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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-7, 10-16, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pan (US Patent 11,432,527).
Re claim 1, Pan discloses an interior cover for a vehicle, the interior cover comprising:
a front portion (111, figure 1) having a first coupler (1211, figure 1) configured to couple the front portion to a front seat (2011, figure 1) of the vehicle, the front portion being configured to protect the front seat (201); a rear portion (112) having a second coupler (1221, figure 1) configured to couple the rear portion to a rear seat (210, figure 1) of the vehicle, the rear portion being configured to protect the rear seat; a floor portion (113, figure 1) disposed between the front portion and the rear portion, the floor portion being configured to protect the floor of the vehicle (the floor portion is capable of being positioned on the floor of the vehicle if desired); and an air-permeable vent port (132, figure 2).
Re claim 2, the floor portion is configured to rest on the floor of the vehicle the floor portion is capable of being positioned on the floor of the vehicle if desired).
Re claim 3, at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler is configured to couple to a headrest (as shown in figure 1).
Re claim 4, at least one of a side flap (114, figure 1) and a lateral coupler configured to prevent or resist the interior cover's shifting with respect to the vehicle.
Re claim 5, a window (15) is configured to be disposed between a driver-side front seat and a passenger-side front seat.
Re claim 6, the window comprises a mesh screen (see column 8, lines 60-67).
Re claim 7, the window is configured to be selectively opened and closed (by zippers 135).
Re claim 10, the vent port (132, figure 1) is formed in the front portion.
Re claim 11, the vent port (132, figure 1) is disposed at a base of the front portion.
Re claim 12, the vent port is configured to be disposed behind at least one of a driver-side front seat and a passenger side front seat (as shown in figure 1).
Re claim 13, the vent port comprises a mesh screen (see column 8, lines 60-67).
Re claim 14, the vent port comprises a cover (the portion of 132 that can be unzipped and lowered as shown in figure 5 so that airflow is unimpeded) configured to be selectively opened and closed to selectively permit ventilation to pass through the vent port.
Re claim 15, the cover comprises a fastener (zippers 135) configured to selectively retain the cover in at least one of an opened position and a closed position.
Re claim 16, Pan discloses a method of forming an interior cover for a vehicle, the method comprising: forming an interior cover body having a front portion (111, figure 1), a rear portion (112, figure 1), and a floor portion (113, figure 1); and forming an air-permeable vent port (132, figure 2) in the front portion of the interior cover body.
Re claim 20, Pan discloses a vehicle cover configured to be disposed between a front seat and a rear seat of a vehicle in a substantially U-shaped configuration, the vehicle cover comprising a front portion (111, figure 1), a rear portion (112, figure 1), a floor portion (113, figure 1), and a vent port (132, figure 2), wherein when the vehicle cover is disposed between the front seat and the rear seat of the vehicle in the substantially U-shaped configuration, the front portion is disposed proximate the front seat, the rear portion is disposed proximate the rear seat, the floor portion is disposed proximate a floor of the vehicle (as shown by figure 3), and the vent port (132) is disposed proximate a bottom of the front seat such that ventilation can pass underneath the front seat and through the vent port (air is capable of moving according to the claim limitation).
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 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan (US Patent 11,432,527) in view of Umlauf (US Patent Application Publication 2019/0351797).
Pan discloses all the limitations of the claims, as applied above except for a slit configured to allow the rear seat to selectively move between a stowed position and a deployed position, wherein the slit comprises a fastener for selectively opening and closing the slit.
Umlauf teaches a slit (24 and 26, figure 1) configured to allow a rear seat to selectively move between a stowed position and a deployed position, wherein the slit comprises a fastener for selectively opening and closing the slit (see paragraph 0048).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify an interior cover, such as that disclosed by Pan, to have a slit configured to allow the rear seat to selectively move between a stowed position and a deployed position, wherein the slit comprises a fastener for selectively opening and closing the slit, as taught by Umlauf, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow the device to operate with a seat that is capable of assuming different configurations (see Umlauf, paragraphs 0003-0006)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-19 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.
The primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter in claims 17-20 is the inclusion in the claim of the limitations directed to obtaining a first layer of polyester material, a layer of cotton material, a first layer of non-slip material, a layer of waterproof film material, a second layer of polyester material and a second layer of non-slip material, quilting together the first layer of polyester material, the layer of cotton material, and the first layer of non-slip material to form a quilted assembly, bonding together the layer of waterproof film material, the second layer of polyester material, and the second layer of non-slip material to form a bonded assembly, and coupling a perimeter of the quilted assembly to a perimeter of the bonded assembly. Such limitations, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claims, are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references all disclose vehicle interior covers.
D904,798 (Cameron) teaches a fold down cover which selectively covers a mesh vent.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jason S Morrow whose telephone number is (571)272-6663. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivek Koppikar can be reached at (571) 272-5109. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON S MORROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612
June 19, 2026
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