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) 1-3, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xiaohong Li et al. U.S. Patent 11,700,942 B2 (Li).
Regarding claim 1, Li discloses a mechanical stretching device for a movable seat unit, comprising: a seat assembly, comprising a base assembly (Element 11), a lateral plate (Element 21) attached to a seat of the seat unit, and a central driven member (Figure 2 Element 14) coupled between the base assembly and the lateral plate; a backrest assembly (Element 3), pivotally connected to a rear part of the lateral plate (Figure 1), comprising a backrest connecting member (Element 32) configured to be attached to a backrest of the seat unit and a backrest link assembly pivotally connected to the backrest connecting member (Figure 5 and 6), the backrest link assembly comprising a first backrest link hinged to the central driven member and a second backrest link hinged to the lateral plate, wherein the first backrest link is hinged to the second backrest link (links shown but not indicated Figures 1-6); a leg stretching device (Element 4), pivotally connected to a front part of the lateral plate, comprising a plurality of links pivotally connected with each other and a first footrest member configured to be attached to a footrest, wherein the mechanical stretching device allows the seat unit to be switched between a sitting position, a TV position, and/or a lying position; the first footrest member is folded below a seat when in the sitting position; the first footrest member is stretched forward when in the TV position; and the backrest is relined backward, a highest point of the footrest is higher than a highest point of the backrest, and the first footrest member is stretched forward and upward, when in the lying position (Figure 6).
Regarding claim 2, Li discloses the mechanical stretching device wherein the backrest is reclined at least 35 degrees more in the lying position than in the sitting position (Figure 4 angles of recline position Column 4 Line 3-13).
Regarding claim 3, Li discloses the mechanical stretching device wherein a front end of the first footrest member is raised in the lying position, so that an acute angle with an opening facing forward in a range of 10 degrees to 23 degrees is formed between a footrest surface of the first footrest member and a horizontal plane (Figure 4 angles of recline position Column 4 Line 3-13).
Regarding claim 11, Li discloses the mechanical stretching device wherein the seat assembly further comprises a front swing rod, a rear swing rod, a seat driven member, and a lateral plate driven member; lower ends of both the front swing rod and the rear swing rod are pivotally connected to the base assembly, upper ends of both the front swing rod and the rear swing rod are connected to the lateral plate through the central driven member, the seat driven member, and the lateral plate driven member (Column 4 Line 41-64).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-10, 12-20 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHIN H KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-7788. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM.
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/SHIN H KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636
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