DETAILED ACTION
Receipt is acknowledged of Applicant’s Response, dated 22 September 2025, which papers have been made of record.
Claims 25-51 are currently presented for examination, of which claims 25-40 and 48-51 have been withdrawn from consideration.
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 the invention of Group II, claims 41-47, in the reply filed on 22 September 2025 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Page 10, line 11, as filed, recites “The invention also relates to a fastening device according to claim 21.” The claims are subject to renumbering and cancelation, such that references thereto are not instructresses to one having ordinary skill in the art.
The examiner notes that the preliminary amendment filed 8 November 2024 cancels several other references to the claims. To the best of the examiner’s understanding, the request to cancel the paragraph beginning at line 9 will not necessarily be interpreted by the Mail Room to include line 11, which appears to be a separate paragraph.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 41-47 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.
Claim 41 recites “at least one opening” at line 4 and “in the opening” at line 5. It is unclear whether, where there are multiple openings in the “at least one opening” a striker portion must be inserted into each opening, in line 5.
Claims 42-47 each depend from claim 41, and therefore are rejected for at least the reasons presented above with respect to claim 41.
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 41-42 and 45-46
Claim(s) 41-42 and 45-46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent Application Publication 2020/0299994 to Paskonis (hereinafter “Paskonis”).
Regarding claim 41, Paskonis discloses a method for producing a locking device for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a striker (100; see Fig. 4); b) providing a mounting plate (200) having at least one opening (210); c) arranging an axial portion (leg 110 or 120) of the striker in the opening (see Fig. 5 and paragraph [0028]); and d) deforming material regions of the mounting plate (see paragraph [0031]; edge of the bore of the aperture in the base plate is deformed by the bottom taper) at a mouth of the opening (210) against an outer circumferential surface (see Fig. 4 and paragraph [0031]) of the axial portion (leg 110 illustrated in Fig. 4a) so that the material regions contact the outer surface (see paragraph [0031]; tapers 142, 152 mate with sidewalls of aperture).
Regarding claim 42, Paskonis discloses the limitations of claim 41, and further Paskonis discloses including step d) so that an annular contact of the material regions (edge of the aperture 210) with the outer circumferential surface (tapers 142, 152 of legs) is achieved (see Fig. 4a).
Regarding claim 45, Paskonis discloses the limitations of claim 41, and further Paskonis discloses further comprising, following step d) (step d) performed in paragraph [0031]), the step of: e) deforming the striker (100) to achieve a radial expansion at an axial region (160; see paragraph [0032] following paragraph [0031]) immediately adjacent to the axial portion and immediately adjacent to the material regions (see Fig. 4a).
Regarding claim 46, Paskonis discloses the limitations of claim 45, and further Paskonis discloses including providing, to perform step e), a striker (100) that comprises a radial step (140, 150; see paragraph [0031]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 43-44 and 47 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure
United States Patent Application Publication 2009/0079208 to Mizuno et al. teaches a method for forming a striker and plate assembly, including at least one caulking step.
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/D.C.F/Examiner, Art Unit 3726
/SARANG AFZALI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726 10/15/2025