Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/976,020

INFANT CAR SEAT BASE WITH ROTATING TRAY

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Dec 10, 2024
Examiner
CHEN, JOSE V
Art Unit
3637
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Evenflo Company Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
1709 granted / 2191 resolved
+26.0% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
2212
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
39.2%
-0.8% vs TC avg
§102
14.9%
-25.1% vs TC avg
§112
33.8%
-6.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 2191 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . 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. Claim(s) 10, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Larrison (20240166098). The reference to Larrison teaches structure as claimed including a base assembly to secure a car seat within an automobile, the assembly comprising: a base (18) having a front, a back and a top area extending between the front and the back; an arm(28) pivotally coupled to the base, the arm pivotal between a first position with the arm pivoted away from the top area and a second position with the arm pivoted adjacent the top area; and a tray(14) rotatably coupled to a top surface of the arm, such that the tray is rotatable with respect to the arm, the tray having a top surface adapted to releasably receive a car seat. 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. Claim(s) 1, 5, 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Larrison (20240166098). The reference to Larrison teaches structure substantially as claimed as discussed above including a channel (depression of the base in which arm 28 is connected to. The positioning of the arm, near the front back, sides is a matter of design parameters and would have been obvious and well within the level of ordinary skill in the art and a reasonably predictable result of the structures. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-4, 7, 8, 9, 11-14, 16-20 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. The references cited teach structure similar to applicant’s including tilting and rotated seating structures. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE V CHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6865. The examiner can normally be reached m-f, m-w 5:30-3:00, th5:30-2:00. 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, Daniel Troy can be reached at 571 270 3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOSE V CHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 10, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12703447
TELESCOPIC SEATPOST
4y 5m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12703448
HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE SEAT POSTS FOR BICYCLES
2y 10m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12702232
ARTICLE OF FURNITURE
2y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12698023
CHILD SEAT DEVICE AND CHILD PRODUCT
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12696982
LATE-MODEL COMPRESSIBLE FURNITURE
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+15.3%)
1y 10m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 2191 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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