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 Amendment
This office action is in response to the reply filed on 11/14/2025, wherein claims 1, 3, and 21 were amended, claims 13-20 are cancelled. Claims 1-12 and 21 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “an opening for loading projectiles into the projectile loader, wherein the locking mechanism is only accessible via the opening” in claim 12 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “an opening for loading projectiles into the projectile loader, wherein the locking mechanism is only accessible via the opening” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. This statement is not true; the locking mechanism is accessible when the lower and upper shell are open via the “opening” of the lower shell. The opening in the claim language is opening 64, which is another point of accessibility. Perhaps the claim should indicate that when closed, the locking mechanism is only accessible via the opening. Alternatively the word “only” can be removed from the claim language.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Pearce (US 20210156641 A1).
With respect to claim 21, Pearce discloses a projectile loader comprising: a body including an upper shell (body of 904) and a lower shell (body of 903) defining an interior volume within the body, the upper shell is attachable to and removable from the lower shell, an exit tube (930 fig 9) extending from a lower surface of the lower shell, the exit tube (930) being configured to supply projectiles to a compressed gas gun; a primary locking mechanism (917) configured to selectively permit detaching the upper shell from the lower shell; and a secondary locking mechanism (916) configured to assist the primary locking mechanism, the secondary locking mechanism comprising a latch translatable relative to the primary locking mechanism to secure the primary locking mechanism in a locked position.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 appear to define over the available prior art and therefore allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
2. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The limitations of, “a projectile loader comprising: a body including an upper shell and a lower shell defining an interior volume within the body, the upper shell is attachable to and removable from the lower; an exit tube extending from a lower surface of the lower shell, the exit tube being configured to supply projectiles to a compressed gas gun; and a locking mechanism disposed within the interior volume, the locking mechanism being configured to selectively permit detaching the upper shell from the lower shell, the locking mechanism comprising: a lever coupled to the upper shell; a lock coupled to the lower shell, wherein a first locking feature of the lock is configured to engage with a second locking feature of the lever when in a locked position; and a latch positioned within the lower shell and movable relative to the lock and the lower shell, wherein an extension of the latch engages with the lever to secure the locking mechanism in the locked position.” in combination as claimed in claim 1 is not anticipated or made obvious over the prior art of record in the Examiner’s opinion. For example, the references as applied in the Non-Final action filed on 08/14/2025 disclose much of the claimed structure, however, fail to teach or suggest the combination of structural limitations as claimed in claim 1.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-5235830-A OR US-11933576-B1 OR US-11919704-B1 OR US-4635454-A OR US-4768815-A OR US-11796280-B2 OR US-9857141-B2 OR US-9500435-B2 OR US-20240425245-A1 OR US-20120103316-A1 OR US-20210156641-A1
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks, filed 11/14/2026, with respect to the drawings and some 112s have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of 8/14/2025 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 11/14/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. With respect to the previous 112b, for "wherein the locking mechanism is only accessible via the opening", applicant failed to make any changes. Examiner understands that the opening allows accessibility of the locking mechanism. However, it is not the "only" accessibility point for the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism can be accessible through the opening of the lower shell. The claims do not positively recite the projectile loader as being in the closed orientation.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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.
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/S.K.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3735
/ERNESTO A GRANO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3735