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 .
Drawings
The replacement sheets of drawings were received on 04-24-2026. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 6, after “(114)” insert --having--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
It is unclear if “a moving ring (114)” recited in claim 2, line 4, is referencing and/or includes the “moving ring (114)” previously recited in claim 1, line 6.
The following change would receive favorable consideration:
Claim 2, line 4, delete “end of the first part (100) has a”.
Claims 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as they depend from a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 is allowed.
Claims 2-7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, Yamashita et al. (US#6565156) represents the closest prior art of record and discloses a detachable rotating structure for a chair (col 1, lines 5-7), comprising: a first part 1 and a second part 2, an end of the first part is rotatably connected via a rotating shaft 4 to an end of the second part, the end of the first part is provided with a moving ring 10 (first part 1 moves and thus ring portion 10 thereof moves) having a plurality of grooves 13a disposed thereon along the rotating direction, the end of the second part has a stopper 20 for being received in the grooves, the stopper is elastically clamped via spring 6 and nut 5 in the grooves along the axial direction of the rotating shaft, the stopper has an abutting surface 23a facing the grooves, the abutting surface abuts against the grooves to limit the rotation of the first part and the second part. Although Yamashita discloses a linkage ring 3 provided at a rotating part of the first and second parts, Yamashita fails to disclose or suggest the following: a linkage block provided at a rotating part of the first part 1 and the second part 2 for pushing the stopper 20 along the length direction of the second part 2. It would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Yamashita to cure these deficiencies. Yamashita teaches away from any such modification as the stopper 20 is intentionally not movable along the length direction of the second part 2.
It is noted previously cited CN 219803517 is an inventor-originated disclosure made 10-10-2023 which is less than one year before the effective filing date of 06-21-2024 of the claimed invention of the instant application and thus disqualified as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive, less the above 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection necessitated by amendment.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM L MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-7068. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 - 6:00 PM.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason San can be reached at (571) 272-6531. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
WILLIAM L. MILLER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3677
/WILLIAM L MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3677
Prosecution Insights