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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because the written description is replete with inconsistent terminology and reference character designation errors, occurring in the following paragraphs listed:
in ¶ [0034], “seat body” is repeatedly designated “1” instead of “100”;
in ¶ [0040], “third connecting piece 10” is repeatedly designated “third connecting rod 10”;
in ¶ [0043], “locking member” is repeatedly designated “locking element”;
in ¶ [0044], “operating portion 2b” is designated “2a”; and
in ¶ [0044], [0046], “elastic element” is repeatedly designated “elastic member”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because it refers back to a canceled claim, claim 10. See MPEP § 608.01(n). For examination purposes, the claim has been further treated on the merits as a dependent of claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION. —The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the rotating shaft" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shen (CN 204978312 U).
Claim 1- Shen discloses a child safety seat, comprising: a seat body (2); and a connector (comprising rotating tube 7) connected to the seat body for connecting to a vehicle seat (figs. 1-2), the child safety seat having a forward usage state (fig. 1) and a reverse usage state (fig. 5);
wherein the connector is movably arranged on the seat body (about shaft 8), and the connector is configured to protrude forward (fig. 5) or rearward (fig. 1) relative to the seat body (2) to connect to the vehicle seat (1), and a relative movement between the seat body and the connector enables the child safety seat to switch between the forward usage state and the reverse usage state for installation.
Claim 9- Shen discloses the child safety seat according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the child safety seat in the forward usage state (fig. 1) or the reverse usage state (fig. 5), the locking mechanism comprises a locking member (fixing pin 6) movable arranged on one of the seat body and the connector (the fixing pin 6 on the connector frame 7 is removably insertable with one of the pin holes shown, fig. 1-2), a first locking slot (defined by the pin hole formed in bracket 3) and a second locking slot (defined by the pin hole formed in bracket 9) that are arranged on the other one of the seat body (the brackets 3, 9 are disposed on the seat body 2) and the connector respectively on two opposite sides (front and rear) of a rotating shaft (8) and fitted to insert or separate from the locking member (figs. 2-6), and when the locking member (6) is inserted into any one of the first locking slot and the second locking slot, the locking mechanism locks the safety seat in the forward usage state (fig. 2) or the reverse usage state (fig. 5); when the locking member is separated from both the first locking slot and the second locking slot, the locking mechanism is unlocked.
Claim(s) 1 and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shen (CN 104890542 A).
Claim 1- Shen discloses a child safety seat, comprising:
a seat body (2);
and a connector (shown best in figs. 13-14) connected to the seat body (via rotation shaft 5) for connecting to a vehicle seat (figs. 1-3), the child safety seat having a forward usage state (figs. 1-2) and a reverse usage state (fig. 3), wherein the connector is movably arranged on the seat body (about rotation shaft 5, figs. 13-14), and the connector is configured to protrude forward or rearward relative to the seat body to connect to the vehicle seat (figs. 2-3), and a relative movement between the seat body and the connector enables the child safety seat to switch between the forward usage state and the reverse usage state for installation.
Claim 14- Shen discloses the child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein two connectors (8) are symmetrically provided on left and right sides of the seat body (shown in fig. 1), and the connector on each side comprises a connector body (figs. 10, 13) rotatably connected (by a rotation shaft 5) to a bottom of the seat body (2) and a third connecting piece (7) fixedly arranged on the connector body (fig. 13), the connector body comprises a connecting frame (8) that is rotatably connected to the bottom of the seat body and a joint (10) that is slidably connected to the connecting frame along front-rear direction of the seat body (the joint 10 is telescopically connected with the frame 8) and is used for connecting to the vehicle seat (figs. 2-3), the joint is configured to extend from one end portion of the connecting frame out of the connecting frame to connect to the vehicle seat (the end portion is shown best in figs. 13-14), and the length of the joint extending from the connecting frame is adjustable (by telescopic movement), the third connecting piece (7) is fixedly arranged on the connecting frame, and the third connecting piece is configured to be connected to or separated from the front or rear of the seat body (figs. 2-3).
Claim 15- Shen child safety seat according to claim 14, wherein the joint (10) has an opening (shown best in figs. 13-14) for connecting an ISOFIX interface on the vehicle seat (1), and when the child safety seat is in the forward usage state (fig. 2) or the reverse usage state (fig. 3), the opening faces opposite to a forward moving direction of a vehicle (in both states of the seat, the joint (10) opening faces rearwardly to connect to the vehicle seat).
Claim 16- Shen child safety seat according to claim 15, the joint (10) is further provided with a movable locking hook portion (11) within an opening (shown best in figs. 13-14) for coordinating and connecting to the vehicle seat (figs. 2-3), and the movable locking hook portion is configured to be folded or extended (i.e., open/released position or closed/locked position) relative to an upper side wall of the opening (while a detailed hook structure is not explicitly shown, a rotatable hook is considered an inherent component of the child seat LATCH assembly shown).
Claim 17- Shen the joint (10) further extends forward or rearward relative to the seat body (2) to connect to the vehicle seat, and when the child safety seat is in the forward usage state (fig. 2), the joint extends rearward relative to the seat body to connect to the vehicle seat (1); when the child safety seat is in the reverse usage state (fig. 3), the joint extends forward relative to the seat body to connect to the vehicle seat (1).
Claim 18- Shen when the child safety seat is in the forward usage state (fig. 2), the connector extends rearward relative to the seat body to connect to the vehicle seat (1); when the safety seat is in the reverse usage state (fig. 3), the connector extends forward relative to the seat body (2) to connect to the vehicle seat (1).
Claim(s) 1, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baloga (US 6209957 B1).
Claim 1- Baloga discloses a child safety seat (figs. 11-12), comprising: a seat body (150); and a connector (34, 38) connected to the seat body for connecting to a vehicle seat (fig. 1), the child safety seat having a forward usage state (fig. 11) and a reverse usage state (fig. 12);
wherein the connector is movably arranged on the seat body (about connector anchorage 152), and the connector is configured to protrude forward (fig. 12) or rearward (fig. 11) relative to the seat body (150) to connect to the vehicle seat (at anchor unit 18), and a relative movement between the seat body and the connector enables the child safety seat to switch between the forward usage state and the reverse usage state for installation.
Claim 19- Baloga discloses the child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein a lower surface of the seat body has a first support surface (substantially parallel with the second strap guide 158) that extends horizontally when the child safety seat is in the forward usage state (fig. 11), and when the child safety seat is in the forward usage state, the child safety seat is in a sitting-posture state; and wherein a rear surface of the seat body has a second support surface (substantially parallel with the first strap guide 154) that extends horizontally when the child safety seat is in the reverse usage state (fig. 12), and when the child safety seat is in the reverse usage state, the child safety seat is in a lying-posture state.
Claim 20- Baloga discloses the child safety seat according to claim 19, wherein an angle formed between a plane where the first support surface is located (horizontally disposed on the vehicle seat, fig. 11) and a plane where the second support surface is located is an acute angle (it is noted that according to plane geometry, the planes containing the first and second support surfaces intersect to define both acute and obtuse angles); and wherein in the reverse usage state, an angle formed between the plane where the first support surface is located (sloped between the vehicle seat and backrest, fig. 12) and the horizontal plane (defined by the vehicle seat) is an acute angle.
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(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen (CN 204978312 U) in view of Lan (CN 205365305 U).
Claim 11- Shen discloses the child safety seat according to claim 9, wherein the connector comprises a connector body (7) rotatably connected to a bottom of the seat body (fig. 1) through the rotating shaft (8), the locking member (6) slidably connected to the body (7) to be adjustably installed in one of the first or second locking slots; and the first locking slot (on rear bracket 3) and the second locking slot (on front bracket 9) are respectively arranged on the seat body (2) and the first locking slot is located behind the second locking slot (fig. 2).
The difference between Shen and the instant claim is Shen does not teach a third connecting piece fixedly arranged on the connector body, wherein the locking member is slidably connected to the third connecting piece.
Lan is in the field of child safety seats and teaches a locking mechanism (figs. 1-4) comprising: a locking member (52) and a locking slot (41), wherein the locking member includes a fixing pin (53) insertable into the locking slot (figs. 2-6); and wherein the locking member is slidably connected to a third connecting piece (a locking member housing defined by a seat frame portion 21/ 22 and a cover plate 6, figs. 1 & 3-4).
Lan’s locking member (52) and locking slot (41) are similar to Shen’s locking member (6) and locking slots (in brackets 3, 9) respectively, in structure and operation.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the locking mechanism of Shen with a slide connection between the locking member and a third connecting piece, as taught by Lan, in order to effectively support the adjustable installation of the locking member with one of the locking slots for locking the safety seat in the forward usage state or the reverse usage state.
As a result of the modification, Shen’s locking member (fixing pin 6) would be slidably connected on the connector body (7) by a third connecting piece; wherein the third connecting piece would be a housing structure, according to Lan’s teaching, and fixedly arranged on Shen’s connector body.
Claim 12- Shen and Lan teach the child safety seat according to claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism taught by Shen would further comprise an elastic element (54), as taught by Lan, arranged between the locking member and the connector body (via the housing structure taught by Lan, figs. 4 & 6) such that Shen’s locking member (6) would tend to be inserted into the first locking slot (of bracket 3) or the second locking slot (of bracket 9) on Shen’s seat body (2); and wherein Shen’s locking member (6) would have an operating portion (55), according to Lan’s teaching (fig. 4), for operating the locking member to tend to separate from both the first locking slot and the second locking slot.
Claim 13- Shen and Lan teach the child safety seat according to claim 12, wherein Shen’s locking member (6), according to Lan’s teaching, would further comprise: a sliding portion (53) slidably arranged on the third connecting piece (fig. 4) and the operating portion (55) fixedly arranged on the sliding portion (fig. 4 shows the fixing pin 53 disposed through a hole of the slide tab 55), the sliding portion is slidably arranged inside the third connecting piece (fig. 4) and one end portion of the sliding portion passes through the third connecting piece and is inserted into or separated from the first locking slot or the second locking slot (as taught by Lan in fig. 6), a sliding groove (shown not designated, figs. 4 & 6) is disposed on the third connecting piece at a corresponding position of the operating portion (55) along a sliding direction of the sliding portion, and the operating portion slides through the sliding groove.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/T.A./Examiner, Art Unit 3636
/DAVID R DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3636