Prior art

Prior Art Analysis for US Patent 12,377,343

The following analysis details the most relevant prior art cited by US patent 12,377,343. The analysis is based on the information provided in the patent's "Description of Related Arts" section and the continuity data, which lists several parent applications.

A key piece of prior art is explicitly mentioned and critiqued within the patent's text. Additional prior art consists of the patent's own family members, from which it claims priority. These earlier applications inherently contain disclosures relevant to the claims of the issued patent.

Cited Prior Art

1. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US20210170267A1

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0170267 A1
• Publication Date: June 10, 2021
• Brief Description: This document describes a jigsaw puzzle apparatus that includes a main board for assembling puzzle pieces. It features a multi-layer edge structure where a "perimeter edge" is stacked on a "first side edge," with a drawer extendable from the side.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: The inventors of US 12,377,343 specifically distinguish their invention from this prior art in the "Description of Related Arts" section. They argue that the structure in US20210170267A1 is overly complicated and costly to manufacture because it requires the assembly of separate edge pieces (the perimeter edge and the first side edge) to create the drawer housing. This suggests that US20210170267A1 discloses a puzzle board with drawers but lacks the "one-piece structure" where the "reinforcing assembly is integral with the puzzle board," which is a central limitation in all independent claims (1, 16, and 23) of US 12,377,343. Therefore, while relevant as background art, it does not appear to fully anticipate the core claims of the '343 patent due to this structural difference.

Parent Applications (Continuity Data)

The '343 patent is a continuation-in-part of several earlier applications. These documents form part of the prior art landscape and their disclosures are material to the patentability of the new claims in the '343 patent.

2. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/829,359 (now US Patent 12,104,744)

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 12,104,744 (filed June 1, 2022)
• Brief Description: As a parent application, this patent discloses an earlier version of the puzzle platform. Its content is foundational to the invention claimed in the '343 patent. It likely describes a puzzle board with an integrated reinforcing structure and drawers, which are core elements of the '343 patent.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: The specific claims of the '343 patent would have been examined against the disclosure of this parent application. The '343 patent was likely granted because its claims introduce new and non-obvious limitations over what was disclosed in this parent case. For instance, the specific "complementary conformation" in Claim 1 (fastening hooks below an upper wall) or the specific "drawer holders" with a "bending portion" in Claim 16 might not have been explicitly detailed in the parent application.

3. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18/748,158

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0335736 A1 (filed June 20, 2024)
• Brief Description: This is another parent application in the chain of priority. It describes a puzzle platform and contributes to the overall disclosure of the invention family.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: Similar to the '359 application, the disclosure in this application would have been considered by the USPTO. The claims of US 12,377,343 were deemed novel and non-obvious over this application's teachings. The differences in the claims likely relate to specific structural details of the upper part, the drawer retention mechanism, or the attachment of the rotating assembly.

4. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18/736,862 (now US Patent 12,220,648)

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 12,220,648 (filed June 7, 2024)
• Brief Description: This parent patent also discloses a version of the puzzle platform. Its description and figures would contribute to the body of art against which the '343 patent was judged.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: The claims of US 12,377,343 necessarily contain limitations not present in the disclosure of this parent. Without a detailed comparison of the claim language, it is presumed that the novelty of the '343 patent's claims lies in refined structural elements that were not explicitly taught or suggested by this prior patent.

Based on the information available, the most directly relevant piece of external prior art is US20210170267A1, which the patent text itself addresses. The other significant prior art references are the parent applications, which establish the foundational technology but were found by the patent examiner not to anticipate the specific combination of features claimed in US 12,377,343.