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 1-9 are pending.
Claims 1-9 have been examined.
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) 1-3, 8 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitaguchi et al. (US 8998324) (“Kitaguchi”) in view of Golen et al. (US 11634093) (“Golen”). Kitaguchi teaches a vehicle seat mounted to a vehicle, the vehicle seat comprising: a first sliding device including a first fixed rail (fig. 2: 12) configured to be fixed to the vehicle and a first movable rail (fig. 2: 13) to which a seat main body is fixed, the first movable rail being slidable relative to the first fixed rail, and the first sliding device being situated on one end side of the seat main body in seat-width directions; a second sliding device (same as first sliding device on opposing side) including a second fixed rail configured to be fixed to the vehicle and a second movable rail to which the seat main body is fixed, the second movable rail being slidable relative to the second fixed rail, and the second sliding device being situated on another end side of the seat main body in the seat-width directions; and a harness module having a harness (fig. 2: 28) and a connector (fig. 2: 24 portion attached to 25) configured to be coupled to an electrical device (fig. 2: 26) and to which the harness and the connector are fixed, the harness module being directly or indirectly fixed to the first movable rail and the second movable rail.
Kitaguchi does not expressly teach wherein the harness module comprises a connector
holder made of resin. However, Golen teaches a plate element (fig. 1: 102) for a harness system under a seat which is made of plastic composite (Col. 5, lines 20-35). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to provide a resin connector holder/plate in order to provide greater support to the harness system.
As concerns claim 2, Kitaguchi, as modified, teaches a plurality of fixing members disposed on the connector holder (Kitaguchi, fig. 2: portions 24 on the harness module) and configured to fix the connector holder to the first movable rail and the second movable rail; and a plurality of fixed members (Kitaguchi, fig. 2: 24 on the harness module are connected to portions 24 on the rails attached by fasteners in holes 38), to each of which corresponding one of the plurality of fixing members is mounted in a direction parallel to a sliding direction of the first movable rail and the second movable rail, wherein, on an assumption that an advancing side of the connector holder in an assembling direction is a front-end side, one of the plurality of fixing members situated closest to the front-end side is a main fixing member, fixing members among the plurality of fixing members other than the main fixing member are collectively called sub fixing members (shown in annotated figure below), one of the plurality of fixed members to which the main fixing member is mounted is a main fixed member, and fixed members among the plurality of fixed members to which the sub fixing members are mounted are sub fixed members, the main fixing member, the main fixed member, the sub fixing members and the sub fixed members are configured such that the sub fixing members and the sub fixed members come in contact with each other after the main fixing member and the main fixed member come in contact with each other when the plurality of fixing members are mounted to the plurality of fixed members respectively (the order of assembly of the main fixed and sub fixed members is considered a product-by-process limitation which is given little patentable weight, as only the end result/product of the process is required to be taught).
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As concerns claim 3, Kitaguchi, as modified, teaches a bridge (Kitaguchi, fig. 2: 19) extending in the seat-width directions and coupling and bridging the first movable rail and the second movable rail, wherein the main fixed member is disposed on the bridge, and wherein at least one of the sub fixed members is disposed on a bracket that is fixed to at least one of the first movable rail or the second movable rail (as shown above).
As concerns claim 8, Kitaguchi, as modified, teaches wherein at least one of the plurality of fixing members is mounted to the at least one of the sub fixed members disposed on the bracket to hold the at least one of the sub fixed members disposed on the bracket from the up-down directions (Kitaguchi, fig. 2 above shows the sub fixed members which mate with 24 on the harness module disposed on brackets attached into holes 38).
As concerns claim 9, Kitaguchi teaches a vehicle seat mounted to a vehicle, the vehicle seat comprising: a first sliding device including a first fixed rail (fig. 2: 12) configured to be fixed to the vehicle and a first movable rail (fig. 2: 13) to which a seat main body is fixed, the first movable rail being slidable relative to the first fixed rail, and the first sliding device being situated on one end side of the seat main body in seat-width directions; a second sliding device (same as first sliding device on opposing side) including a second fixed rail configured to be fixed to the vehicle and a second movable rail to which the seat main body is fixed, the second movable rail being slidable relative to the second fixed rail, and the second sliding device being situated on another end side of the seat main body in the seat-width directions; and a harness module having a harness (fig. 2: 28) and a connector (fig. 2: 24 portion attached to 25) configured to be coupled to an electrical device (fig. 2: 26) and to which the harness and the connector are fixed, the harness module being directly or indirectly fixed to the first movable rail and the second movable rail.
Kitaguchi does not expressly teach wherein the harness module comprises a connector holder made of resin. However, Golen teaches a plate element (fig. 1: 102) for a harness system under a seat which is made of plastic composite (Col. 5, lines 20-35). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to provide a resin connector holder/plate in order to provide greater support to the harness system.
Further, Kitaguchi, as modified, teaches a plurality of fixing members disposed on the connector holder (Kitaguchi, fig. 2: portions 24 on the harness module) and configured to fix the connector holder to the first movable rail and the second movable rail; and a plurality of fixed members (Kitaguchi, fig. 2: 24 on the harness module are connected to portions 24 on the rails attached by fasteners in holes 38), to each of which corresponding one of the plurality of fixing members is mounted in a direction parallel to a sliding direction of the first movable rail and the second movable rail, wherein, on an assumption that an advancing side of the connector holder in an assembling direction is a front-end side, one of the plurality of fixing members situated closest to the front-end side is a main fixing member, fixing members among the plurality of fixing members other than the main fixing member are collectively called sub fixing members (shown in annotated figure below), one of the plurality of fixed members to which the main fixing member is mounted is a main fixed member, and fixed members among the plurality of fixed members to which the sub fixing members are mounted are sub fixed members, the main fixing member, the main fixed member, the sub fixing members and the sub fixed members are configured such that the sub fixing members and the sub fixed members come in contact with each other after the main fixing member and the main fixed member come in contact with each other when the plurality of fixing members are mounted to the plurality of fixed members respectively (the main fixing member in the middle/bridge may be attached before the sub fixing members along the sides/rails).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art references of Kitaguchi and Golen fail to teach
wherein the bracket includes a wall-shaped restriction member that restricts displacement of the connector holder over a given dimension in the seat-width directions, wherein a portion of the connector holder facing the restriction member includes a wall-shaped opposing wall that is slidably contactable with the restriction member, and wherein a dimension of a portion of the opposing wall parallel to the assembling direction is greater than a dimension of a portion of the restriction member parallel to the assembling direction; or
wherein at least one of the sub fixed members is disposed on the bridge, and wherein at least one of the plurality of fixing members is mounted to the at least one of the sub fixed members disposed on the bridge to hold the at least one of the sub fixed members disposed on the bridge from the up-down directions.
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 TIMOTHY J BRINDLEY whose telephone number is (571)270-7231. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm.
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/TIMOTHY J BRINDLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636