Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/829,018

VEHICLE SEAT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 09, 2024
Priority
Sep 29, 2023 — JP 2023-169031
Examiner
NELSON JR, MILTON
Art Unit
3636
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Tachi-s Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
1576 granted / 1862 resolved
+32.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+5.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 12m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
1888
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
36.1%
-3.9% vs TC avg
§102
15.0%
-25.0% vs TC avg
§112
47.7%
+7.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1862 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information referred to in the IDS filed October 24, 2024 has been considered. The information referred to in the IDS filed September 9, 2024 has been considered. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Drawings The drawings filed September 9, 2024 are approved. Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. Claim Objections Claims 1-12 are objected to because of the following informality: Line 13 of claim 1 appears to includes a spelling error. Note that “bend” should be “bent”. The remaining claims are indefinite as each depends from an indefinite claim. 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. Claim 12 is 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. Claim 12 recites the limitation "the turning fulcrum" in lines 2 to 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 12 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 1-12 are allowable pending correction of the informality detailed above. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A vehicle seat having a series of supporting, contoured supporting wires is shown by each of FR3138369A1, Ramsey (US4317591), Sugiyama (US9446696), Saito (US4747638), and Shimbori et al (US4579389). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MILTON NELSON JR whose telephone number is (571)272-6861. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30am-1:30pm. 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. 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. mn /MILTON NELSON JR/June 23, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 09, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12678355
RECLINING ARMCHAIR WITH LIFTING SEAT AND EXTENDING FOOTREST
3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679255
LOCKING ASSEMBLY FOR RECLINER
3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679261
SEAT ASSEMBLY
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12677963
INFANT CARE APPARATUS
2y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12673591
MODULAR VEHICLE SEAT AND PLATFORM ASSEMBLIES
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+5.6%)
1y 12m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1862 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month