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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 11/07/2025 has been entered.
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) 1-7, 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Barker (US 20190136581 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Shen teaches a door lock system, comprising: a handle (51) attached to an outer spindle (53) extending along a lock axis (unlabeled handle axis visible in fig. 2); a locking block (522) disposed in the handle, wherein the locking block is moveable along the lock axis between a first position (fig. 11) and a second position (fig. 10); and a lock spindle (52) configured to engage a portion of the locking block to move the locking block from the first position to the second position (fig. 11 to fig. 10).
Regarding claim 2, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 1, wherein the locking block (522) is biased to the first position (biased to fig. 11 by spring 50).
Regarding claim 3, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 2, wherein the locking block is biased to the first position via a spring (50).
Regarding claim 4, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 1, further comprising a handle catch (543) moveable between an engaged position (fig. 11) and a disengaged position (fig. 10), wherein when the handle catch is in the engaged position, the handle catch is configured to secure the handle to the outer spindle (fig. 3), and when the handle catch is in the disengaged position, the handle can be removed from the outer spindle (fig. 10).
Regarding claim 5, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 4, wherein the handle catch can only move from the engaged position to the disengaged position when the locking block is in the second position (fig. 3 to fig. 10; the handle catch 543 can only be moved to the disengaged position by the locking block when the handle is installed because there is no other access to it).
Regarding claim 6, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 1, further comprising a spindle coupler (32a, 32b) disposed between the outer spindle and a backplate (3) configured to be attached to a door, wherein the lock spindle (52) is slidingly disposed in an opening (32a) in the spindle coupler along the lock axis (fig. 3).
Regarding claim 7, Shen teaches the door lock system of claim 6, wherein the lock spindle (52) and the opening (32a) have complementary non-circular shapes.
Regarding claim 11, Shen teaches a method of removing a handle from a door lock system, the method comprising: biasing a locking block (522) disposed in a handle (51) in a first direction (to the right in figure 11) along a lock axis to a first position (fig. 3) with a portion of the door lock system (50), wherein when the locking block is in the first position, a first portion (523) of the locking block is positioned adjacent a catch (532) that secures the handle to an outer spindle (53); moving the locking block along a lock axis in a second direction (to the left in fig. 11), opposite the first direction, from the first position to a second position (fig. 10), wherein when the locking block is in the second position, a second portion (bottom of 523) of the locking block is positioned adjacent the catch; and moving the catch from an engaged position to a disengaged position (fig. 10).
Regarding claim 12, Shen teaches the method of claim 11, further comprising removing the handle (fig. 10).
Regarding claim 13, Shen teaches the method of claim 11, further comprising disposing a spring (50) in the handle on an outer side of the locking block to bias the locking block to the first position.
Regarding claim 14, Shen teaches the method of claim 11, further comprising: biasing (spring 50) a lock spindle (52) disposed in an opening (32a) of a spindle coupler along the lock axis in the first direction; and exerting a force on the lock spindle in the second direction (fig 10) to slide the lock spindle in the second direction (fig. 10) to exert a force on the locking block in the second direction and move the locking block to the second position (fig. 10).
Regarding claim 15, Shen teaches the method of claim 14, further comprising removing an escutcheon (58) of the door lock system from a door to access the lock spindle (fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10, 16-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 8 contains allowable subject matter for disclosing notches along the length of the lock spindle and ridges within the spindle coupler configured to engage with the notches. This limitation is not taught by Shen and would be improper hindsight to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 9-10 contain allowable subject matter for disclosing that the spindle is biased toward a third position in which the lock spindle does not engage the locking block. Based on the examiner’s interpretation of Shen’s door lock system, the spindle is always engaged with the locking block.
Claim 16 contains allowable subject matter for disclosing that the lock spindle is moved in the second direction until notches in the locking block align with ridges in the opening of the spindle coupler. Shen’s locking block does not align ridges with the spindle coupler and it would be improper hindsight to modify Shen’s lock to include this feature.
Claim 17 contains allowable subject matter for disclosing that the locking block has a larger diameter on the first portion than the second portion. Shen’s locking block has a larger diameter on the second portion to withdraw the handle catch.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES EDWARD IGNACZEWSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-2732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/J.E.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3675 /KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675