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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Great Britain on 03/19/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/19/2023 is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “308” in Fig. 16 has been used to designate both bore and latch fingers in page 5 bottom in the specification. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: “1212” in Fig. 16, Fig. 18. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2, 10-16, 18-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
“latch fingers” in Claim 1-2, 11-16, and 18-20 should be “plurality of latch fingers”
“ends of said buffers” in claim 10 should be “ends of said first pair of buffers”
“rods, each” in Claim 16 should be “rods, each rod”
“said rods …said beads” in Claim 16 should be “said plurality of rods … said at least one bead”
“the steps” or “the step” in Claim 18-20 should be “steps” or “a step”
“a plurality of said latch fingers” in Claim 18 should be “the plurality of said latch fingers”
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-13 and 16 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.
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) 1-3 and 14-15, 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hughes (WO2019058093).
Regarding Claim 1. Hughes teaches, in Fig. 1-19, a latch, comprising: a body (100) having a forward end (connected to 118, see Fig. 5), a rearward end (connected to 120, see Fig. 5) and a longitudinal axis (Fig. 5, left to right- horizontal, not shown), configured to be inserted into an aperture (Fig. 1, Fig. 7, 126) by said forward end of said body in a first direction (see Fig. 5) parallel to said longitudinal axis (see Fig. 5), said body comprising: an inner part (214), and an annular outer housing (102) surrounding at least part of said inner part and rotatable around said inner part (page 13); and a plurality of latch fingers (108) moveably attached to said annular outer housing, each of said latch fingers moveable between a closed position and an open position (Fig. 2, Fig. 5, Fig. 8a) , and said open position a latch finger prevents removal of said body from said aperture in a direction opposite to said first direction (page 8, 4th paragraph).
Regarding Claim 2. Hughes teaches the latch of claim 1, further comprising: a guide (104) attached to said body and configured to bias rotation of said annular outer housing, when said body is inserted into said aperture, to a predetermined rotational position, thereby also locating said latch fingers in said predetermined rotational position (see page 13).
Regarding Claim 3. Hughes teaches the latch of claim 2, wherein said guide is configured to bias said rotation of said annular outer housing to any of a plurality of predetermined rotational positions (see page 13).
Regarding Claim 14. Hughes teaches the latch of claim 1, wherein each of said latch fingers is individually biased (by 112) towards said open position of said latch finger (page 8 paragraph 4).
Regarding Claim 15. Hughes teaches the latch of claim 1, wherein: each of said latch fingers comprises a tip (110) terminating a top end of said latch finger (see Fig. 2), and said annular outer housing defines a plurality of recesses aligned with said tips (for the pin to placed intro), such that for each of said latch fingers, said tip of said latch finger is received within said aperture when said latch finger is in said open position (always, see page 8 paragraph 4).
Regarding Claim 17. Hughes teaches the latch of claim 1, wherein said inner part is annular (see Fig. 3), having a cylindrical internal bore (the place/hole where the cable is placed) along a length of said inner part (see Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 18. Hughes teaches, in Fig. 1-19, a method of locating a latch within an aperture (126) in a wall, said latch comprising: a body (100) a forward end (connected to 118, see Fig. 5), a rearward end (connected to 120, see Fig. 5) and a longitudinal axis (Fig. 5, left to right- horizontal, not shown), configured to be inserted into an aperture (Fig. 1, Fig. 7, 126) by said forward end of said body in a first direction (see Fig. 5) parallel to said longitudinal axis (see Fig. 5), said body comprising: an inner part (214), and an annular outer housing (102) surrounding at least part of said inner part and rotatable around said inner part (page 13); and a plurality of latch fingers (108) moveably attached to said annular outer housing, each of said latch fingers moveable between a closed position and an open position (Fig. 2, Fig. 5, Fig. 8a) , and such that in the open position a latch finger prevents removal of said body from said aperture in a direction opposite to said first direction (page 8, 4th paragraph). the method comprising the steps of: inserting said body of said latch into said aperture (see Fig. 1, Fig. 7); continuing insertion of said body while allowing a guide (104) to rotate until said annular outer housing (102) has reached one of a plurality of predetermined rotational positions (see page 13); and continuing insertion of said body until a plurality of said latch fingers are in said open position, preventing removal of said body from said aperture (see page 9 first paragraph).
Regarding Claim 19. Hughes teaches the method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of: placing a first pair of half-shells around a cable and attaching said first pair of half-shells to each other, to form said inner part of said latch (see Fig. 9, there is a delamination line indicating 214 is made of half shells placed together), placing a second pair of half-shells around said inner part and attaching said second pair of half-shells to each other, to form said annular outer housing (see Fig.9, there is a delamination line in 102 indicating 102 is made of half shells placed together), and attaching said latch to said cable (see Fig. 1 and 7); and said step of inserting said body into said aperture comprises the step of inserting an end of said cable and pulling said end of said cable through said aperture, thus also pulling said body into said aperture (see Fig.1, Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 20. Hughes teaches, in Fig. 5, 13, the method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: pushing tips of said latch fingers (108) out of respective apertures to move all of said latch fingers to said closed position (third position); and removing said body of said latch from said aperture (page 4 lines 28-33) (page 7 paragraph 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is presented in the Notice of References Cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMED AZAM whose telephone number is (571)270-0593. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 11:00am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Dole can be reached at (571) 272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MA/Examiner, Art Unit 2848
/Timothy J. Dole/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2848