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 Group I, claims 1-22 in the reply filed on 2/16/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 23-30 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/26/26, 2/16/26 (x2) and 5/10/24 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 14 are objected to because of the following informalities: “other” was omitted after “transverse to” in line 19 and 16 respectively. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 11, 12, 19 and 21 are objected to because line 4 in each claim omits “a” before “spacer channel”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 7 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kelley, US 2016/0145028.
Regarding claim 1:
Kelley discloses a packaged pre-hung door system comprising:
a door system frame comprising a hinge side jamb, a latch side jamb, and a sill extending between a sill end of the hinge side jamb and a sill end of the latch side jamb;
a panel (the door) comprising a hinge edge attached to the hinge side jamb (at 104) and a latch edge facing the latch side jamb, the panel comprising a pair of faces spaced apart from each other and extending from the hinge edge to the latch edge, the panel configured to rotate relative to the hinge side jamb about a hinge axis aligned with the hinge side jamb;
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a lockset bore (360) extending through the panel along a lockset bore axis oriented transverse to the hinge axis;
a latch bore (562) extending through the panel along a latch axis extending from the lockset bore through the latch edge along a latch axis (refer to Figs. 5 and 6), wherein the latch axis is transverse to the hinge axis and the lockset bore axis;
a latch edge retainer apparatus configured to retain the latch edge of the panel in alignment with the latch side jamb, the latch edge retainer apparatus comprising:
a panel clip (108) comprising an edge plate and a face plate attached to each other along a common edge, wherein the edge plate and the face plate are oriented transverse to each other such that when the edge plate is positioned on the latch edge of the panel, the face plate is positioned on a face of the panel and the common edge is proximate a corner formed at a junction between the latch edge and the face of the panel,
a lock aperture located in the edge plate, the lock aperture defined by a pair of aperture edges, and
a lock plug (110) comprising a plug body extending along a plug axis, wherein the plug body comprises a bore portion and a latch portion aligned along the plug axis;
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wherein, when the edge plate of the panel clip is located between the latch edge of the panel and the latch side jamb such that the lock aperture is aligned with the latch bore, the face plate is located on a selected face of the panel; and
wherein, when the bore portion of the lock plug is positioned in the latch bore such that the latch portion protrudes from the latch edge of the panel, the latch portion of the lock plug extends into a latch cavity such that rotation of the panel is prevented by interference between the latch portion of the lock plug and the latch cavity.
Regarding claim 2:
Kelley discloses wherein the latch cavity is located in the latch side jamb (356).
Regarding claim 7:
Kelley discloses wherein the lock aperture in the edge plate comprises a slot that comprises an opening along a free edge of the edge plate, wherein the pair of aperture edges of the lock aperture extend from the free edge towards the common edge of the panel clip.
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Regarding claim 9:
Kelley discloses wherein the bore portion comprises a maximum cross-plug bore dimension measured transverse to the plug axis and wherein the latch bore comprises a latch bore diameter measured transverse to the latch axis, wherein the maximum cross-plug bore dimension is greater than or equal to the latch bore diameter.
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Regarding claim 10:
Kelley discloses wherein the edge plate comprises a selected edge plate thickness measured along the latch bore, wherein the selected edge plate thickness comprises a desired spacing between the latch edge of the panel and the latch side jamb.
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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.
Claims 14-15 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Griffin, Jr., US 2005/0011132 in view of Kelley, US 2016/0145028.
Regarding claim 14:
Griffin discloses a door system (10) comprising:
a door system frame (18) comprising a hinge side jamb, a latch side jamb, and a sill extending between a sill end of the hinge side jamb and a sill end of the latch side jamb;
a panel (16) comprising a hinge edge attached to the hinge side jamb and a latch edge (along 12) facing the latch side jamb, the panel comprising a pair of faces spaced apart from each other and extending from the hinge edge to the latch edge, the panel configured to rotate relative to the hinge side jamb about a hinge axis aligned with the hinge side jamb;
a deadbolt assembly (20) installed in the panel, the deadbolt assembly comprising a deadbolt configured to extend from and retract into the latch edge of the panel (19a, refer to Fig. 2a);
a latch edge retainer apparatus (12) configured to retain the latch edge of the panel in alignment with the latch side jamb, the latch edge retainer apparatus comprising:
a panel clip comprising an edge plate and a face plate attached to each other along a common edge, wherein the edge plate and the face plate are oriented transverse to each such that when the edge plate is positioned on the latch edge of the panel, the face plate is positioned on a face of the panel and the common edge is proximate a corner formed at a junction between the latch edge and the face of the panel, and
a lock aperture (30) located in the edge plate;
wherein, when the edge plate of the panel clip is located between the latch edge of the panel and the latch side jamb, the face plate is located on a selected face of the panel; and
wherein when the deadbolt is extended from the latch edge of the panel, the deadbolt extends through the lock aperture into a deadbolt cavity facing the latch edge such that rotation of the panel is prevented by interference between the deadbolt and the deadbolt cavity.
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Griffin does not expressly disclose wherein the door system is a packaged prehung door system.
Kelley discloses a packaged prehung door system.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to configure the door system of Griffin as a packaged prehung door system as suggested by Kelley in order to make the door-jamb assembly of Griffin manufacturable offsite and shippable (background of Kelley).
Regarding claim 15:
Kelley discloses wherein the deadbolt cavity (34) is located in the latch side jamb.
Regarding claim 18:
Kelley discloses wherein the edge plate comprises a selected edge plate thickness measured along a bolt axis oriented transverse to the hinge axis, wherein the selected edge plate thickness comprises a desired spacing between the latch edge of the panel and the latch side jamb (refer to Fig. 2b).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6, 8, 11-13, 16-17, 19-22 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not teach nor reasonably suggest the packaged prehung door system further comprising a passive panel (claims 3-4 and 16-17), the lock plug comprising a locking channel at a junction between the bore portion and the latch portion (claims 5-6), a maximum cross-plug bore dimension that is greater than the maximum cross-plug latch dimension (claim 8), a spacer channel extending along a length of the bottom edge from the latch edge to the hinge edge, a hinge side panel spacer and a sill spacer (claims 11, 19 and 20), and a latch side panel spacer and a latch side sill spacer (claims 12-13 and 21-22). Modifying the prior art of record to arrive at the claimed combinations set forth above would require improper hindsight reasoning and reconstruction.
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 BRENT W HERRING whose telephone number is (571)270-3661. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30a-6:00p MT.
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/BRENT W HERRING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633