Obviousness

This analysis will focus on the obviousness of US patent 11192568 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, considering combinations of prior art references that would render the claims obvious and explaining the motivation a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) would have to combine them. The primary references for this analysis will be US 2010/0140902 (Lee) and US 8,955,869 (Lee), as they were cited in the petition for IPR2025-01100 against US11192568.

Claims of US11192568

Claim 1, an independent claim, describes a stroller apparatus comprising:
(a) a stroller frame;
(b) one or more front wheels attached to the stroller frame;
(c) one or more rear wheels attached to the stroller frame;
(d) a first seat coupled to the stroller frame;
(e) first and second seat attachment housings, each of the first and second seat attachment housings coupled to the stroller frame, wherein each of the first and second seat attachment housings includes a cavity for receiving a corresponding one of first and second removable seat attachment adapters, and wherein each of the first and second seat attachment housings includes a door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use; and
(f) first and second removable seat attachment adapters, each of the first and second removable seat attachment adapters configured to be removably coupled to the corresponding cavity of the first and second seat attachment housings, respectively, such that a second seat can be coupled to the first and second removable seat attachment adapters.

The key distinguishing features of Claim 1 relate to the "seat attachment housings" having a "cavity" for "removable seat attachment adapters" and critically, a "door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use."

Prior Art Analysis

Let's examine the cited prior art references:

The search results indicate that I can find the full text of patents from the USPTO website or Google Patents. I will proceed to find these patents and then analyze them.

US 2010/0140902 A1 (Lee)
This patent application, titled "Stroller and Convertible Seat Assembly," was filed by Jon H. Lee et al. and published on June 10, 2010. It describes a stroller system with a convertible seat that can be installed in different positions or converted into different configurations (e.g., infant carrier, child seat, stroller seat).

Key teachings of US 2010/0140902 A1 relevant to US11192568:

• Removable seat attachment: The patent explicitly discusses a "removable child seating apparatus" (e.g., paragraphs,). It details how a child seating apparatus can be "removably connected to a stroller frame" (paragraph).
• Adapters for attaching seats: It describes a "seat adapter" or "carrier adapter" that enables a seat to be attached to the stroller frame (e.g., paragraphs,,,,). These adapters often involve slots and connectors for secure attachment. For instance, the "stroller frame includes receiver portions configured to engage the carrier adapter" (paragraph).
• Multiple seat configurations: The patent teaches converting a single stroller into a multi-seat stroller by adding seats (e.g., paragraphs-).
• Attachment mechanisms: Various mechanisms for releasably connecting components are described, including "buttons, snaps, friction fittings, interference fits, threaded connections, locking tabs, keyed connections, other fasteners, or the like" (paragraph).

However, US 2010/0140902 A1 does not explicitly disclose "seat attachment housings" with a "door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use." While it shows adapters being inserted into receiver portions, these receivers are typically open slots or tubes, not housings with closable doors.

US 8,955,869 B2 (Lee)
This patent, titled "Stroller and convertible seat assembly," was issued to Jon H. Lee et al. on February 17, 2015. It is a granted patent from the same family as US 2010/0140902 A1 and shares many similar teachings regarding convertible strollers and removable seat attachments.

Key teachings of US 8,955,869 B2 relevant to US11192568:

• Stroller with multiple configurations: The patent describes a stroller that can be configured to "adjust from a single seat stroller to a multi-seat stroller" (column 5, lines 5-7).
• Removable seat attachment: It teaches a "removable seat attachment for a stroller that is capable of supporting a seat" (column 5, lines 7-9), including various types of seats like stroller seats, baby seats, bassinets, prams, car seats, or baby carriers.
• Connector portions and attachment frame members: The patent discloses "connector portions capable of connecting to a stroller frame and a seat support element capable of supporting a seat" (column 5, lines 34-37). It also refers to "attachment frame members" (column 6, lines 16-17) and "attachment portions" on the stroller frame (column 5, lines 60-61).
• Locking mechanisms: Various locking mechanisms are described for securing the seat attachment to the stroller frame, such as "friction locking device, threaded connection, peg in a hole, or an interference locking device such as a pin in a hole" (column 7, lines 20-24).

Similar to US 2010/0140902 A1, US 8,955,869 B2 teaches removable seat attachments and adapters but does not explicitly disclose "seat attachment housings" with a "door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use." The attachment points are generally open or simply covered by the attachment itself when in use.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103

A claim is obvious if "the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art." (35 U.S.C. § 103).

The core differentiating feature of Claim 1 of US11192568 over the teachings of US 2010/0140902 A1 and US 8,955,869 B2 is the presence of "seat attachment housings" that include a "door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use." Both prior art references clearly teach the concept of a stroller frame with front and rear wheels, a first seat, and removable seat attachment adapters that couple to the stroller frame to allow a second seat to be attached. The "cavity for receiving a corresponding one of first and second removable seat attachment adapters" can be seen as analogous to the "receiver portions" or "attachment portions" described in the Lee prior art (e.g., US 2010/0140902 A1, paragraph; US 8,955,869 B2, column 5, lines 60-61).

Combination of Lee (US 2010/0140902 A1 or US 8,955,869 B2) with General Knowledge or other Prior Art regarding covers/doors

The missing element is the "door configured to prevent access to the respective cavity when not in use." A POSITA in the field of stroller design, concerned with child safety, aesthetics, and prevention of debris accumulation, would have been motivated to incorporate covers or doors over unused openings or attachment points.

• Motivation to Combine:

  1. Safety: Exposed cavities or attachment points on a stroller could pose a safety hazard to children (e.g., fingers getting pinched, foreign objects being inserted). A door would prevent accidental access and potential injury. The background of US11192568 itself mentions "creating a safety hazard for children not in the stroller when the second seat is not attached to the stroller" regarding current attachment mechanisms [cite: US11192568, Description, Background].
  2. Aesthetics: Open cavities or exposed mechanisms might be unsightly when the second seat is not in use. A door provides a cleaner, more finished appearance to the stroller.
  3. Protection from debris/elements: An open cavity could accumulate dirt, dust, food crumbs, or be exposed to weather elements, which could impede the proper functioning of the attachment mechanism when it is eventually used. A door would protect the cavity and its internal components.
  4. Common Design Practice: It is a well-known design principle to cover unused openings or receptacles in consumer products for safety, aesthetics, and protection. For example, child safety caps for electrical outlets or covers for unused ports on electronic devices are ubiquitous. Applying this principle to stroller attachment points, especially given the safety context, would be a matter of routine design choice for a POSITA.

• How the combination would be made:
  A POSITA, starting from the teachings of Lee (e.g., US 2010/0140902 A1 or US 8,955,869 B2) which describe stroller frames with receiver portions for removable seat adapters, would readily consider adding a simple door or cover to these receiver portions. The detailed description of US11192568 shows a "sliding door 1135" or a "rotating door 1415" [cite: US11192568, Description, FIGS. 11, 14A-C]. These types of doors are mechanically simple and well-known in various arts.

  For instance, a sliding door could operate along rails integrated into the seat attachment housing (as described in US11192568, paragraph). A rotating door could be coupled via hinges (as described in US11192568, paragraph). These are standard mechanical solutions for covering an opening. The choice of a sliding or rotating door would be an obvious design choice depending on the specific geometry and aesthetic requirements of the stroller.

Conclusion

Claims 1-20 of US11192568, particularly independent Claim 1, appear to be rendered obvious by a combination of either US 2010/0140902 A1 (Lee) or US 8,955,869 B2 (Lee) with the general knowledge of a person having ordinary skill in the art regarding the advantages of covering unused openings in consumer products for safety, aesthetics, and protection from debris. The explicit mention in the background of US11192568 that "current attachment mechanisms can suffer from several drawbacks. These drawbacks include being permanently affixed to the stroller frame and taking up unnecessary space or creating a safety hazard for children not in the stroller when the second seat is not attached to the stroller" [cite: US11192568, Description, Background] further underscores that addressing such safety hazards through covers or doors would be an obvious design improvement to existing removable seat attachment systems. The specific mechanisms for such doors (sliding, rotating) are conventional and would have been readily implemented by a POSITA.