3DETAILED 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
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) 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sabine Karollus et al. U.S. Patent 2006/0157465 A1 (Karollus).
Regarding claim 13, Karollus discloses a heated seat comprising: an outer seat material (Element 6); an inner seat material (Element 11) within the outer seat material; and a heating element positioned within the inner seat material, wherein the heating element comprises at least one magnetic wire (Element 8).
Regarding claim 14, Karollus discloses the heated seat wherein the seat is made using a molding process ([0032-0037]).
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, 6-8, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sabine Karollus et al. U.S. Patent 2006/0157465 A1 (Karollus) in view of Robert Check et al. U.S. Patent 6,489,595 B1 (Check).
Regarding claim 1, Karollus discloses a method of making a molded seat comprising: a mold wherein the mold has at least one magnet (Element 16); positioning a heating element on an inner surface of the outer seat material in the mold wherein the heating element has at least one magnetic wire component (Element 8); and filling the mold with an inner seat material. Karollus does not directly disclose placing an outer seat material into the mold. Check discloses a method of making a molded seat comprising placing an outer seat material (Figure 6 Element 24) into a mold.
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karollus as taught by Check to include Check’s outer seat material to be inserted into the mold as part of the mold seat assembly. Such a modification would provide a means to integral all parts of the seat assembly in the mold process.
Regarding claim 6, Karollus in view of Check discloses the method wherein the outer seating material is vinyl (Column 3 Line 50-60, Check).
Regarding claim 7, Karollus in view of Check discloses the method wherein the inner seating material is a plastic foam (Column 3 Line 50-60, Check).
Regarding claim 8, Karollus in view of Check discloses the method wherein the plastic foam is a polyurethane foam (Column 3 Line 50-60, Check).
Regarding claim 12, Karollus in view of Check discloses the method further comprising closing the mold and allowing the seat to cure (Column 7 Line 20-47, Check).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sabine Karollus et al. U.S. Patent 2006/0157465 A1 (Karollus) in view of Robert Check et al. U.S. Patent 6,489,595 B1 (Check) further in view of Takeshi Fukuda et al. U.S. Patent Publication 2017/0122719 A1 (Fukuda).
Regarding claim 11, Karollus in view of Check discloses the method comprising at least one magnet (Element 8, Karollus). Fukuda discloses a method comprising magnetic material wherein the at least one magnet is a rare earth neodymium magnet ([0048]).
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karoliu in view of Check as taught by Fukuda to include Fukuda’s neodymium magnet. Such a modification would provide a magnetic material with optimal magnetic properties to enhance the temperature controls of the seat structure.
Claim(s) 15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sabine Karollus et al. U.S. Patent 2006/0157465 A1 (Karollus) in view of Takeshi Fukuda et al. U.S. Patent Publication 2017/0122719 A1 (Fukuda).
Regarding claims 15 and 17, Karollus discloses the heated seat having a magnetic wire (element 8). Karollus does not directly disclose wherein the at least one magnetic wire is a chromium/nickel wire and wherein the cover is vinyl. Fukuda discloses a heated seat comprising at least one magnetic wire that is chromium/nickel wire ([0048]) amongst other alternative metal materials fitting for the operation of the heated seat; wherein the cover (Element 7) is made of various types of material including synthetic resin ([0043]).
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karollus as taught by Fukuda to include Fukuda’s wire material. Such a modification would provide a means to optimize the material properties for the heating seat functions.
Material modification is common and well known in the art as a design modification. It would be obvious to provide a cover made of material with properties similar to what is taught and disclosed in Fukuda.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 9, 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/SHIN H KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636