\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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. FR2305419, filed on May 31, 2023.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraphs [0019] and [0020], “transverse ends” are explained in the disclosure as element 30, but the figures do not show an element 30.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1 - 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dreessen (EP 3515757 B1) in view of Hofmann (DE 102015206962 A1).
Claim 1 – Dreessen discloses a plastic and metal hybrid seat backrest support structure, particularly for vehicle seats or rear seat benches. Dreessen teaches a vehicle seat support element (element 10), comprising a body made of plastic material (10K), a metal reinforcement (10M) attached to the body, and four interface elements (each corner of side edges 10M-1 and 10M-2 in figures 3C and 3D) for interfacing of the seat support element with its environment, wherein three of the interface elements are secured to the metal reinforcement. Dreessen does not teach the fourth interface element only being secured to the plastic body.
Hofmann teaches, in figure 15 and explains in the description, an interface element (elements 129A and 130A) as being overmolded and secured only to the plastic body of a vehicle seat backrest structural assembly.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Dreessen to overmold an interface element, securing the interface element solely to the plastic body, to produce the seat element quicker and cheaper, as well as use less metal, providing a lighter seat element.
Claim 2 – Dreessen teaches, in figures 3B, 3C, and 3D, the body extends between a lower edge (element 10M-6) and an upper edge (element 10M-3) in an elevation direction and between two side edges (elements 10M-1 and 10M-2) in a transverse direction, substantially perpendicular to the elevation direction, the junction between the side edges and the lower edge forming the lower corners of the body and the junction between the side edges and the upper edge forming the upper corners of the body, the interface elements extending in the vicinity of the lower and upper corners of the body. In figures 3C and 3D, the interface element locations can be seen in each corner of the two side edges (elements 10M-1 and 10M-2).
Claim 3 – Dreessen teaches, in figure 3B, the reinforcement comprises a first branch (element 10M-2) extending substantially in the elevation direction along one of the side edges of the body and a second branch (10M-3) extending substantially in the transverse direction along the upper edge or the lower edge of the body, the first branch being attached at one of its ends to the second branch.
Claim 4 – Dreessen teaches that the two interface elements extend at the opposite transverse ends of the second branch, a third interface element being attached to the free end of the first branch, opposite the end of the first branch attached to the second branch. An interface element is taught at each of the three corners created by the two branches in figures 3C and 3D.
Claim 5 – Dreessen teaches, in figure 3B, the reinforcement comprises a third branch extending between the first branch and the second branch in a direction inclined relative to the elevation direction and to the transverse direction. Element 10M-12 teaches this third branch inclined relative to the elevation and transverse directions.
Claim 6 – Dreessen teaches, in paragraphs 26 and 27 of the description, the reinforcement (metal structure) and the fourth interface element (receiving sleeve) are overmolded by the body (plastic structure).
Claim 7 – Dreessen teaches that the interface elements extending at the lower corners of the body are articulation elements of the support element to its environment (10M-5 of figure 3A), the support element being rotatable about an axis of rotation (y1 of figures 1A, 1B, and 3A) passing through said articulation elements.
Claim 8 – Dreessen teaches, in figure 4A and describes in the description, that the interface elements extending in the vicinity of the upper corners of the body are locking elements (10M-1c) for locking the support element to its environment.
Claim 9 – Dreessen teaches, in figure 5A, the body comprises reinforcing ribs integral with the rest of the body as element 1v, and describes element 1v as “ribs” in the description.
Claim 10 – Dreessen, in figure 2, teaches the support element as a part of a vehicle seat backrest.
Conclusion
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/T.A.L./Examiner, Art Unit 3636
/DAVID R DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3636