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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on December 05, 2024 and December 03, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-2 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yokota (US 2006/0269068 A1).
As to claim 1, Yokota discloses an acoustic device [FIG. 1], comprising:
a chair [20 on FIG. 4]; and
a speaker attached to the chair [Speaker holder 22 on FIG. 4], wherein the acoustic device is configured to select and set at least one of a first acoustic operation in which a sound pressure or vibration is applied to a seated person sitting in the chair [Listener 1] by emitting sound from the speaker [“The listener seating in the chair feels the same sound pressure with the speakers arrangements. The distance between the subwoofer and the left hear of the listener. The examiner chooses the first acoustic operation because of the simple or” §0057, §0058, §0072 and §0073].
As to claim 2, Yokota discloses the acoustic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a mounting device configured to respectively mount the two speakers to the chair, wherein by using the mounting device, the two speakers are selectively mountable either in a first layout for performing a first acoustic operation, or in a second layout for performing a second acoustic operation [“The speaker holder is mounted at the back of the chair and able to hold the subwoofers and the rear speakers.” §0067].
As to claim 8, Yokota discloses the acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein both of the speaker for performing the first acoustic operation and the two speakers for performing the second acoustic operation are mounted on the chair [“The speaker holder is mounted at the back of the chair and able to hold the subwoofers and the rear speakers.” §0067].
As to claim 9, Yokota discloses the acoustic device according to claim 8, wherein two speakers, each being the speaker, configured to perform the first acoustic operation are provided [“The speaker holder is mounted at the back of the chair and able to hold the subwoofers and the rear speakers.” §0067].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 and 10-11 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. See PTO-89 form.
Rosen (US 9,967,672 B2) discloses seat systems and vehicle audio systems are provided.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GERALD GAUTHIER whose telephone number is (571)272-7539. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CAROLYN R EDWARDS can be reached at (571) 270-7136. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GERALD GAUTHIER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2692
August 5, 2026
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