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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-6 and 9-10is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20180229847 A1 Smallhorn (Smallhorn).
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Regarding claim 1, Smallhorn discloses an aircraft passenger seat platform (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), comprising: a main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); a plurality of body mounts (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) arranged at a bottom (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or side (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or both of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); a seat receptacle (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) arranged at a top (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) and configured to receive and hold one or more passenger seatings (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or one or more passenger seat backrests (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or both; and an electrical interface (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), wherein at least some of the plurality of body mounts (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) are configured to adjust in at least one direction (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) along the bottom (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or the side (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), or both of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 2, Smallhorn discloses wherein the seat receptacle (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) comprises a plurality of seat receptacles (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) arranged in a grid pattern (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) at the top (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 3, Smallhorn discloses wherein the seat receptacle (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) comprises one or more seat mounting rails (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) extending along a transverse direction (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) or longitudinal direction (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of a plane (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) defined by the top (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 4, Smallhorn discloses one or more passenger seatings (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) mounted to a seat receptacle (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the one or more aircraft passenger seat platforms (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); and one or more passenger seat backrests (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) corresponding to the one or more passenger seatings (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) and mounted to a seat receptacle (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the aircraft passenger seat platform (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 5, Smallhorn discloses adjusting the plurality of body mounts (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the one or more aircraft passenger seat platforms (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) to correspond to a plurality of seat rails (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); mounting the one or more aircraft passenger seat platforms (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) to the plurality of seat rails (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); and mounting one or more passenger seats (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) to the seat receptacles (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) at the top (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the main body (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the aircraft passenger seat platform (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 6, Smallhorn discloses wherein mounting one or more passenger seats (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) comprises mounting one or more passenger seatings (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) to the seat receptacles (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), and mounting one or more passenger seat backrests (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) to the seat receptacles (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 9, Smallhorn discloses a plurality of aircraft passenger seat platforms (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, Smallhorn discloses wherein the main body of at least one of the plurality of aircraft passenger seat platforms (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) has a box shape (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) with an opening (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) facing rearward in a longitudinal direction (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) of the aircraft (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
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) 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20180229847 A1 Smallhorn (Smallhorn) in view of US 20200108935 A1 Schuttera (Schuttera).
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Regarding claim 7, Smallhorn discloses . . . the one or more passenger seats (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) from the aircraft passenger seat platform (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), wherein the one or more passenger seats (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) are of a first type (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above); and mounting one or more passenger seats (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 [Page 1 Para. 0003] above) to the seat receptacles (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above).
Smallhorn fails to disclose dismounting the one or more said passenger seats from the said aircraft passenger seat platform, . . . ; and mounting one or more said passenger seats of a second type to the said seat receptacles, wherein the second type is different from the said first type. However, Schuttera teaches dismounting (Schuttera Annotated Fig 1 [Page 2 Para. 0013] above) the one or more said passenger seats from the said aircraft passenger seat platform, . . . ; and mounting one or more said passenger seats of a second type (Schuttera Annotated Fig 1 above) to the said seat receptacles, wherein the second type (Schuttera Annotated Fig 1 above) is different from the said first type.
Specifically, Schuttera’s Para. [0013] discloses that the seat system includes independent modules “that leverage commonality, adaptability, and customization,” including an economy style seat pan structure with ability to trim for left and right hand configurations.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand this disclosure to teach that the seat pan structure module is not permanently fixed, but rather is configured to be removed and exchanged for a different module configuration (e.g., trimmed for left-hand vs. right hand configuration, or substitute with a baggage compartment module as also disclosed in Para. [0013] depending on the desired cabin layout. This necessarily requires dismounting an installed seat pan/module from the underlying structure and mounting a different module in its place. Thus, Schuttera’s teaching of “independent modules” that are interchangeable for “adaptability and customization” discloses dismounting the one or more passenger seats from the aircraft passenger seat platform and mounting one or more passenger seats of a different (second) type to the seat receptacles.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Smallhorn’s aircraft passenger seat platform by dismounting the one or more passenger seats of a first type from the seat receptacle and mounting one or more passenger seats of a second type (business class seats) to the seat receptacles, as taught by Schuttera’s modular seat system comprising an economy style seat pan structure configured for adaptability and customization (Schuttera, Para [0013]). Such a modification would not produce any unexpected results. Moreover, doing so would allow an aircraft operator to leverage the commonality and adaptability of the modular seat pan structure taught by Schuttera to reconfigure Smallhorn’s aircraft passenger seat platform between different classes of service or passenger needs, without requiring a redesign of the underlying mounting/receptacle structure.
Regarding claim 8, Smallhorn discloses wherein the first type (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above) is an economy class passenger seat (Smallhorn Annotated Fig 1 above), . . . or a stretcher for transporting a lying person.
Smallhorn fails to disclose the second type is a business class passenger seat. However, Schuttera teaches the said second type (Annotated Schuttera Fig 1 above) is a business class passenger seat (Annotated Schuttera Fig 1 above).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the claimed invention to modify Smallhorn, as modified by Schuttera, by specifically selecting a business class passenger seat as the second type of passenger seat, as taught by Schuttera, to be mounted to the seat platform receptacles of Smallhorn’s aircraft passenger seat platform. Such a modification would not produce any unexpected results. Moreover, doing so would allow an aircraft operator to specifically reconfigure an economy class seating arrangement into a business class seating arrangement using the same underlying seat platform structure, thereby enabling the aircraft operator to adjust cabin layout to match passenger demand or route-specific service offerings (e.g., converting a section of economy seating to business class seating for a premium route) without redesigning the mounting structure.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In addition to the references used in this rejection and those cited in the PTO-892, the following references are very relevant to the claimed invention: US 2022/0169390 A1, US 2018/0134394 A1, UA 2014/0306061 A1.
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/ASA FRANKLIN SOLOMON/Examiner, Art Unit 3632
/TERRELL L MCKINNON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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