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 September 2, 2025 has been considered. Applicant is advised that a document titled Request for the Submission of an Opinion has been filed with the IDS. This document is not listed on the IDS, and therefore has not been considered.
The information referred to in the IDS filed June 6, 2025 has been considered. Applicant is advised that a document titled Letter of Notification on Review Opinions of Intellectual Property Bureau of Ministry of Economic Affairs has been filed with the IDS. This document is not listed on the IDS, and therefore has not been considered.
The information referred to in the IDS filed June 6, 2025 has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed November 5, 2024 are approved.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-13, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “wherein the supporting member is movable to different positions of the child carrier by a clamping of the clamp member to different positions of the lifting adjustment structure. See lines 11-13. This limitation is vague, as it appears that the supporting member is movable to different positions of the child carrier by unclamping the clamp member and moving it to different positions of the lifting adjustment structure. It appears that the supporting member is then secured at the different position by clamping the clamp member. The claim language as is currently presented appears to lack enablement. Similarly note lines 8-9 of claim 19. Clarification is required.
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 1-13 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.
In claim 1, it is unclear if Applicant intends to positively claim the combination of a safety belt adjusting structure and a safety belt and a child carrier, or the subcombination of a safety belt adjusting structure for use with a safety belt and child carrier. Note that the preamble appears to set forth the subcombination. Line 4 appears to set forth the combination. Note the recitation “a supporting member movably arranged on the child carrier”. Lines 1 to 2 of claim 2 appear to set forth the combination. Note the recitation “the safety belt adjusting structure is linked with a headrest of the child carrier”. Claim 3 appears to set forth the combination. Note the recitation “the supporting member is connected to the headrest”. Claim 4 appears to positively claim the combination. Note the recitation “the supporting member and the headrest are in an integral structure”. Claim 10 appears to set forth the combination. Note the recitation “each of the through slot structures is longer than a width of the safety belt”. Claim 12 appears to set forth the combination. Note the recitation “one of the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion in each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions is higher than a thickness of the safety belt”. Clarification in the claim language is required. For the purposes of examination, claims 1-13 have been treated as the combination is intended to be claimed.
The remaining claims are indefinite as each depends from an indefinite claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 14, 15, 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Perdelwitz, Jr. et al (US4891454).
Note a safety belt adjusting structure comprising: a supporting member (160); a plurality of rows (162, 164, 166) of adjusting portions having different heights arranged on the supporting member for accommodating a safety belt; and an opened portion (169) arranged on a side of the supporting member, opened laterally, and communicating with at least two rows of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions, wherein the safety belt is able to be cooperated with the plurality of rows of adjusting portions via the opened portion to adjust a position of the safety belt (see Fig. 6 and the abstract).
Regarding claim 15, note a vertical slot structure (168, 172, 174) is arranged between the opened portion (169) and each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions for the safety belt in vertical state to slide.
Regarding claim 17, note a first limiting portion (168, 172, 174) is arranged between each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions and the opened portion, and a sliding of the safety belt in each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions is limited by the first limiting portion.
Claim(s) 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pepys et al (US5735576).
Note a safety belt adjusting structure comprising: a supporting member (10); a plurality of rows (52, 54) of adjusting portions having different heights arranged on the supporting member for accommodating a safety belt; and an opened portion (note adjacent the leader line for 40 in Fig. 1) arranged on a side of the supporting member, opened laterally, and communicating with at least two rows of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions, wherein the safety belt is able to be cooperated with the plurality of rows of adjusting portions via the opened portion to adjust a position of the safety belt.
Regarding claim 15, note a vertical slot structure (note between 34 and 40 in Fig. 1) is arranged between the opened portion and each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions for the safety belt in vertical state to slide.
Regarding claim 16, note a connection between each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions and the vertical slot structure is arc-shaped. In Fig. 2, note the top and bottom edges adjacent 40 are curved.
Regarding claim 17, note a first limiting portion (40) is arranged between each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions and the opened portion, and a sliding of the safety belt in each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions is limited by the first limiting portion.
Regarding claim 18, note a second limiting portion (34) is arranged between each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions and the first limiting portion, and a sliding of the safety belt in each row of the plurality of rows of adjusting portions is limited by the second limiting portion.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A harness adjusting device for a child safety seat is shown by each of Sedlack (US5082325) and Asbach et al (US6623074).
Applicant is advised that although the Office action does not include a prior art rejection of claims 1-13 and 19-20, these claims are not considered allowable in view of the rejections under 35 USC first and/or second paragraphs.
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.
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The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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mn /MILTON NELSON JR/September 2, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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