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 § 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) 1-2 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Letow et al (WO 2021214208A1). Letow et al. shows the use of a chair comprising: a backrest frame (3) configured to support a backrest; a seatback post (2) coupled to a bottom of the backrest frame by means of a hinge (A1) and configured to be rotatable forwards and backwards about the bottom; a seatback slider (A3) coupled to the seatback post above the hinge so as to be slidable up and down (Figs. 3A, 3B); and a seatback connector (5) made of a soft material that is deformable and configured to interconnect the backrest frame and the seatback slider, wherein the seatback connector moves the backrest frame in a direction in which a load of a user is applied (Figs. 3A, 3B). Regarding claim 15, when the user reclines the seatback post while leaning his/her back against the backrest, the seatback slider slides down (Fig. 3B), and the backrest frame bends while rotating about the hinge so that its upper part moves backwards and its lower part moves forward.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-14 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. Reference Nos. CN 111955983A show features of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY D BARFIELD whose telephone number is (571)272-6852. 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.
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/ANTHONY D BARFIELD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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April 02, 2026
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