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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55 with regards to the applications JP2023-028409, JP2023-028410, and JP2023-028479 filed on 02/27/2023.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 02/26/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP2024-026237 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the program” should read “a program”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 7, 10, and 14 are objected to because of the following informalities: in line 6 of claim 7 and lines 10 of claims 10 and 14, “the front surface of the seat in the seat” should read “the front surface of the bottom”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
It’s noted that claim 1 requires a vehicle seat air-conditioning device that’s “disposed in a vehicle” and “used” for a seat. See lines 1-2 of the claim. The body of the claim, after the transitional phrase comprising, requires a blower (that the vehicle-seat air conditioning device comprises) to be “incorporated in the seat” and guide air from a vehicle air-conditioning apparatus “mounted” on the vehicle.
The vehicle, the seat, and the vehicle-air conditioning apparatus won’t be treated merely as structure derived from intended use, i.e. the claimed vehicle seat air-conditioning device being used with these aforementioned elements, but rather positively claimed structure that the vehicle-air conditioning apparatus, itself, comprises; due to the use of terms like “disposed,” “incorporated in,” and “mounted.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Section 33(a) of the America Invents Act reads as follows:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may issue on a claim directed to or encompassing a human organism.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 and section 33(a) of the America Invents Act as being directed to or encompassing a human organism. See also Animals - Patentability, 1077 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 24 (April 21, 1987) (indicating that human organisms are excluded from the scope of patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101). Claim 1 is directed to “A vehicle seat air-conditioning device… comprising… a blower incorporated in the seat… a person seated on the seat;” In other words, claim 1 requires the combination of the person and the seat, and therefore encompasses a human organism. Claims 3-4 and 17-19 also recite “a degree of feeling cool by the person seated on the seat”, wherein the positive recitation of a person “feeling cool” reads on the claim encompassing a human organism.
Claims 2-20 are rejected for being dependent upon rejected claim 1. Claim 20 is also rejected for being dependent upon rejected claims 18 and 19.
Examiner note: In order to overcome this rejection, the claimed seat (which is considered a positively recited element that the vehicle seat air-conditioning device comprises – see Claim Interpretation Section, above), should be amended so that it’s “configured to” seat a person. The example below may offer more context to this type of amendment for overcoming this type of rejection.
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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) 1-4, 9 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuji (US20190047449A1) in view of Takano (JPH05201236A), referring to the English translation dated 06/11/2026, and Karunasiri (US5626021A).
Regarding claim 1, Fujii teaches
a vehicle seat air-conditioning device disposed in a vehicle and used for a seat having a seat back and a bottom (fig. 1), the vehicle seat air-conditioning device comprising:
a blower that is incorporated in the seat and guides air generated by a vehicle air-conditioning apparatus mounted on the vehicle (“first auxiliary blower 53 for assisting air blowing from the interior air conditioning unit 2”) [0064];
an outlet ventilation path (main blowing duct 51) that guides air guided from the blower to a first outlet provided in a front surface of the seat back that is a surface located to face a person seated on the seat (second blowing opening portion 512);
a memory (“The control device 100 includes a microcomputer including a CPU and a storage unit such a ROM and a RAM”) [0089]; and
a processor coupled to the memory (“The control device 100 includes a microcomputer including a CPU and a storage unit such a ROM and a RAM”) [0089] and configured to control the blower when executing the program (“The control device 100 is a device that controls the operation of the interior air conditioning unit 2 and the seat air conditioner 5… the output side of the control device 100 is connected with the first auxiliary blower 53 , the first suction blower 542 , the second suction blower 552 , and the like which are components of the seat air conditioner 5”) [0090-0091], wherein
the processor is configured to control at least one of an air volume or a temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on a thermal sensation parameter determined from an environmental parameter (“the control device 100 calculates a target blowing temperature TAO based on detection signals of various sensor groups and operation signals of the operation panel 105 . TAO is a blowing air temperature necessary for bringing the temperature of the vehicle interior space 10 closer to a set temperature Tset set by the setting switch 105 b of the operation panel 105 . Specifically, the control device 100 calculates TAO based on the set temperature Tset, the inside air temperature Tr, the outside air temperature Tam… The control device 100 determines the rotational speed of the air conditioning blower 23 , and the opening degrees of the inside-outside air switch door 22 c, the first to third mode doors 30 a to 32 a, the air mixing door 29 , and so on based on the TAO, and outputs the control signal to various devices so as to obtain determined control states”) [0103-0105]
Fujii does not teach
a blower that is incorporated in the seat
a thermal sensation parameter determined from an environmental parameter including a detection result of information regarding a temperature of air discharged from the first outlet
Takano teaches
a blower that is incorporated in the seat (blower fan 74 disposed below seating portion 50, fig. 1)
While Fujii teaches a first auxiliary blower 53, it does not teach the blower as incorporated into the seat assembly. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the seat air conditioner 5 of Fujii in an assembly below seat cushion portion 12, as taught in Takano, in order to effectively reduce the footprint of the seat air conditioning assembly within the vehicle.
Karunasiri teaches
a thermal sensation parameter determined from an environmental parameter including a detection result of information regarding a temperature of air discharged from the first outlet (“At least one temperature sensor 288, in the form of a thermocouple and the like, is also located within the inlet air manifold 258 to provide an indication of the temperature of the air exiting the main exchanger 250” [col. 16 lines 2-6]; “The controller is configured to receive occupant input via the control switch 284, and to receive temperature information from the main exchanger temperature sensor 286 and conditioned air temperature sensor 288. From these inputs the controller is configured to make adjustments to the operation of the heat pump 246 and main exchange fan or fans 254 according to a predetermined cooling and heating control logic” [col. 16 lines 14-20])
Fujii teaches controlling at least one of an air volume or a temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on set temperature, the inside air temperature, and the outside air temperature. However, Fujii does not teach an environmental parameter including a detection result of information regarding a temperature of air discharged from the first outlet. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to additionally incorporate an outlet temperature of the seat air conditioner 5, as taught in Karunasiri, in order to monitor the actual blowout temperature to thus make adjustments if the blowout temperature does not match the set temperature (as taught in [col. 20 lines 25-56] of Karunasiri).
Regarding claim 2, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1,
wherein the environmental parameter further includes a detection result of at least one of an outside air temperature, a vehicle interior temperature, a solar radiation amount (“the control device 100 calculates TAO based on the set temperature Tset, the inside air temperature Tr, the outside air temperature Tam, and the amount of insolation Ts”) [0103], or a solar radiation angle
Regarding claim 3, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to decrease the air volume of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus as a degree of feeling cool by the person seated on the seat indicated by the thermal sensation parameter is higher (“The main fan(s) is operated at a speed proportional to the cooling mode setting (step 384). For example, if the cooling mode setting is low, i.e., a relatively high cooling temperature, the main fan(s) is operated at a low speed. If the cooling mode setting is high, i.e., a relatively low cooling temperature, the main fan(s) is operated at a high speed. And if the cooling mode setting is medium, i.e., a moderate cooling temperature, the main fan(s) is operated at a medium speed. The waste fan(s) is operated at high speed (step 384)” [col. 20 lines 25-33 of Karunasiri]; therefore, in a cooling mode, a low set temperature and thus low blowout temperature recorded by temperature sensor 288 will result in a higher fan speed than a higher set temperature (wherein person is feeling “cooler” than a low set temperature) and thus higher blowout temperature recorded by temperature sensor 288)
Regarding claim 4, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to increase the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus as a degree of feeling cool by the person seated on the seat indicated by the thermal sensation parameter is higher (“The cooling mode control logic 378 monitors the difference in temperature between the temperature of the conditioned air (Tc), via the temperature sensor 288, and a setpoint cooling temperature (Ts) (step 386)… If the Tc is less than the Ts (step 392), a minimum level of power is directed to the Peltier modules (step 394), and the temperature difference between Tc and Ts is continuously monitored. If the Tc is less than a predetermined minimum temperature (Tm) (step 396), power to the Peltier modules is shut off and the main fan(s) speed remains unchanged (step 398)” [col. 20 lines 34-48 of Karunasiri]
Regarding claim 9, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
control at least one of the air volume and the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on the thermal sensation parameter, when the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is lower than a switching temperature (“The cooling mode control logic 378 monitors the difference in temperature between the temperature of the conditioned air (Tc), via the temperature sensor 288, and a setpoint cooling temperature (Ts) (step 386). If the Tc is greater than the Ts (step 388), i.e., the temperature of the conditioned air is above the setpoint cooling temperature, a maximum level of power is directed to the Peltier modules (step 390), and the temperature difference between Tc and Ts is continuously monitored. If the Tc is less than the Ts (step 392), a minimum level of power is directed to the Peltier modules (step 394), and the temperature difference between Tc and Ts is continuously monitored” [col. 20 lines 34-45 of Karunasiri]; thus, when the temperature of the conditioned air is below the predetermined temperature in the cooling mode, air temperature is controlled by reducing power to cooling module); and
not execute control of at least one of the air volume and the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on the thermal sensation parameter, when the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is equal to or higher than the switching temperature (“The cooling mode control logic 378 monitors the difference in temperature between the temperature of the conditioned air (Tc), via the temperature sensor 288, and a setpoint cooling temperature (Ts) (step 386)… If the Tc is equal to the Ts (step 400), the power to the Peltier modules is switched on and off to maintain the Ts, the speed of the main fan(s) remains unchanged (step 402)” [col. 20 lines 34-54 of Karunasiri]; thus, when the temperature of the conditioned air is equal to the predetermined temperature in the cooling mode, blower speed remains unchanged)
Regarding claim 17, Fujii, as modified, does not teach the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes from a first inlet provided in a front surface of the bottom that is a surface located to face the person seated on the seat;
a second inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes from a second inlet that is an inlet different from the first inlet and is provided at a position other than the front surface of the seat in the seat; and
an adjuster that adjusts a ratio of a flow rate of air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path, to a total flow rate of air guided from the first inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path and the air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path, wherein
the processor is configured to adjust the ratio at a predetermined timing set based on an elapsed time or a temperature of air discharged from the first outlet, when a degree of feeling cool by the person seated on the seat indicated by the thermal sensation parameter is lower than a predetermined value
Takano teaches
a first inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes (lower branch duct 217, fig. 1) from a first inlet provided in a front surface of the bottom that is a surface located to face the person seated on the seat (seating portion introduction duct 221)
a second inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes (upper branch duct 217, fig. 1) from a second inlet that is an inlet different from the first inlet and is provided at a position other than the front surface of the seat in the seat (backrest introduction duct 201); and
an adjuster that adjusts a ratio of a flow rate of air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path, to a total flow rate of air guided from the first inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path and the air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path (first damper 231, fig. 1), wherein
the processor is configured to adjust the ratio at a predetermined timing set based on an elapsed time or a temperature of air discharged from the first outlet, when a degree of feeling cool by the person seated on the seat indicated by the thermal sensation parameter is lower than a predetermined value (“Also, the first damper 231 can adjust the amount of air sucked from the backrest introduction duct 201 and the seating section introduction duct 221, respectively. For example, the backrest 52 side is intensively cooled, and the seating part 50 is slightly raised. Subtle air conditioning such as keeping the eye temperature is possible. According to the examination results of the present inventors, it was found by the feeling test that the surface temperature of the backrest portion 52 is about 26 to 28 ° C. which is comfortable. On the other hand, it has also been found that if the seating portion 50 is cooled too much, discomfort occurs conversely. For example, in the case of a room temperature of 30 ° C. or higher in midsummer, the backrest portion 52 side is intensively cooled, After the time has elapsed and the interior of the vehicle has been cooled as a whole, adjustments such as stopping the introduction of conditioned air into the seating portion introduction duct 221 may be performed” [0032-0033])
While Fujii teaches a first suction duct 54 located in seat cushion portion 12, it does not teach the first suction duct 54 as sucked in by the same first auxiliary blower 53, but rather a first suction blower 542. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the suction configuration of Takono to the system of Fujii, in order to effectively allow the system to comprise only a single blower in the seat assembly, while still allowing the suction ventilation paths to be individually controlled via a damper.
Claim(s) 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuji (US20190047449A1) in view of Takano (JPH05201236A), referring to the English translation dated 06/11/2026, and Karunasiri (US5626021A), in further view of Kim (US20170182862A1).
Regarding claim 5, Fujii, as modified, does not teach the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes from a first inlet provided in a front surface of the bottom that is a surface located to face the person seated on the seat,
wherein the processor is configured to control at least one of the air volume or the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on a temperature of air sucked in from the first inlet and a temperature in a vehicle interior of the vehicle
Takano teaches
a first inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes (branch duct 217, fig. 1) from a first inlet provided in a front surface of the bottom that is a surface located to face the person seated on the seat (seating portion introduction duct 221)
While Fujii teaches a first suction duct 54 located in seat cushion portion 12, it does not teach the first suction duct 54 as sucked in by the same first auxiliary blower 53, but rather a first suction blower 542. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the suction configuration of Takano to the system of Fujii, in order to effectively allow the system to comprise only a single blower in the seat assembly.
Kim teaches
wherein the processor is configured to control at least one of the air volume or the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on a temperature of air sucked in from the first inlet and a temperature in a vehicle interior of the vehicle (“In step S 14 , when the body contact surface temperature Ts is higher than the reference temperature Tc and the suction hole front end temperature Tb is higher than the reference temperature Tc, the room temperature maintains a level of the target temperature, but the temperature of the seat 11 is yet high, and as a result, the HVAC control unit 21 may control the blow direction mode so as to perform the blow of the HVAC in the lower-body direction which is a direction in which the blower 15 is installed in order to further lower the temperature of the seat (S 16 )” [0043]; as shown on fig. 2)
Fujii teaches the processor as configured to control the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on a temperature in a vehicle interior of the vehicle (“the control device 100 calculates TAO based on the set temperature Tset, the inside air temperature Tr” [0103]), but does not teach the processor as configured to control the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, based on a temperature of air sucked in from the first inlet. Therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to additionally account for body contact surface temperature Ts (wherein , when applied to Fujii, would be located at first suction opening portion 541 and thus measure temperature of air sucked in from the first inlet), as taught in Kim, in order to effectively account for cooling needs in the air immediately proximate the operator.
Regarding claim 6, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 5,
wherein the processor is configured to execute at least one of control for reducing the air volume of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus or control for increasing the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, when the temperature of the air sucked in from the first inlet is equal to or higher than the temperature in the vehicle interior of the vehicle (as shown in flow chart of fig. 2 of Kim, S16 of adjusting HVAC settings is carried out when vehicle room temperature Tr is less than reference temperature Tc, but body contact surface temperature Ts is greater than reference temperature Tc; therefore, configured to execute the process when body contact surface temperature Ts is greater than vehicle room temperature Tr)
Regarding claim 7, Fujii, as modified, does not teach the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a second inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes from a second inlet that is an inlet different from the first inlet and is provided at a position other than the front surface of the seat in the seat; and
an adjuster that selects at least one of the first inlet ventilation path and the second inlet ventilation path, wherein the adjuster has a cooling mode in which the second inlet ventilation path is connected to the outlet ventilation path, and a mix mode in which the first inlet ventilation path and the second inlet ventilation path are connected to the outlet ventilation path, to guide air to the outlet ventilation path, and
the processor is configured to switch a mode of the adjuster by selecting one of the cooling mode and the mix mode
Takano teaches
a second inlet ventilation path through which air sucked in by the blower passes (upper branch duct 217, fig. 1) from a second inlet that is an inlet different from the first inlet and is provided at a position other than the front surface of the seat in the seat (backrest introduction duct 201); and
an adjuster that selects at least one of the first inlet ventilation path and the second inlet ventilation path (first damper 231, fig. 1), wherein the adjuster has a cooling mode in which the second inlet ventilation path is connected to the outlet ventilation path (wherein first damper 231 closes duct from seating portion introduction duct 221 reads on “cooling mode”), and a mix mode in which the first inlet ventilation path and the second inlet ventilation path are connected to the outlet ventilation path, to guide air to the outlet ventilation path (wherein first damper 231 allows flow from both backrest introduction duct 201 and seating portion introduction duct 221, as shown on fig. 1 reads on “mix mode”), and
the processor is configured to switch a mode of the adjuster by selecting one of the cooling mode and the mix mode (based on control of first damper 231, such as that described in [0033 of Takano])
While Fujii teaches a second suction duct 55 located in a seat 11, it does not teach the second suction duct 55 as sucked in by the same first auxiliary blower 53, but rather a second suction blower 552. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the suction configuration of Takono to the system of Fujii, in order to effectively allow the system to comprise only a single blower in the seat assembly, while still allowing the suction ventilation paths to be individually controlled via a damper.
Regarding claim 8, Fujii, as modified, teaches the vehicle seat air-conditioning device according to claim 7,
wherein the processor is configured to switch the mode of the adjuster in such a manner as to select the mix mode when a first time elapses after selecting the cooling mode (“the first damper 231 can adjust the amount of air sucked from the backrest introduction duct 201 and the seating section introduction duct 221, respectively. For example, the backrest 52 side is intensively cooled, and the seating part 50 is slightly raised” [0032 of Takano]; thus, the system is configured to “intensively cool” a backrest and “slightly raise” the seat (i.e. bias the ratio towards seating portion introduction duct 221 while remaining in a mix mode); mode change is configured to occur after a first time elapses after selecting the cooling mode, since the first time is unspecified), and to select the cooling mode when a second time shorter than the first time elapses after selecting the mix mode (“it has also been found that if the seating portion 50 is cooled too much, discomfort occurs conversely. For example, in the case of a room temperature of 30 ° C. or higher in midsummer, the backrest portion 52 side is intensively cooled, After the time has elapsed and the interior of the vehicle has been cooled as a whole, adjustments such as stopping the introduction of conditioned air into the seating portion introduction duct 221 may be performed” [0033 of Takano]; thus, the system is configured to close the duct from seating portion introduction duct 221, aligned with the cooling mode re. claim 7; mode change is configured to occur when a second time shorter than the first time elapses after selecting the mix mode, since the first time and second times are unspecified), and
the processor is configured to acquire a temperature of air sucked in from the first inlet detected during the second time (as modified by Kim re. claim 5; processor is configured to acquire body contact surface temperature Ts, as described in Kim, during the second time)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-16 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, as well as if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 10, the subject matter not found includes “the processor is configured to adjust the ratio in such a manner that a flow rate of the air guided from the first inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path is larger than a flow rate of the air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path, when the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is equal to or higher than a first temperature”, in combination with the other elements of claims 1 and 9 from which claim 10 depends. The closest art of record is Fujii in view of Takano and Karunasiri, as applied in the office action. While Fuji, as modified, teaches all the elements of claims 1 and 9, and Takano teaches a first inlet ventilation path, a second inlet ventilation path and an adjuster as claimed (see re. claim 17), the references do not explicitly teach adjusting the ratio towards the first inlet ventilation path based on a recorded air conditioning air temperature being higher than a threshold temperature. Further, a modification to include this additional claim language would have been non-obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. No other prior art was found to teach the claim in its entirety.
Claims 11-13 are indicated as allowable subject matter based on their dependence to claim 10.
Regarding claim 14, the subject matter not found includes “when the temperature of the air generated by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is equal to or higher than a first temperature, the processor is configured to adjust the ratio in such a manner that a total of a flow rate of air guided from the first inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path and a flow rate of air guided from the third inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path is larger than a flow rate of air guided from the second inlet ventilation path to the outlet ventilation path”, in combination with the other elements of claims 1 and 9 from which claim 14 depends. The closest art of record is Fujii in view of Takano and Karunasiri, as applied in the office action. While Fuji, as modified, teaches all the elements of claims 1 and 9, and Takano teaches a first inlet ventilation path, a second inlet ventilation path and an adjuster as claimed (see re. claim 17) and an additional third inlet path (see plurality of first air inlets 203 on fig. 1 of Takano), the references do not explicitly teach adjusting the ratio towards the first and third inlet ventilation paths based on a recorded air conditioning air temperature being higher than a threshold temperature. Further, a modification to include this additional claim language would have been non-obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. No other prior art was found to teach the claim in its entirety.
Claims 15-16 and 18-20 are indicated as allowable subject matter based on their dependence to claim 14 if they overcame the rejections in view of 35 USC § 101.
Conclusion
The prior art of record not relied upon includes:
Ito (JP2019131144A) and Matsumoto (US20190160417A1), which teach similar vehicle seat air-conditioning devices to that claimed
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRETT P. MALLON whose telephone number is (571)272-4749. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 8am to 5pm.
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/BRETT P. MALLON/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 /MICHAEL G HOANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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