June 17, 2026
DETAILED ACTION
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: On page 1 of the Specification under “CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS”, Applicant needs to insert - - now U.S. Patent No. 12,214,703 B2 - - after “This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18/018,052 filed on January 26, 2023,”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawing was received on 03/31/2025. This drawing is approved.
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.
In claim 1, line 15, what does Applicant mean by “extends long”? This language does not appear in the specification. On lines 17-18, Applicant defines “wherein a center portion of the through hole is disposed on the seated occupant side in relation to the rotating shaft in the thickness direction of the seat main body”. However, Applicant has not described that the “through hole 102ab” has a “center portion”. However, Applicant does describe that the “seat back 102” has a “seat back 102”. Did Applicant intend to claim - - “wherein a center portion of the seat back is disposed on the seated occupant side in relation to the rotating shaft in the thickness direction of the seat main body”. It really is not clear what Applicant is attempting to define, especially when the “through hole” is shown as two narrow, vertically extending openings in Fig. 10.
The language “extends long” and “wherein a center portion of the through hole is disposed on the seated occupant side in relation to the rotating shaft in the thickness direction of the seat main body” and appears in lines 14-17 of Claim 19 as well.
In claim 4, line 8, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 5, Applicant once again claims “the center portion of the through hole”. On line 4, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 6, line 4, to what does “the center portion” refer? The “center portion” of what?
In claim 9, line 2, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 10, line 2, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 11, line 2, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 12, line 2, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 13, line 4, “the seat front position” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 18, line 9, to what does “the center portion” refer? The “center portion” of what? Earlier in the claim, Applicant has defined a “cushion center portion” and that “the seat back includes a center portion”.
The aforementioned problems render the claims vague and indefinite. Clarification and/or correction is required.
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: The prior art fails to teach that the movable body is disposed in an inner space formed on a back surface of the cushion material inside the seat main body, wherein a through hole which penetrates from an outer surface of the cushion material to the inner space is formed in an outer surface of the cushion material, and wherein the through hole extends long along a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction and a width direction of the seat main body, and wherein a center portion of the through hole is disposed on the seated occupant side in relation to the rotating shaft in the thickness direction of the seat main body..
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because it teaches structures and concepts similar to those of the present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rodney B. White whose telephone number is (571)272-6863. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David R. Dunn can be reached at (571) 272-6670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Rodney B White/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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