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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 1 in the reply filed on 10/17/2026 is acknowledged.
No claims are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/17/2026.
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) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by De Vries (US 2009/0108595).
De Vries discloses a cargo container for a vehicle, the cargo container comprising: a bottom shell (143), a top shell (142) movably attached to the bottom shell, a first actuator (102) and a second actuator (104) attached to the bottom shell, and a latch mechanism (114) attached to the bottom shell for securing the top shell in a closed configuration with respect to the bottom shell (Fig. 9, para 0067); wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are each configured to disengage the latch mechanism independently (in Fig. 1 both the first actuator 102 and the second actuator 104 are connected to the latch mechanism 114 thru actuations rods 106 and 110 to a rotor lever 111 and release the lock when one of the actuators is actuated) whether the other actuator is in a locked configuration or latched configuration (para 0072).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 are allowed.
Claims 16-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER N. HELVEY whose telephone number is (571)270-1423. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-7pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathan Newhouse can be reached at 571-272-4544. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER N HELVEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
October 4, 2026
