts (Matson, fig. 3: 38, 45).
As concerns claim 2, Matson discloses wherein the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) comprises first base frames (Matson, fig. 3: 23, 24) disposed on the front side thereof in such a way as to extend in a first direction (Matson, in fig. 2 the base frame is shown extending in a first upward direction), and the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) comprises first tilting frames (Matson, fig. 3: 36, 43) disposed on the front side thereof in such a way as to extend in a second direction (Matson, fig. 1 is showing the chair in a down direction), so that at least portions of the upper portions and lower portions of the first tilting frames (Matson, fig. 3: 36, 43) are tiltably connected to upper end portions of the first base frames (Matson, fig. 3: 23, 24) by means of the tilting shafts (Matson, fig. 3: 38, 45).
As concerns claim 3, Matson discloses wherein the first direction (Matson, fig. 2 the base frame is shown extending in a first upward direction) is an upward direction from the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15), and the second direction (Matson, the tilting frame 43 extends in a second downward direction in fig. 2) is a downward direction from the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10).
As concerns claim 4, Matson discloses wherein the tilting shafts (Matson, fig. 3: 38, 45) are located on the upper end portions of the first base frames (Matson, fig. 3: 23, 24) in such a way as to extend in the lateral direction (Matson, column 4, lines 17-22).
As concerns claim 5, Matson discloses wherein the tilting means (Matson, fig. 3: 56) has one end connected to the front side of the base frame (Matson, fig. 2: 15) and the other end connected to the rear side of the tilting frame (Matson, figs. 2 and 3: at 59, 60).
As concerns claim 6, Matson discloses wherein the tilting means (Matson, fig. 3: 56) is adjusted in the length between one end and the other end thereof to tilt the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) around the tilting shafts (Matson, fig. 3: 38, 45).
As concerns claim 7, Matson discloses wherein the tilting frame (Matson, fig. 2: 10) comprises second tilting frame (Matson, figs. 2, 3: 59, 60) disposed on the rear side thereof in such a way as to extend in the second direction (Matson, the tilting frame 43 extends in a second downward direction in fig. 2) and reinforcing tilting frames (Matson, fig. 3: 25, 26, 35) for connecting the first tilting frames (Matson, fig. 3: 36, 43) and the second tilting frames (Matson, fig. 3: 63).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8-14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art Matson fails to teach wherein the reinforcing tilting frames comprise first reinforcing tilting frames disposed on one side of the first tilting frames, second reinforcing tilting frames disposed on one side of the second tilting frames, and third reinforcing tilting frames disposed between the first reinforcing tilting frames and the second reinforcing tilting frames.
Further, there is no teaching, suggestion or motivation to modify the prior art absent hindsight.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA K THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-3620. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-5:00 ET.
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JESSICA K THOMPSON
Examiner
Art Unit 3636
/TIMOTHY J BRINDLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636