January 16, 2026
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 .
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.
Claims 1-2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binner (U.S. Patent No. 11,571,998 B2) in view of Schmale (U.S. Patent No. 6,481,801 B1).
PNG
media_image1.png
160
146
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
142
226
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Binner teaches the structure substantially as claimed including a vehicle seat, comprising: a pad main body 2 configuring part of a pad that supports an occupant with a seating surface; slide pad 6 that configures another part of the pad, and that approaches or moves away from the pad main body by sliding in a direction oriented along the seating surface; a slide cover that covers the slide pad; a cover main body that has breathable properties and that covers the pad main body (see Claim 5 where it reads “….an air-permeable tensioned layer or a textile layer of an upholstery covering of the seat part element.”); and an air moving machine 13 that moves air but it is not clear if main pad has a flow path that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from the seating surface or if the flow path reaches as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion that is in communication with the flow path and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side (see Fig. 4)
PNG
media_image3.png
184
224
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
128
136
media_image4.png
Greyscale
However, Schmale teaches the concept of a ventilated vehicle seat that includes a main pad 1 has a flow path 16 that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from a seating surface 2; an air moving machine that moves air inside the flow path; wherein the flow path reaching as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion 14 that is in communication with the flow path 16 and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location 6 on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side (see Fig. 4); wherein the main body groove portion is configured by a single fat groove at a location on the flow path side and is configured by a plurality of fine grooves at a location on the seating surface side, as defined in claim 2. It would have been obvious and well within the level of ordinary skill in the art to modify the vehicle seat, as taught by Binner, to include a main pad has a flow path that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from a seating surface; an air moving machine that moves air inside the flow path; wherein the flow path reaching as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion that is in communication with the flow path and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location 6 on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side, as taught by Schmale, since such an arrangement would improve and optimize the air circulation inside the seat padding.
As for Claim 6, Binner teaches that the pad is a seat cushion pad provided at a seat cushion for supporting buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant; and the slide pad is disposed at a seat front side with respect to the pad main body, and slides along a seat front-rear direction with respect to the pad main body.
Claims 1-2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Binner (U.S. Patent No. 11,571,998 B2) in view of Yoshinori et al. (U.S. Patent No. 6,179,706 B1).
Binner teaches the structure substantially as claimed including a vehicle seat, comprising: a pad main body 2 configuring part of a pad that supports an occupant with a seating surface; slide pad 6 that configures another part of the pad, and that approaches or moves away from the pad main body by sliding in a direction oriented along the seating surface; a slide cover that covers the slide pad; a cover main body that has breathable properties and that covers the pad main body (see Claim 5 where it reads “….an air-permeable tensioned layer or a textile layer of an upholstery covering of the seat part element.”); and an air moving machine 13 that moves air but it is not clear if main pad has a flow path that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from the seating surface or if the flow path reaches as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion that is in communication with the flow path and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side (see Fig. 4)
PNG
media_image5.png
232
302
media_image5.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image6.png
344
256
media_image6.png
Greyscale
However, Yoshinori et al. teach the concept of a ventilated vehicle seat that includes a main pad 1 has a flow path 110 that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from a seating surface; an air moving machine 5 that moves air inside the flow path; wherein the flow path reaching as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion 120 that is in communication with the flow path 110 and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location 130 on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side (see Figures 12-13 above); wherein the main body groove portion is configured by a single fat groove at a location on the flow path side and is configured by a plurality of fine grooves at a location on the seating surface side, as defined in claim 2. It would have been obvious and well within the level of ordinary skill in the art to modify the vehicle seat, as taught by Binner, to include a main pad has a flow path that is formed at an opposite side of the pad main body from a seating surface; an air moving machine that moves air inside the flow path; wherein the flow path reaching as far as an opposing face of the pad main body; a main body groove portion that is in communication with the flow path and that reaches as far as the seating surface is formed in the opposing face and the main body groove portion is formed narrower at a location 6 on a seating surface side than at a location on a flow path side, as taught by Yoshinori et al., since such an arrangement would improve and optimize the air circulation inside the seat padding.
As for Claim 6, Binner teaches that the pad is a seat cushion pad provided at a seat cushion for supporting buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant; and the slide pad is disposed at a seat front side with respect to the pad main body, and slides along a seat front-rear direction with respect to the pad main body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 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 prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because I teaches structures and concepts similar to those of the present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rodney B. White whose telephone number is (571)272-6863. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 AM-5:00 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, David R. Dunn can be reached at (571) 272-6670. 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.
/Rodney B White/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636