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 .
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) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Number 6,993,946 to Shen.
Shen discloses a lock for installation in a door leaf defining a first plane, the lock comprising: a housing (71); a bolt (72) moveable relative to the housing between a retracted position, and an extended position in which a distal portion of the bolt protrudes from an opening (712) in the housing, and a lock mechanism (76, 81, 82) configured to selectively engage the bolt in order to selectively retain the bolt in the retracted position (column 5, lines 30-35); wherein the distal portion of the bolt comprises a sloped upper shoulder (upper tine of the bifurcated bolt is sloped in the direction of the doorframe) and a sloped lower shoulder (lower tine of the bifurcated bolt is sloped in the direction of the doorframe), such that the bolt is moveable into the retracted position in response to a force applied to the at least one shoulder (shown in figures 6, 9 and 10); and wherein the lock mechanism comprises a follower (81, 82) and a cam (76), wherein the follower is configured to rotate the cam, and wherein the cam is configured to selectively engage a corresponding surface of the bolt; wherein the follower is rotatable between: a first rotational position (figure 3) in which the cam is disengaged from the bolt such that the bolt is resiliently biased into the extended position; and a second rotational position (figure 4) in which the cam engages the corresponding surface of the bolt to retain the bolt in the retracted position; wherein movement of the follower from the first rotational position to the second rotational position causes the cam to move the bolt into the retracted position (column 5, lines 30-35), as in claim 1.
Shen also discloses the bolt is in the extended position, the slope of the at least one shoulder extends at least to the opening (shown in figures 6, 9 and 10), as in claim 2, and the distal portion of the bolt is rounded to form the at least one shoulder (shown in figures 6, 9 and 10), as in claim 3, further comprising a shroud (724) arranged within the housing to conceal an interior of the housing when the bolt is in the retracted position (as shown in figure 4), as in claim 4, wherein the shroud extends proximally from the opening (aligned with the opening), as in claim 5, and the shroud at least partially encases the bolt (retains the bolt in an operational status), as in claim 6.
Shen further discloses the lock mechanism further comprises: a first spindle (63) extending from a first side of the lock; wherein the first spindle is translatable relative to the follower between a first position in which the first spindle is rotationally coupled with the follower; and a second position in which the first spindle is rotationally decoupled from the follower (figures 9-11), as in claim 7, further comprises: a second spindle (53) extending from a second side of the lock; wherein the second spindle is rotationally coupled with the follower (shown in figure 6), as in claim 8, and the second spindle is configured to be rotatable relative to the first spindle (column 6, lines 52-60), as in claim 10, as well as the second spindle is translationally coupled with the first spindle, such that translation of the second spindle relative to the follower causes the first spindle to translate relative to the follower (column 6, lines 52-60), as in claim 11, wherein the second spindle is rotationally coupled with the follower when the first spindle is in each of the first position and the second position (shown in figures 6, 9 and 10), as in claim 12.
Shen additionally teaches the first spindle and the second spindle collectively form a split spindle (figure 7), as in claim 13, and translational travel of the second spindle is limited so as to prevent rotational disengagement of the second spindle from the follower (figure 9), as in claim 14, as well as the first spindle is coupled with a first handle (61), and the second spindle is coupled with a second handle (51), as in claim 15, wherein a rotational range of motion of the first handle is less than that of the follower (limited by engagement between the spindle and the follower), as in claim 16, additionally the first spindle is resiliently biased (via 54) into one of the first position and the second position, as in claim 9.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed November 26, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In response to the argument that Shen does not teach a sloped upper shoulder and a sloped lower shoulder as recited in the claims, the examiner respectfully disagrees. Without any recitation regarding direction of the sloped surfaces of the bolt, any upper and lower sloped surfaces can be considered to meet the limitation of the recited claims; accordingly, the bifurcated structure of the latch bolt has an upper tine and a lower tine where each have a surface the is sloped in a direction of the given door jamb and keeper, allowing retraction of the bolt when the bolt comes into contact with the keeper.
In regards to the applicant’s argument that Shen does not teach a bolt moving into the retracted position in response to a force applied to at least one shoulder, as recited in the amended claims, would impermissibly change the principle of operation of Shen, the examiner respectfully disagrees. The passage the applicant cited is in reference to the auxiliary bolt preventing the latch bolt from being retracted when the door is in a closed orientation and the latch bolt is locked, not when an exterior force is being applied to the shoulders of the latch bolt, such as a keeper interacting with the latch bolt during the operation of closing the door. Moreover, the sloped surfaces of the latch bolt enable the latch bolt to be retracted when an exterior force is applied, by allowing the exterior force to slide along the sloped surface retracting the latch bolt to more easily place the latch bolt into a given keeper within a door frame.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER J BOSWELL whose telephone number is (571)272-7054. The examiner can normally be reached M-R: 9-4; F 9-12.
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/CHRISTOPHER J BOSWELL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
CJB /cb/
January 13, 2026