DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 14/424,312.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information referred to in the IDS filed November 18, 2024 has been considered.
Specification
Page 1 of the specification should be updated, where appropriate, to reflect the current status of any related application.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
Regarding claim 1, note the limitation “a through-hole is provided at the portion of the lower member frame extending along the seat width direction”.
Regarding claim 1, note the limitation “the portion of the lower member frame extending along the seat width direction is attached to the member frame attachment portion by welding while being in contact with a front surface of the member frame attachment portion”.
Regarding claim 1, note the limitation “the reinforcement portion is disposed at a position that overlaps the through-hole in the seat width direction”.
Regarding claim 1, note the limitation “the reinforcement portion is disposed at a position that overlaps, in the seat width direction, an attachment position in which the lower member frame is attached to the member frame attachment portion”.
Regarding claim 8, note limitation “the through-hole is disposed at a position that overlaps the upper flange in the up and down direction”.
Regarding claim 9, note the limitation “the through-hole is disposed at a position that overlaps the rear wall side flange in the up and down direction”.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-16 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 written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the portion of the lower member frame extending along the seat width direction is attached to the member frame attachment portion by welding while being in contact with a front surface of the member frame attachment portion”. The originally filed disclosure (see Application No. 14/424,312) does not support this limitation.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the reinforcement portion is disposed at a position that overlaps the through-hole in the seat width direction”. The originally filed disclosure (see Application No. 14/424,312) does not support this limitation.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the reinforcement portion is disposed at a position that overlaps, in the seat width direction, an attachment position in which the lower member frame is attached to the member frame attachment portion”. The originally filed disclosure (see Application No. 14/424,312) does not support this limitation.
Claim 8 recites the limitation “the through-hole is disposed at a position that overlaps the upper flange in the up and down direction”. The originally filed disclosure (see Application No. 14/424,312) does not support this limitation.
Claim 9 recites the limitation “the through-hole is disposed at a position that overlaps the rear wall side flange in the up and down direction”. The originally filed disclosure (see Application No. 14/424,312) does not support this limitation.
The remaining claims are rejected as each depends from a rejected claim.
Conclusion
Applicant is advised that although no prior art rejection is applied to the claims, none of the claims are considered allowable in view of the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph.
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.
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mn /MILTON NELSON JR/July 24, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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