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 .
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s after final response filed on 9/8/25.
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) 1-4, 6-14, and 16-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 20130002366 (KR 366) in view of DE 102014100757 to Louis, US Pat No 4,728,133 to Valley, US Pat Application Publication no 20060175773 to Tsai et al (Tsai) and WO 2021050422 to Luebeck or US 192,343 to Niles.
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Regarding claims 1, 12 and 17, KR 366 discloses an adapter set for a door handle mechanism that comprises a 1st and a 2nd handle assembly (one shown, 60, other one at other side of the door), and a latch (52, 54).
The set comprises a 1st spindle adapter (70b) removably connectable to a spindle (62) of the 1st handle assembly, and 3rd spindle adapter (70a) removably connectable to the 1st spindle adaptor.
First, KR 366 fails to disclose that the set comprises a 2nd spindle adapter removably connectable to a spindle of the 2nd handle assembly and a 4th spindle adaptor removably connectable to the 2nd spindle adaptor. KR 366 is configured to have another handle assembly at the other side of the door with respective spindle adaptors.
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Valley teaches that it is well known in the art to provide 1st and 2nd spindle adapters (28 each side) removably connectable to a 1st and a 2nd spindle (24, 26 respectively) of 1st and 2nd handle assemblies (18 at each side).
In an assembled condition, the 1st spindle adaptor would be arranged in opposition to the 2nd spindle adaptor.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly described by KR 366 with another handle assembly with its respective spindle adapter on the other side of the door, as taught by Valley, in order to compensate for any desired door size, from the other side of the door.
Second, KR 366 fails to disclose that the 1st handle assembly comprises a 1st post adapter removably connectable to a post extending from the 1st handle assembly and a fastener extending from the 2nd handle assembly and fastened to the post adapter.
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Louis teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a door latch mechanism that comprises a 1st handle assembly having a post adapter (23) removably connectable to a post (21) extending from the 1st handle assembly, and a fastener (22) extending from a 2nd handle assembly and fastened to the post adapter.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the adapter set described by KR 366 with at least one post adapter, as taught by Louis, in order to provide a simple solution of adjusting the size of the door without using different screws with different lengths.
Third, KR 366 fails to disclose that the 1st – 4th spindle adaptors each includes an embedded coupling mechanism for removably connecting the respective spindle adaptor to the respective spindle.
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Tsai teaches that it is well known in the art to provide an adapter (10) with a coupling mechanism (20) for removably connecting the adapter to a member (3) configured to be inserted into the adapter, wherein the coupling mechanism being embedded within the body.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the adapter described by KR 366 with a coupling mechanism, as taught by Tsai, in order to secure the spindle within the adapter.
Finally, KR 366 discloses the use of a spring member positioned between the handle and the spindle to urge the adapter into engagement with the door latch mechanism.
However, KR 366 fails to disclose that the spring is at least partially located within a hollow cavity formed on the spindle. KR 366 discloses a different configuration, wherein the end of the spring rest against the end of the spindle.
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Luebeck teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a spindle (34) with a hollow cavity (46) to mount a spring member (36) within in order to provide a secured location for the spring for easy installation.
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Niles also teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a spindle (C) with a hollow cavity to mount a spring member (F) within in order to provide a secured location for the spring for easy installation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the spindle described by KR 366 with a hollow cavity for mounting a spring, as taught by Luebeck or Niles, in order to provide a secured location for the spring for easy installation.
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As to claims 2 and 14, KR 366 discloses that the at least one spindle adapter (70 or 80) further comprises a body having a first portion with a first outer diameter and a second portion with a second outer diameter, the second outer diameter being different than the first outer diameter; and an opening (77 or 87) being formed in the first portion, the opening being aligned with a longitudinal axis of the body.
As to claims 3 and 15, KR 366 discloses that the opening is sized to receive a distal end of the spindle therein.
As to claims 4 and 16, KR 366 discloses that the second outer diameter is equal to an outer diameter of a distal end of the spindle.
As to claim 6, Tsai teaches that the coupling mechanism is a magnet (20).
As to claims 7 and 19, Louis teaches that the at least one post adapter further comprises a body having a first portion with a first outer diameter and a second portion with a second outer diameter, the second outer diameter being different than the first outer diameter; and an opening (23i) being formed in the second portion, the opening being aligned with a longitudinal axis of the body.
As to claim 8, Louis teaches that the first outer dimension is equal to the dimension of the opening.
As to claims 9 and 20, Louis teaches that the at least one post adapter further comprises a coupling mechanism for connecting the at least one post adapter to the post, the coupling mechanism comprising a plurality of threads (23a, 23i).
As to claim 10, KR 366 discloses that the at least one spindle adapter further comprises a plurality of spindle adapters (70a, 70b or 80a, 80b), the plurality of spindle adapters being substantially identical.
As to claims 11, 13 and 18, KR 366 disclose that the at least one spindle adapter comprises multiple sets of spindle adapters. KR 366 also teaches that you can have a set with a different size as another set, each having a variated configuration (set 70 has a different size than another set 80).
As to claims 21 and 22, KR 366, as modified by Valley, Louis, Tsai and Luebeck or Niles, will teach that in the assembled condition and installed on the door, the 1st and 2nd spindles, with respective hollow cavities, are configured to extend, at least partially, within an opening on the door.
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Depending on the size of the escutcheon or housing, like in Valley, the spindles extend at least partially within an opening of the door.
Applicant is reminded that a change in the size of a prior art device is a design consideration within the skill of the art.
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues that the US 12,352,074 reference is not a prior art reference under 102(a)(1), which requires that 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.
After further review, the rejection in view of US 12,352,074 has been withdrawn.
However, a new rejection has been made on the record in view of Luebeck WO 2021050422. This reference was described in a printed publication before the effective date of the claimed invention.
The current application was filed on 4/12/23, and claims priority to the provisional application dated on 4/13/22, the effective date of the claimed invention.
The WIPO reference was a printed publication on 3/18/21, more than a year of the effective date of the claimed invention.
Furthermore, the new rejection shows the use of Niles (US 192,343), to demonstrate that the same subject matter of having the spring in a cavity of the spindle is well known in the art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS LUGO whose telephone number is (571)272-7058. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6pm.
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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
September 29, 2025