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 .
Election/Restrictions
As noted in the office action of 6/12/2026, applicant made a provisional election with traverse. However, as applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement in the response of 8/7/2026, the election has been treated as an election without traverse.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1-4, 15, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hashimoto (JP-2013132403-A).
Hashimoto discloses a chair utilizing elastic deformation to allow for movement.
Claim 1 – Hashimoto teaches a central unit (element 3 in figure 11) for a chair, comprising a multi-joint body (figure 11) that comprises:
a seat part (element 38 in figure 11) configured for connection to a seat (element 4 in figure 11),
a backrest part (element 371 in figure 11) configured for connection to a backrest (figure 11),
a support part (element 31 in figure 11) configured for connection to a support of a base (element 22 in figure 11), and
a front part (element 11 in figure 11) arranged between the seat part and the support part (figure 11),
wherein the multi-joint body comprises at least three joints (element 112 at various locations in figure 11) which each connect two of the specified parts in an articulated manner (figure 11),
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Image 1
wherein the at least three joints consist of exactly three joints (element 112, each boxed in Image 1 above, are the “exactly three joints”. The element 112 that is circled in Image 1 above is the “elastic deformation region” aspect of the front part, not a joint), and wherein the front part is flexurally elastic (in paragraph [0025] of the translation, the front “part 11 having an elastic deformation region that elastically deforms”).
Claim 2 – Hashimoto teaches at least one of the joints is a solid-body joint (each joint in figure 11 of Hashimoto is a solid-joint as the entire multi-joint body is formed in one piece).
Claim 3 – Hashimoto teaches the at least one solid-body joint is formed in one piece with the parts connected by the at least one solid-body joint (each joint in figure 11 of Hashimoto is a solid-joint as the entire multi-joint body is formed in one piece).
Claim 4 – Hashimoto teaches the multi-joint body is formed in one piece (in figure 11 of Hashimoto the entire multi-joint body is formed in one piece).
Claim 15 – Hashimoto teaches the at least three joints are solid-body joints (each joint in figure 11 of Hashimoto is a solid-joint as the entire multi-joint body is formed in one piece).
Claim 18 – Hashimoto teaches a chair having the central unit according to claim 1 (in paragraph [0001], “this invention relates to a chair”).
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.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hashimoto (JP-2013132403-A) in view of Ludwig (WO-2016168185-A1).
Ludwig discloses a seating arrangement.
Claim 5 – Hashimoto does not teach the material composition of the multi-joint body. Ludwig teaches the multi-joint body (elements 22 and 26 in figure 2) is made of plastics material (in paragraph [0074], when discussing potential suitable materials for the multi-joint body, elements 22 and 26, Ludwig states “other suitable materials may also be utilized, such as metals…; or composite material including plastics”).
Ludwig teaches that, at the time of invention, plastic was a material known to the art as suitable for the construction of the multi-joint body. A specific material for the multi-joint body of Hashimoto is not disclosed, however, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hashimoto with the plastic material taught by Ludwig since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/7/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 6 of the remarks, the applicant argues that Hashimoto does not teach a “flexurally elastic front part”, but that the “front link 34” is formed from hard synthetic resin. Applicant mentions, at the bottom of page 6 and continues on page 7 of the remarks, that Hashimoto teaches the hard portion 11 elastically deforms in paragraph [0025], and that Hashimoto teaches one of the 112 elements is considered part of the hard portion 11 as an “elastic deformation region”. Therefore, Hashimoto teaches, in figure 11, there are exactly three joints 112 (boxed in Image 1 above), and one elastic deformation region 112 (circled in image 1 above) which is part of the front part 11, making the front part flexurally elastic.
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.
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/T.A.L./Examiner, Art Unit 3636
/DAVID R DUNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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