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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 05/04/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/04/2026.
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hallock et al (2023/0322135). Hallock et al. A seat assembly (20) comprising: a cushion (28) comprising a mesh member (42), the mesh member comprising a set of filaments of polymeric material, wherein at least two members of the set of filaments are looped and bonded to each other (see para[0042]) and Fig. 3); and a fastening arrangement (60,100,200,250) comprising a base (108) upon which the cushion is disposed (Fig. 3) and a fastener (102) extending from the base into the mesh member, wherein the fastener engages at least one member of the set of filaments, coupling the fastening arrangement to the cushion. Regarding claim 2 Hallock et al. shows the use of a trim cover (32), wherein the trim cover is detached from the fastening arrangement. Regarding claim 3, the base is (inherently) disposed on a frame of the seat assembly as the cushion is installed on seat frame (Fig. 1). Regarding claim 4, wherein the cushion comprises a first side (46) and a second side (44) opposite the first side, wherein the first side is disposed on the base and the fastener extends into the cushion from the first side toward the second side (Fig. 3). Regarding claim 5, the base comprises a first base side that faces toward the cushion, and the fastener comprises a shaft (104) extending from the first base side and a barb (120) extending from the shaft toward the first base side. Regarding claims 6, Hallock et al. has disclosed that the fastening arrangement (would include one or more fasteners para[0044]) therefore there would inherently be a second fastener (102), the second fastener comprising a second shaft (104) extending from the first base side and a second barb (120) extending from the second shaft toward the first base side, wherein the shaft and the barb of the fastener are in a first plane and the second shaft and the second barb of the second fastener are in a second plane.
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) 10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hallock et al. in view of Abdella et al. (2023/0339374). Hallock et al. shows all of the teachings of the claimed invention except the use of a second fastener extending from a second base side of a fastening arrangement. Abdella et al. teaches the use of a second fastener (82) extending from a second base side of a fastener (34) that is offset from a first fastener (84) on a first base side (Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the fastener of Hallock et al. with a second fastener as taught by Abdella et al. in order to allow for a more secure attachment of the fastener to the seat frame and cushion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9, 11-12 and 14-15 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY D BARFIELD whose telephone number is (571)272-6852. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY D BARFIELD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
adb
July 16, 2026
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