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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information disclosure statements of 02/21/2024, 07/24/2024, and 09/04/2024 have been received and reviewed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 9 recite phrases “can move”, “can be”, “can cause”, and “can interact”. It is unclear if the claims are requiring the limitations following these phrases or not.
Claims 2-8 and 10 are rejected due to their dependency on a rejected claim.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20220081945 to Kramer.
Regarding claim 1, Kramer discloses:
A locking system for co-mounted doors (fig 1a), wherein a first door (12) and a second door (14) are to be hinged along a common side to a door frame (see paragraph 0035) so that a first lock assembly (16, 18, 20) when mounted to the first door can move proximate to and engage with a second lock assembly (22, 24, 26) when mounted in alignment with the first lock assembly to the second door (fig 3a), the locking system comprising the first lock assembly (fig 1a), the first lock assembly including a first rotatable (16) component that can be caused to rotate by a user (fig 2), and the second lock assembly, the second lock assembly including a second rotatable component (22) that can be caused to rotate by the user (fig 2), wherein at least one of the first and second lock assemblies include a lockbolt or latch (30) in operable connection with at least one of the first and second rotatable components for locking and unlocking at least one of the first and second doors to the door frame when installed (see figs 1a and 2), and further wherein the first lock assembly comprises a first alignment component (42) operatively rotationally connected with the first rotatable component (paragraph 0042) and the second lock assembly comprises a second alignment component (52) operatively rotationally connected with the second rotatable component (paragraph 0045) that will engage with one another upon moving the first door proximate to the second door (fig 3a), at least one of the first and second alignment components having a predetermined rotational orientation for engagement with the other of the first and second alignment components (figs 4a/b), the first and second alignment components each including interacting surfaces (44, 54) that during engagement with one another rotationally align the first and second alignment components with one another to create an effective rotational translational connection from the first lock assembly to the second lock assembly, whereby user initiated rotation of either the first or second rotatable component can cause locking or unlocking of the lockbolt or latch in one of or both the first and second doors (paragraph 0049).
Regarding claim 8, Kramer discloses:
The locking system of claim 1, wherein the first rotatable component comprises a first spindle (49) rotationally connected with a locking member (17) with an engagement element (46) extending therefrom and the second rotatable component comprises a second spindle (not shown, see paragraph 0044) rotationally connected with a lock receiver (23), the second spindle also including a user interacting portion (22a) for imparting rotation to the second spindle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7 and 9-10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Yahya Sidky whose telephone number is (571)272-6237. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:30-4:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Mills can be reached at (571) 272-8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Y.S./Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675