DETAILED ACTION
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office 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 from the response filed on 29 December 2025 have been fully considered and will be addressed below in the order in which they appeared.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely the reference combination applied in the prior rejection of record for teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: where the recitation is subject to multiple interpretations, broadest reasonable interpretation is applied instead of indefinitely, where “a cassette remains locked in the rack when the safe door is opened”. It may be the cassette is itself locked from opening or it may be possibly the cassette is locked to the rack. As either interpretation may be applied in claim construction, the recitation is broadly interpreted until otherwise clarified as to what the applicant requires of his or her invention. 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 1-6, 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Uematsu et al. (US 7,143,933) in view of Dobbins et al. (2016/0110939) further in view of Villeger (US 8,534,207).
Regarding claim 1 Uematsu et al. discloses a safe cassette apparatus, comprising:
a safe door (72);
a cassette rack (cassette housing 7) located on an inside of a safe body (5) and accessible when the safe door is opened;
a cassette (50) comprising a cassette body (Fig.3) and a cassette guide;
the cassette guide comprising ribs, ridges, or apertures located on bottom sides of the cassette guide;
a lock (74) comprising a pin that extends from a lock body when the lock is locked and that retracts back into the lock body when the lock is unlocked;
the lock mounted on a first side wall of the cassette rack and aligned with at least one rib, ridge, or aperture on a first bottom side of the cassette guide when the cassette is racked within the cassette rack (annotated Fig.3); and
a controller (9) configured to determine when the lock is to unlock the cassette from the cassette rack and lock the cassette to the cassette rack, unlock and lock the cassette from and to the cassette rack by controlling the pin of the lock, and capture and report events and event information associated with the cassette being locked and unlocked from the cassette rack
Uematsu et al. does not explicitly show: a lock (details not shown) comprising a pin that extends from a lock body
Dobbins et al. teaches a lock (details not shown) comprising a pin (408); that extends from a lock body for the purpose of providing an electrical remote operated solenoid lock.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Uematsu et al. with a lock (details not shown) comprising a pin that extends from a lock body as taught by Dobbins et al. for the expected benefit of providing an electrical remote operated solenoid lock.
Uematsu et al. does not disclose: wherein the cassette remains locked in the cassette rack when the safe door is opened.
Villeger teaches wherein the cassette remains locked in the cassette rack when the safe door is opened (col.6l.6- 26) for the purpose of receiving valuables and protect valuables and provide multiple modes of security for the cassette.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Uematsu et al. with wherein the cassette remains locked in the cassette rack when the safe door is opened as taught by Villeger for the expected benefit of receiving valuables and protect valuables and provide multiple modes of security for the cassette.
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Annotated Figure Taken from Uematsu et al. (US 7,143,933)
Regarding claim 2 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, a second lock (77) mounted on a second side wall of the cassette rack and aligned with at least one other rib, ridge, or aperture (Fig.3) on a second bottom side of the cassette guide when the cassette is racked within the cassette rack.
Regarding claim 3 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lock (74) and the second lock (77) are mounted in locations (Fig.3) on the first side wall and the second side walls that correspond to a back portion of cassette when the cassette is racked within the cassette rack, the back portion opposite a handle portion (70) of the cassette.
Regarding claim 4 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lock is a solenoid (63,65)wired to a printed circuit board (PCB).
Regarding claim 5 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 4, wherein the PCB is daisy chained (connected) off a controller board (9) associated with the controller.
Regarding claim 8 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cassette (50) is associated with a first cassette rack drawer within the rack (cassette housing 7), wherein the safe cassette apparatus further includes two (63, 74) ,or more additional locks mounted on the first side wall and aligned with two or more additional cassettes associated with two or more additional rack drawers within the cassette rack (Fig.3).
Regarding claim 9 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 1, the controller (9) is further configured to perform authentication (via pad82) or ensure authentication was performed on a user that requests the cassette be unlocked from the cassette rack.
Regarding claim 10 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 9, wherein controller is further configured to receive a credential from the user, wherein the credential is inputted by the user though an integrated personal identification number (PIN) pad (82) of the safe cassette apparatus when authentication is performed by the controller (c.6, l7-18.)
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Uematsu et al. (US 7,143,933) in view of Dobbins et al. (2016/0110939) further in view of Villeger (US 8,534,207).
Regarding claim 6 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. and Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lock further includes a mounting screw adapted to attach the lock to the first side wall from an inside surface of the first side wall with the lock body positioned on an outside surface of the first side wall.
Uematsu et al. does not explicitly show: a mounting screw.
Dobbins et al. teaches mounting screws (361, 520, 520) for the purpose of providing mechanical mounting of components.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Uematsu et al. with a mounting screw as taught by Dobbins et al. for the expected benefit of providing mechanical mounting of components.
Regarding claim 7 Uematsu et al. as modified by Dobbins et al. bd Villeger discloses the safe cassette apparatus of claim 6.
Uematsu et al. does not explicitly show: wherein an adjustable tab adapted to adjust the location of the pin after the lock is mounted to the first side wall using the mounting screw to align the pin with the at least one rib, ridge, or aperture.
Dobbins et al. teaches wherein an adjustable tab (434)adapted to adjust the location of the pin after the lock is mounted to the first side wall using the mounting screw to align the pin with the at least one rib, ridge, or aperture (Fig. 8) for the purpose of providing an electrical remote operated solenoid lock.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Uematsu et al. with wherein an adjustable tab adapted to adjust the location of the pin after the lock is mounted to the first side wall using the mounting screw to align the pin with the at least one rib, ridge, or aperture as taught by Dobbins et al. for the expected benefit of providing an electrical remote operated solenoid lock.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as it may affect the patentability of applicant’s claimed invention is listed on the attached PTO-892.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas L. Neubauer whose telephone number is 571.272.4864. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina R. Fulton can be reached on 571.272.7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T. L. N./
Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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