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 .
This non-final Office action is in response to Applicant’s patent application number 18/973,217 filed on 12/9/2024.
Currently, claims 1-19 are pending and examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/9/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-19 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.
Re claim 1, line 13; a citation “there along” renders the claim indefinite and confusing because it’s unclear whether the Applicant meant “the first groove has a plurality of seats positioned alongside”? Clarification is required. Claims 2-10 depending upon the rejected claim 1 are also rejected. Claim 11, line 13; having the same issues as mentioned; therefore, claims 11-19 are rejected. Clarification is required.
Re claim 2, line 2; a citation “the shape” does not have a proper antecedent basis. Correction is required. Claim 12, line 2; having the same issues as mentioned; therefore, claim 12 is rejected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: no prior art discloses combination structures of a vehicle seat, including a position of the head restraint in the forward direction and rearward direction is controlled by a movement mechanism that includes a first plate that is fixed and has a first groove formed therein, a second plate that is movable relative to the first plate and has a second groove formed therein, and a bearing component that is positioned between the first plate and the second plate and located in each of the first and second grooves, the first groove has a plurality of seats positioned there along, and movement of the second plate relative to the first plate moves the bearing component through the first groove to a selected seat of the plurality of seats, as set forth in the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (see attached PTO-892).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to CHI Q. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571) 272-6847. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 7AM-5PM or email: chi.nguyen@uspto.gov. If attempt to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Brian Mattei can be reached at (571) 270-3238. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pairdirect.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at (866) 217-9197.
/CHI Q NGUYEN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3635
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