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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/9/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In regards to claims 1 and 13, the amendments introduce subject matter exclusive to a non-elected species. And therefore, have been withdrawn as seen below.
The examiner respectfully disagrees the amendments to claim 16 overcome Ney in view of Scholz as Ney’s 42 can be interpreted as the power release gear which has an axis spaced from the inside lock cam axis.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 13-15, 21-24 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species (Species I and II; see paras 211 and 235), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/4/2025.
“wherein repeated mechanical actuations of the inside release mechanism does not move the inside lock cam” is not a feature of elected species III. In elected species III the lock cam is driven by the release lever (see para 250) when in the child lock position.
Claim Objections
The previous claim objections have been overcome by the present amendments however new issues have arisen.
Claim 18 objected to because of the following informalities: “the double lock state” should be “a double lock state”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 16-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ney et al. US 20200102771 A1 (hereinafter Ney) in view of Scholz et al. WO 2019076399 A1 (hereinafter Scholz).
In regards to claim 16, Ney teaches a latch assembly for a closure panel (see fig 1), comprising: a ratchet (58) configured for movement between a striker capture position and a striker release position (paras 46 and 48); a pawl (56) configured for movement between a ratchet holding position (see fig 3), whereat said pawl maintains said ratchet in said striker capture position, and a ratchet releasing (position when releasing 58 see para 48), whereat said pawl releases said ratchet for movement of said ratchet to said striker release position (para 48); a release mechanism (portion allowing manual actuation i.e. Inside handle para 81) operably coupled to the pawl; a lock mechanism adapted to couple and decouple the release mechanism to the pawl; a power release gear (42) configured in operable communication with a single power actuator (40), wherein the single power actuator is configured to drive the power release gear about a power release gear axis (axis of 42) from a home position (see fig 1) in a first direction (direction 42 rotates to release pawl during movement 50) to a release position (when 66 causes the pawl to be released), whereupon the power release gear operably drives the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position (see fig 2), and from the home position in a second direction (movement of 72 to 42) to a lock position, whereupon the power release gear operably places the latch assembly in one of a double pull lock state (by not keeping 28 uncoupled such as in the power off state para 72) and a child lock state (by keeping 28 uncoupled); and an inside release link (28) configured for driven movement from a rest position (with 24 at home para 67) to a deployed position (with 24 rotated see paras 62 and 67) in response to mechanical actuation of the release mechanism, the inside release link having an aligned position (see fig 9) for operable engagement with a pawl release lever (see reference image 1), and an unaligned position (see fig 12) for bypass of the pawl release lever when the inside release link is driven, and the lock mechanism comprises an inside lock cam (34) rotatable about an inside lock cam axis (48) for controlling the position of the inside release link, the inside lock cam adapted to prevent the inside release link from moving into the aligned position when the lock mechanism is in a first lock state (auto reset mode para 72), wherein the inside lock cam has a first arm (94) arranged for engagement (at least operable engagement) with the power release gear and a lug (96) arranged for engagement with the inside release link, wherein the power release gear axis and the inside lock cam axis are spaced from one another (see fig 2).
However, Ney does not teach the ratchet being biased toward said striker release position. Although this is very likely the case as the ratchet can be seen with a spring and biasing towards the release position is common.
Scholz teaches a ratchet biased towards the striker release position (para 32).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the time of filing of the invention, to have Ney’s ratchet be biased towards the released position in order to assist with the release of lock (Scholz para 32) and reduce rattling.
In regards to claim 17, Ney teaches the latch assembly of claim 16, further comprising a resilient element (100) adapted to deflect (from moving to the coupled position, see para 71, via 96) in response to an actuation of the release mechanism (see figs 16 and 17) to prevent the lock mechanism from shifting from the first lock state (auto reset mode) to another lock state (state such as in power off mode, see para 72) as if it was still in the coupled state the lock would only need one pull to unlock; see para 79).
In regards to claim 18, Ney teaches the latch assembly of claim 17, wherein the first lock state is the child lock state (auto reset acts as a child lock see paras 72 and 88) or the double lock state and the another lock state is the double pull lock state (power off mode par 72).
In regards to claim 20, latch of claim 16, further comprising a resilient element (100), wherein when the lock mechanism is in the first lock state the resilient element is adapted to deflect (from returning 28 to a coupled state see para 71) in response of the inside release link being driven (see para 72).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER H WATSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5393. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 - 5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine M Mills can be reached at (571) 272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER H WATSON/Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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