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.
Claim(s) 1, 18, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gregory M. Lawson U.S. Patent 8,398,168 B2 (Lawson).
Regarding claims 1, 18, and 19, Lawson discloses a hook assembly system for attaching an accessory to a portion of a furniture item, comprising: a mounting frame attachable to the portion of the furniture item or forming part of the furniture item, the mounting frame comprising a pair of mounting bars, the pair of mounting bars comprising a first mounting bar and a second mounting bar (Figure 5 Element 401); an accessory (rests on Element 140, 170) configured to be attached to the mounting frame; and a hook assembly, wherein the hook assembly comprises: at least one frame bracket (Element 110), the at least one frame bracket including a base portion and a pair of hooks extending from the base portion, the pair of hooks configured to be attached to the mounting frame (Figure 1-5 Element 110 attached to Element 401), the base portion attachable to the accessory; wherein the pair of mounting bars is spaced apart and wherein the distance is calculated from a first surface of the first mounting bar, to a corresponding first surface of the second mounting bar (pair of linkages for a Figures 1-3). Lawson does not directly disclose the mounting bars to be spaced apart with a distance in a range of 190 millimeters to 200 millimeters and the pair of mounting bars to have a width in a range of 27.5 mm to 32.25 mm. Dimensional modification is common and well known in the art. The pair of members and linkages are provided to construct a support system for a seating assembly. It would be obvious to provide the appropriate distance to support a seated user.
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) 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gregory M. Lawson U.S. Patent 8,398,168 B2 (Lawson).
Regarding claims 2 and 10, Lawson discloses hook assembly system for attaching an accessory to a portion of a furniture item and method, comprising: a mounting frame (Element 400) attachable to the portion of the furniture item or forming part of the furniture item; an accessory (foot rest Element 140 and 170) configured to be attached to the mounting frame; and a hook assembly, wherein the hook assembly comprises: at least one frame bracket, the at least one frame bracket includes a base portion and a pair of hooks extending from the base portion (Element 110), the pair of hooks configured to be attached to the mounting frame, the base portion attachable to the accessory; and a locking mechanism pivotably connected to the base portion, the locking mechanism comprising a stopper configured to prevent movement of the pair of hooks along at least one direction when the locking mechanism is in a locked position (Element 115, Figure 1-5 Column 8 Line 42-61).
Regarding claim 5, Lawson discloses the hook assembly system wherein the mounting frame comprises a pair of mounting bars (Element 401/400).
Regarding claim 8, Lawson discloses the hook assembly system wherein the portion of the furniture item is a seat portion of the furniture item, and wherein the mounting frame is configured to be attached to a base of the seat portion of the furniture item; and the accessory is a footrest recliner (Figure 1-4).
Regarding claim 11, Lawson discloses a furniture item comprising a seat portion (Element 15) and an accessory (Element 45 and 47) installed to the seat portion, comprising a mounting frame (Element 400) attachable to the seat portion of the furniture item or forming part of the seat portion of the furniture item; an accessory (Element 140 and 170) configured to be received by the pair of mounting bars; and a hook assembly, wherein the hook assembly comprises: at least one frame bracket including a base portion and a pair of hooks extending from the base portion (Element 110), the pair of hooks configured to be attached to the mounting frame, the base portion attachable to the accessory; and a locking mechanism pivotably connected to the base portion, the locking mechanism comprising a stopper configured to prevent movement of the pair of hooks along at least one direction when the locking mechanism is in a locked position (Element 110 rotates at 115 that is configured as a hook and stopped rotation along the flanges provided on Element 401).
Regarding claims 15 and 16, Lawson discloses the furniture item wherein the second portion comprises means for attaching the footrest to a main linkage of a linkage system of the second portion when the six-bar mechanical linkage is in the retracted state; wherein the second portion comprises an end portion shaped and dimensioned to receive the footrest (Element 45 and 47 on the surface of Element 140 and 170).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12-14, and 17 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.
Claim 20 is allowed.
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