Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent No. 12,491,430

Date of Analysis: 2026-05-13
Subject Patent: US 12,491,430 B2
Title: Puzzle platform
Filing Date: 2025-01-07
Publication Date: 2025-12-09

Core Inventive Concept of US 12,491,430: The patent describes a puzzle platform featuring a multi-functional support system. The platform includes a puzzle board with a main puzzle plate and integrated puzzle drawers beneath it. The novelty appears to lie in the combination of two distinct support mechanisms: a kickstand that allows the board to be propped up at an incline, and a separate rotating device (akin to a lazy Susan) that allows the entire board to be rotated 360 degrees when lying flat. The system is designed so that these two functions are mutually exclusive: when the kickstand is in use, the rotating device is in a non-working, inclined state; when the board is flat and using the rotating device, the kickstand is in a non-working, closed position. The claims likely focus on the structural arrangement and spatial relationship between the kickstand and the rotating device.

Based on the patent's own "Priority claimed from" data, the following patents are considered the most relevant prior art. As this patent is a continuation of several earlier applications, these references represent the evolution of the invention and are critical for understanding the scope of the new claims.

---

Prior Art Analysis:

The following references are cited as priority documents for US 12,491,430 and are analyzed for their potential to anticipate the claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

1. US Patent 11,890,551 B2

• Full Citation: US 11,890,551 B2
• Priority Date: 2021-09-26 (based on priority claim from application US17/505,587 filed on 2021-10-19)
• Brief Description: This patent, part of the same family, likely discloses the foundational concept of a puzzle platform with features for convenience. Given the continuity, it probably describes a puzzle board with storage drawers and a support mechanism. The key point of analysis would be whether it explicitly discloses both a kickstand for tilting and a separate rotating device for spinning the board, and their described operational relationship.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly likely to anticipate the basic claims related to a puzzle board with drawers and either a tilting mechanism or a rotating mechanism. For a claim in US 12,491,430 to be novel over this reference, it would need to add a specific limitation not present in the '551 patent, such as the particular spatial arrangement where the projections of the kickstand and rotating device on the puzzle plate's plane do not overlap (as described in one embodiment of the '430 patent), or where one falls within the other.

2. US Patent 12,104,744 B2

• Full Citation: US 12,104,744 B2
• Priority Date: 2022-06-01 (based on priority claim from application US17/829,359)
• Brief Description: Titled "Turner apparatus," this patent application from the same inventor appears to focus on the rotating mechanism itself. The abstract describes a "turner apparatus" for allowing relative rotation between two objects. It's plausible this document provides a detailed disclosure of the rotating device (component 5 in the '430 patent).
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference could anticipate claims in US 12,491,430 that are directed broadly to the structure of the rotating device. However, it is less likely to anticipate the combination claims that require the presence of both the specific rotating device and the kickstand, along with the puzzle board and drawers, all interacting as described in the '430 patent's abstract ("When the kickstand supports the puzzle board... the rotating device is in a non-working state.").

3. US Patent 12,059,631 B2

• Full Citation: US 12,059,631 B2
• Priority Date: 2023-08-18 (based on priority claim from application US18/235,416)
• Brief Description: As a more recent continuation-in-part in the same family, this patent likely discloses a more evolved version of the puzzle platform. It may introduce more specific configurations of the kickstand and rotating device. The analysis would depend on what specific improvements or alternative embodiments were introduced in this filing compared to the earlier ones.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference may anticipate broader claims in the '430 patent. The novelty of the '430 patent's claims would have to lie in features not disclosed in the '631 patent. For example, the '430 patent describes embodiments where the kickstand is made of metal wires (FIG. 17) or where its projection falls within the projection of the rotating device (Ninth Embodiment). If these specific details are not in the '631 patent, claims directed to them would be novel.

4. US Patent 12,048,885 B2

• Full Citation: US 12,048,885 B2
• Priority Date: 2023-08-21 (based on priority claim from application US18/235,896)
• Brief Description: Filed shortly after the '416 application, this document represents another incremental development. It likely contains overlapping disclosure with the other family members but may introduce a new embodiment or refine an existing one.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: Similar to the other family members, this patent could anticipate claims to the general combination of a puzzle board, drawers, kickstand, and rotator. The patentability of the '430 claims would depend on the specificity of their limitations. For example, Claim 1 of the '430 patent (inferred from the summary) might recite a specific positional relationship, such as "a projection of the kickstand on the projection plane and a projection of the rotating device on the projection plane do not overlap." This specific geometric constraint might not be present in the '885 patent, thereby avoiding anticipation.

5. US Patent 12,053,709 B2

• Full Citation: US 12,053,709 B2
• Priority Date: 2023-12-06 (based on priority claim from application US18/530,402)
• Brief Description: This is the most immediate parent application mentioned before the series that led directly to the '430 patent. It almost certainly discloses the core combination of the puzzle board with the dual-mode kickstand and rotating device.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This is one of the strongest pieces of prior art. It is highly probable that it discloses the main invention. Any claims in the '430 patent would need to be carefully crafted to be narrower than the disclosure in the '709 patent. The novelty might reside in very specific structural details introduced in the final continuation application, for instance, the configuration shown in the "fifteenth embodiment" (FIG. 43-45) where the kickstand is a detachable two-piece type and its projection partially overlaps with the rotating device.

6. Chinese Utility Model CN 222,266,097 U

• Full Citation: CN 222,266,097 U
• Priority Date: 2024-02-08 (based on priority claim from CN202420292101.XU)
• Brief Description: As a Chinese utility model from the same applicant, this document likely protects a specific functional or structural arrangement of the puzzle platform. Utility models often have a lower threshold for inventiveness and focus on practical applications. This reference would likely disclose a commercially viable embodiment of the puzzle platform.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference could anticipate claims that read on the specific embodiment disclosed in the Chinese utility model. Its status as prior art would depend on its publication date relative to the effective filing date of the '430 patent's claims. If it was published before the filing of the '430 patent and discloses the same subject matter, it could anticipate claims under § 102. Given the close priority date, it's a very relevant reference for any claims added in the final application.

---

Summary of § 102 Anticipation:

The primary challenge to the novelty of the claims in US 12,491,430 comes from its own extensive family of prior patents and applications. The core concept of a puzzle board with drawers, a kickstand, and a rotating device is likely well-established within this family.

Therefore, anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would be a significant issue for any broad claims in the '430 patent. The patentability of its claims hinges on the presence of narrow, specific limitations that were not disclosed in the priority documents. Examples of such limitations, based on the detailed description, could include:

• The specific geometric relationship between the kickstand and the rotating device when projected onto the plane of the puzzle board (e.g., non-overlapping, one within the other, or partially overlapping).
• Structural details of the kickstand, such as being formed from "metal wires."
• The kickstand being designed to open "through the hollow area of the rotating device."
• The kickstand being a detachable, multi-piece assembly as shown in the fifteenth embodiment.

A claim-by-claim analysis would be required to definitively determine which, if any, are anticipated by these prior art references. However, it is clear that the patent family itself provides a dense landscape of prior art that narrows the scope of patentable subject matter for this continuation patent.