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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 09/18/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 and 13 under 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Hidaka et al. (US 20240300389 A1), in view of Arnold et al. (US 20110169289 A1).
Applicant’s arguments, filed 09/18/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 19 under 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and in view of Hidaka et al. (US 20240300389 A1), in view of Arnold et al. (US 20110169289 A1).
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.
Claims 13, 17-20 and 22-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hidaka et al. (US 20240300389 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Hidaka teaches “A recreational vehicle comprising:
a chassis (vehicle body including main frame, see Hidaka, abstract);
a body coupled to the chassis (vehicle body, see Hidaka, abstract);
a first seat assembly coupled to at least one of the chassis or the body (see Hidaka, paragraph 0070), the first seat assembly movable between a first seat configuration and a first storage configuration where the first seat assembly defines a first portion of a storage bed of the recreational vehicle (see Hidaka, paragraph 0071); and
a second seat assembly coupled to at least one of the chassis or the body, the second seat assembly positioned forward of the first seat assembly, the second seat assembly movable between a second seat configuration and a second storage configuration where the second seat assembly defines a second portion of the storage bed (see Hidaka, paragraph 0140), the second seat assembly being a front seat assembly including a driver seat portion (see Hidaka, paragraph 0063) and a passenger seat portion (see Hidaka, paragraph 0063), the passenger seat portion including:
a seat base coupled to the at least one of the chassis or the body (see Hidaka, paragraph 0064); and a passenger bottom cushion movably coupled to the seat base, wherein the passenger bottom cushion is in a first position above the seat base when the front seat assembly is in the second seat configuration and is in a second position forward of the seat base when the front seat assembly is in the second storage configuration (see Hidaka, paragraph 0140).”
Regarding claim 17, Hidaka, teaches “The recreational vehicle of claim 13, further comprising a third seat assembly coupled to at least one of the chassis or the body, the third seat assembly positioned forward of the first seat assembly and rearward of the second seat assembly, the third seat assembly movable between a third seat configuration and a third storage configuration where the third seat assem3bly defines a third portion of the storage bed. (The vehicle according to the disclosure may contain three or more rows of seats, see Hidaka, paragraph 0225)”
Regarding claim 18, Hidaka teaches “The recreational vehicle of claim 17, further comprising a canopy assembly including:
a plurality of first pillars (pillars, 14, see Hidaka, paragraph 0060);
a plurality of second pillars positioned rearward of the first pillars (pillars, 15, see Hidaka, paragraph 0060);
a plurality of third pillars positioned rearward of the second pillars (pillars 17, see Hidaka, paragraph 0060); and
a canopy coupled to the first pillars, the second pillars, and the third pillars, the canopy covering at least one of the first seat assembly, the second seat assembly, or the third seat assembly (roll over protection structure, see Hidaka, paragraph 0060);
wherein the third seat assembly is coupled to at least one of the second pillars (pillars, 15, are connected to all vehicle seats through vehicle chassis and body, see Hidaka, paragraph 0060).”
Regarding claim 22, Hidaka teaches “The recreational vehicle of claim 13, wherein the passenger bottom cushion pivots forward relative to the seat base to move the passenger bottom cushion from the first position to the second position (see Hidaka, Figure 7.2).”
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Hidaka, Figure 7.2
Regarding claim 19, Hidaka teaches “A forward-facing seat assembly for a recreational vehicle, the seat assembly movable between a seat configuration and a storage configuration (see Hidaka, paragraph 0058), the seat assembly comprising:
a seat base configured to couple to at least one of a chassis or a body of the recreational vehicle (see Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 1), the seat base defining a first surface (see Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 1);
a bottom cushion assembly pivotably coupled to the seat base (see Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 2), the bottom cushion assembly defining a second surface on a first side of the bottom cushion assembly (see Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 2), the bottom cushion assembly pivotable between a first position where the second surface is supported by the first surface when the seat assembly is in the seat configuration and a second position where the second surface aligns with the first surface when the seat assembly is in the storage configuration (see Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 1); and
a back cushion assembly at least one of removably or pivotably coupled to the seat base (see Hidaka, paragraph 0141), wherein the back cushion assembly is in a third position above the seat base when the seat assembly is in the seat configuration (see Hidaka, Figure 1.1) and is in a fourth position below the first surface of the seat base when the seat assembly is in the storage configuration (rear seat back may be pivoted over seat rear seat base to the rear, which would result in the seat back laying below rear seat base, see Hidaka, paragraph 0141 and Figure 26, Annotation Set 1).”
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Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 1
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Hidaka, Figure 5, Annotation Set 2
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Hidaka, Figure 1.1
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Hidaka, Figure 26, Annotation Set 1
Regarding claim 20, Hidaka teaches “The seat assembly of claim 19, wherein a first portion of the bottom cushion assembly and a second portion of the bottom cushion assembly are separately pivotable between the first position and the second position (see Hidaka, paragraph 0232).”
Regarding claim 23, Hidaka teaches “The seat assembly of claim 19, wherein the bottom cushion assembly pivots forward relative to the seat base to move the bottom cushion assembly from the first position to the second position (see Hidaka, Figure 7.2).”
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-4, 6, 8-12, 14-15, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hidaka et al. (US 20240300389 A1) in view of Arnold et al. (US 20110169289 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hidaka teaches “A golf vehicle comprising:
a chassis (vehicle body including main frame, see Hidaka, abstract);
a floor supported by the chassis (floor panel, see Hidaka, abstract);
a body coupled to the chassis (vehicle body, see Hidaka, abstract); and
a seat assembly movable between a seat configuration and a storage configuration (see Hidaka, paragraph 0008), the seat assembly including:
a seat base coupled to at least one of the chassis or the body (see Hidaka, abstract);
a back cushion assembly removably coupled to the seat base (back cushion may be removable from the vehicle body, and thus the seat base as well, see Hidaka, paragraph 0221); and a bottom cushion assembly movably coupled to the seat base, wherein the bottom cushion assembly is in a first position above the seat base when the seat assembly is in the seat configuration and is in a second position forward of the seat base when the seat assembly is in the storage configuration (seat top is hingeably attached to the seat bottom, and can swing between normal use and storage use positions, see Hidaka, paragraphs 0073 and 0074).”
Hidaka does not teach “the body, the seat base, and the bottom cushion assembly collectively define a storage area extending between the floor, the seat base, and the bottom cushion assembly when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position; and the back cushion assembly is configured to be received by the storage area when the seat assembly is in the storage configuration.”
However, Arnold teaches “the body, the seat base, and the bottom cushion assembly collectively define a storage area extending between the floor, the seat base, and the bottom cushion assembly when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position; and the back cushion assembly is configured to be received by the storage area when the seat assembly is in the storage configuration (see Arnold, Figure 8, Annotation Set 1).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
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Arnold, Figure 8, Annotation Set 1
Regarding claim 2, Hidaka, in view of Arnold teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein:
the seat base defines a first surface (see Hidaka, Figure 7.1);
the bottom cushion assembly defines a second surface (see Hidaka, Figure 7.1); and
the second surface aligns with the first surface when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position to define at least a portion of a storage bed of the golf vehicle (see Hidaka, Figure 7.1).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
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Hidaka, Figure 7.1
Regarding claim 3, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 2, wherein the second surface is supported by the first surface when the bottom cushion assembly is in the first position.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 3, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 2, wherein the second surface is supported by the first surface when the bottom cushion assembly is in the first position.” (Rear seat bottom rests on rear seat base in normal use, see paragraph 0070)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 4, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 2, wherein:
the second surface is on a first side of the bottom cushion assembly; and
the bottom cushion assembly includes a bottom cushion on an opposing second side of the bottom cushion assembly.” (Rear seat bottom comprises cushion on one side and surface on the other, see paragraph 0070)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 6, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:
a canopy assembly) including:
a plurality of pillars (see Hidaka, Figure 1.1); and
a canopy coupled to the pillars, the canopy covering at least a portion of the seat assembly (see Hidaka, Figure 1.1); and
wherein the back cushion assembly is removably coupled to at least one of the plurality of pillars (back cushion may be removed from pillars, see paragraph 0141, see Hidaka, Figure 1.1).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 8, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a front row seat assembly positioned forward of the seat assembly (front and rear seat assemblies, see Hidaka, abstract), wherein the bottom cushion assembly is supported by the front row seat assembly when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position (see Arnold, Figure 2.1).”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute the support post (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) designed to support the seat cushions when in storage configuration as taught by Hidaka, with a support point located on the front seat assembly as taught by Arnold, to prevent the armrest from becoming dirty (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076), with a reasonable expectation of success. Note that Hidaka additionally mentions that the support post may contact another part of the vehicle other than the floor. (See Hidaka, paragraph 0077)
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Arnold, Figure 2.1
Regarding claim 9, Hidaka teaches all the limitations of the claims as applied to claim 8, except for “wherein the bottom cushion assembly includes an interface assembly configured to releasably couple to the front row seat assembly when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position.”
However, Arnold teaches “wherein the bottom cushion assembly includes an interface assembly configured to releasably couple to the front row seat assembly when the bottom cushion assembly is in the second position.” (Locking device prevents undesirable motion of the storage bed when deployed, see Arnold, paragraph 0044)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute the support post (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) designed to support the seat cushions when in storage configuration as taught by Hidaka, with a locking support point located on the front seat assembly as taught by Arnold, to prevent the armrest from becoming dirty (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) and undesirable motion of the deployed storage bed, with a reasonable expectation of success. Note that Hidaka additionally mentions that the support post may contact another part of the vehicle other than the floor. (See Hidaka, paragraph 0077)
Regarding claim 10, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the bottom cushion assembly and a second portion of the bottom cushion assembly are separately movable between the first position and the second position.” (See Hidaka, paragraph 0232)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 11, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the bottom cushion assembly pivots forward relative to the seat base to move the bottom cushion assembly from the first position to the second position.” (See Hidaka, Figure 7.2)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
Regarding claim 21, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches all the limitations as applied to claim 1. Further, Arnold teaches “wherein the back cushion assembly is positioned below the bottom cushion assembly when the back cushion assembly is received within the storage area (see Arnold, Figure 8, Annotation Set 1).”
Regarding claim 12, Hidaka, in view of Arnold, teaches “The golf vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a forward seat assembly coupled to at least one of the chassis or the body, the forward seat assembly positioned forward of the seat assembly, the forward seat assembly movable between a forward seat configuration and a forward storage configuration where the forward seat assembly defines a forward portion of the storage bed.” (See Hidaka, Figure 27.1)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate back seat cushion designed to be stowed between a floor and seat base as taught by Arnold, into the folding golf vehicle seat assembly as taught by Hidaka, in order to conveniently clear a storage space in the vehicle by repositioning existing seat features into a stowed arrangement, without the need for outright removal of the features.
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Hidaka, Figure 27.1
Regarding claim 14, Hidaka teaches all the limitations of the claims as applied to claim 13, except for “wherein a portion of the first seat assembly is supported by the second seat assembly when the first seat assembly is in the first storage configuration.”
However, Arnold teaches “wherein a portion of the first seat assembly is supported by the second seat assembly when the first seat assembly is in the first storage configuration.” (See Arnold, Figure 2.1)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute the support post (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) designed to support the seat cushions when in storage configuration as taught by Hidaka, with a support point located on the front seat assembly as taught by Arnold, to prevent the armrest from becoming dirty (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076), with a reasonable expectation of success. Note that Hidaka additionally mentions that the support post may contact another part of the vehicle other than the floor. (See Hidaka, paragraph 0077)
Regarding claim 15, Hidaka teaches all the limitations of the claims as applied to claim 14, except for “wherein the first seat assembly includes an interface assembly configured to releasably couple to the second seat assembly when the first seat assembly is in the first storage configuration.”
However, Arnold teaches “wherein the first seat assembly includes an interface assembly configured to releasably couple to the second seat assembly when the first seat assembly is in the first storage configuration.” (Locking device prevents undesirable motion of the storage bed when deployed, see Arnold, paragraph 0044)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute the support post (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) designed to support the seat cushions when in storage configuration as taught by Hidaka, with a locking support point located on the front seat assembly as taught by Arnold, to prevent the armrest from becoming dirty (see Hidaka, paragraph 0076) and undesirable motion of the deployed storage bed, with a reasonable expectation of success. Note that Hidaka additionally mentions that the support post may contact another part of the vehicle other than the floor. (See Hidaka, paragraph 0077)
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACK R CATALANO whose telephone number is (571)270-0470. The examiner can normally be reached Monday Friday, 8 a.m. 5 p.m. ET..
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivek Koppikar can be reached at (571) 272-5109. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JRC/
/JASON S MORROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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