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 .
The following correspondence is a non-final Office Action for application no. 19/065,364, for a REINFORCED TRACK ASSEMBLY FOR VEHICLE SEAT, filed on 2/27/2025. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 2/27/2025 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but some of the information referred to therein has not been considered.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 6, 10 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (U.S. Pat. 9,914,373).
Regarding claim 1, Sato teaches a track assembly for mounting a seat within a vehicle (see Fig. 3), the track assembly comprising: a track having an inner surface; and a support extending from the inner surface of the track at an upward sloping angle, the support having a curved end defining a plurality of apertures (Fig. 1).
[AltContent: textbox (Support)][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
250
480
media_image1.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (Curved end )]
[AltContent: textbox (track)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (Upwardly sloping angle)][AltContent: textbox (Inner surface)]
Regarding claim 2, Sato teaches the assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a latch plate (40) having a plurality of latch teeth (45a, 45b, 45c); wherein at least one latch tooth of the plurality of latch teeth is configured to extend through an aperture of the plurality of apertures of the support to selectively fix the latch plate to the track.
Regarding claim 5, Sato teaches the assembly of claim 1, wherein: the support extends a first longitudinal length along the inner surface of the track; the plurality of apertures extends a second longitudinal length along the curved end of the support; and the first longitudinal length is longer than the second longitudinal length such that a portion of the curved end of the support is free from the plurality of apertures (see Fig. 1, where apertures are located on only a part of the support).
Regarding claim 6, Sato teaches the assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of apertures is an elongated slot.
Regarding claim 10, Sato teaches a track assembly for mounting a seat within a vehicle, the track assembly comprising: a track having a first sidewall and a second sidewall that laterally opposes the first sidewall; and a support coupled to the first sidewall and extending in an upward sloped direction towards the second sidewall (support extends in the direction of the second sidewall), the support having a free end defining a plurality of apertures.
[AltContent: textbox (track)]
[AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
250
480
media_image1.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (Free end )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (Second sidewall)][AltContent: textbox (Support, upwardly sloping angle)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (support)][AltContent: textbox (First sidewall)]
Regarding claim 14, Sato teaches the assembly of claim 10, wherein: the support extends a first longitudinal length along the first sidewall of the track; the plurality of apertures of the support extends a second longitudinal length along the free end of the support; and the first longitudinal length is longer than the second longitudinal length such that a portion of the free end of the support is free from the plurality of apertures (see Fig. 1).
Claim(s) 10, 14 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Feuillet et al. (U.S. Pat. 11,325,904).
Regarding claim 10, Feuillet teaches a track assembly for mounting a seat within a vehicle, the track assembly comprising: a track having a first sidewall and a second sidewall that laterally opposes the first sidewall; and a support coupled to the first sidewall and extending in an upward sloped direction towards the second sidewall (support extends in the direction of the second sidewall), the support having a free end defining a plurality of apertures.
[AltContent: textbox (Free end )]
[AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image2.png
290
490
media_image2.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (Flange with plurality of first apertures)]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (Second sidewall)][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First sidewall)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (Support, upwardly sloping angle)]
[AltContent: arrow]
[AltContent: textbox (track)]
Regarding claim 14, Feuillet teaches the assembly of claim 10, wherein: the support extends a first longitudinal length along the first sidewall of the track; the plurality of apertures of the support extends a second longitudinal length along the free end of the support; and the first longitudinal length is longer than the second longitudinal length such that a portion of the free end of the support is free from the plurality of apertures (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 19, Feuillet teaches a track assembly for mounting a seat within a vehicle, the track assembly comprising: a track having a first sidewall and a second sidewall laterally opposing the first sidewall, the second sidewall including a flange defining a plurality of first apertures; and a support coupled to an inner surface of the first sidewall, the support extending from the inner surface in an upward sloping direction, a free end of the support defining a plurality of second apertures.
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato (U.S. Pat. 9,914,373).
Regarding claim 3, Sato teaches the assembly of claim 2, but does not teach that a first number of apertures of the plurality of apertures is greater than a second number of latch teeth of the plurality of latch teeth. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to constrict a first number of apertures of the plurality of apertures is greater than a second number of latch teeth of the plurality of latch teeth in order to conserve manufacturing costs and time by reducing the number of teeth while nonetheless maintaining the essence of the fastening structure because the connection of the apertures to the latch teeth would work equally well even when a first number of apertures of the plurality of apertures is greater than a second number of latch teeth of the plurality of latch teeth due to the solidity of the locking engagement of the teeth in the apertures.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7-9, 11-13, 15-18 and 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. USP 9855867, 10596924, 11254241, 11225173, 5641146
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NKEISHA J. SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-5781. The examiner can normally be reached Normal hours: M/Th 7-4; T 9-5; W 7-3; F 7-4.
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, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. 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.
/NKEISHA SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 September 18, 2026
Prosecution Insights