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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-11, 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chong US 2023/0125130 (hereinafter Chong) in view of Chen US 5,475,996 (hereinafter Chen).
Re Claim 1.
Chong discloses a clutch for a door lock (100), comprising: a first rotating portion driver piece 150, Fig. 8) (Para [0047], "The driver piece 150 rotates…") operatively couplable to a door handle (146, Fig. 16) (Para. 0047, “The driver piece 150 is coupled to the manual exterior turn piece 146..."); a second rotating portion (120, Fig. 3) operatively couplable to a lock spindle (122, Fig. 3) and configured to rotate to unlatch a door (Para. 0045, "[I]nterior turn piece 120 that may be rotated by a user to manually operate the deadbolt latch assembly 110, e.g., via engagement with a torque blade 122."), a slider (166) disposed at least partially between the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion (Para [0066], "[G]uide plate 186 has one or more channels…so that the actuator 166 can mount to the rear side...). On the front side of the guide plate 186, the driver 150 is mounted and can rotate relative thereto.") (See also location of 166 in Fig. 8. and locations of 120 and 146 in Fig. 4) and configured to move between a first position (Fig. 9) and a second position (Fig. 10) to operatively engage and disengage, respectively, the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion; and a magnet configured to apply a magnetic force (supplied by spring 164) to the slider to bias the slider toward the second position (Para [0063], "The actuator 166 is biased toward the second position (e.g., Fig. 10) when the transmission spring 164 is in the biasing position...").
Chong does not disclose wherein the force to bias the slider toward the second position is supplied by a magnet.
However, Chen teaches an electromagnetic door lock wherein magnets (293, 344) are used to bias sliding pieces (moveable rods 29, 34) to preferred positions (Col. 56, Lns. 8-12 “[A] magnetic field…affects the pushing shaft 23…so as to push the first moveable rod 29 to move forward toward the second moveable rod 34...").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise, repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 2.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 1, further comprising an actuator (160) configured to move the slider between the first position and the second position (Para [0061], "For example, the motor 160 can rotate the actuating spindle 162 in both a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction around the axis 190, such that rotation in one direction causes the transmission spring 164 to move upward to the neutral position (FIG. 9), and rotation in the other direction causes the transmission spring 164 to move downward along the actuating spindle 162 away from the motor 160 and toward the movable actuator 166... The movable actuator 166 is operatively engageable by the transmission spring 164 at least when the transmission spring 164 is in the biasing position."), wherein the slider is attracted toward the actuator (Para [0063], "The actuator 166 remains in the first position (FIG. 9) when the transmission spring 164 is in the neutral position. When the transmission spring 164 is in the neutral position, the actuator 166 is biased upward…").
Chong fails to explicitly disclose wherein a magnet is responsible for attracting the slider towards the actuator.
Chen teaches using magnets to attract the sliding parts of an electromagnetic lock towards an actuator (Col. 5, Lns. 8-22, “a magnetic field, under left-hand rule, creates simultaneously around the field coil 22 that affects the pushing shaft 23 to be magnetized and attracted by the annular magnet 28 therein, so as to push the first movable rod 29 to move forward toward the second movable rod 34 of the shift assembly 30. The magnet 293 at the top center of the domed head 292 thereof will disengageably repel the equivalent magnet 344 at top center of the domed 343 and thus forces the second movable rod 34 to move backward and the square catch 342 thereof entering into the cap shaped seat 31 and engageable with the indenture 323 of the rotary means 32 which is now checked from rotation (as shown in FIG. 4). So that the handle 124 of the front cover 12 is now engageable with the elongate rectangular shaft 133 via the shift member 30 and opens the door readily.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 3.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 2, wherein the actuator is an electric actuator (Para [0053], “motor 160.")
Re Claim 4.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 2, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the slider further comprises a second magnet configured to apply a second magnetic force between the actuator and the slider.
Chen teaches the use of multiple magnets applying magnetic forces between the actuator and the slider (Col. 5, Lns. 8-22, "a magnetic field, under left-hand rule, creates simultaneously around the field coil 22 that affects the pushing shaft 23 to be magnetized and attracted by the annular magnet 28 therein, so as to push the first movable rod 29 to move forward toward the second movable rod 34 of the shift assembly 30. The magnet 293 at the top center of the domed head 292 thereof will disengageably repel the equivalent magnet 344 at top center of the domed 343 and thus forces the second movable rod 34 to move backward and the square catch 342 thereof entering into the cap shaped seat 31 and engageable with the indenture 323 of the rotary means 32 which is now checked from rotation (as shown in FIG. 4). So that the handle 124 of the front cover 12 is now engageable with the elongate rectangular shaft 133 via the shift member 30 and opens the door readily.").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 5.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 1, the first rotating portion (150) includes a first notch (214, Fig. 17), wherein the second rotating portion (120) includes a second notch (212, on pin cover (182, Fig. 18), connected to second rotating portion 120 via 152 and 122, Figs. 3, 8), wherein in the first position the slider (166) is configured to engage the first notch and the second notch to operatively connect the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion (Para [0072], "the pin 148 is depressible into and fits the receiver 214 of the driver 150 and the similar receiver 212 of the pin cover 182. The pin cover 182 is fixedly coupled to coupling 152, e.g., via the pin housing 184. Accordingly, the pin 148 rotatably couples the manual exterior turn piece 146 and the driver piece 150 to the coupling 152 and the torque blade 122 in the engaged position. In this configuration, rotation of the turn piece 146 will drive corresponding rotation around the axis 154 of the torque blade 122 because the driver 150 and the pin 148 are engaged so as to allow rotation movement to be transferred therebetween."), and wherein in the second position the slider is disengaged with at least one of the first notch and the second notch so that the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion are operatively decoupled (Para. 0071, "In the unengaged position, the pin spring 168 will lift the pin 148 away from the driver piece 150 and the pin cover 182, thereby disengaging the driver piece 150 from the coupling 152. In this configuration, the manual exterior turn piece 146 and driver piece 150 may be rotatable, but are not engaged with the coupling 152 or torque blade 122.")
Re Claim 6.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 1, further comprising a housing (112, Fig. 11) at least partially surrounding the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion and wherein the housing comprises a slot (channels 200 in guide plate 186, Fig. 11), the slot configured to receive and engage with the slider when the slider is in the second position (Para [0066], "[C]onfigured to slidably receive corresponding pins 202 extending from the actuator 166 (shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) so that the actuator 166 can mount to the rear side and slidably move up and down.").
Re Claim 7.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 1, but does not specifically disclose wherein the slider is formed of a ferromagnetic material. However, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to form the slider from ferromagnetic material because the selection of a known material on the basis of its suitability for an intended use involves only routine skill in the art. The motivation for doing so would have been to employ magnetic biasing in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 8.
As discussed above with respect to claim 1, Chong as modified by Chen discloses a clutch for a door lock (100), comprising: a first rotating portion (driver piece 150, Fig. 8) operatively couplable to an door handle (146, Fig. 8), wherein the first rotating portion is further configured to rotate with the door handle (Para [0047], “The driver piece 150 is coupled to the manual exterior turn piece 146 and housed within the exterior housing 132. The driver piece 150 rotates with the manual exterior turn piece 146 to, in turn, rotate the pin 148 and coupling 152, thereby rotating the torque blade 122 around an axis 154 to operate the latch bolt 134.”); a second rotating portion (120, Fig. 3) operatively couplable to a lock spindle (122, Fig. 3), wherein the first rotating portion is further configured to rotate with the lock spindle (Para [0047], “the exterior actuating assembly 130 is drivably coupled to the torque blade 122 via a pin 148 of the coupling mechanism 128 being coupled to a driver piece 150 of the exterior actuating assembly 130 and a coupling 152 of the deadbolt latch assembly 110 that is fixed to the torque blade 122"); a slider (166, Fig. 8), the slider having a dog (pin cover 182, Fig. 8, which is one component of drive mechanism 180) (Para [0059], "The actuator 166 of the engagement assembly !26 (shown in FIG. 7) at least partially surrounds the drive mechanism 180."), the slider configured to connect the first rotating portion to the second rotating portion by engaging the dog with the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion when the slider is in a first position (Para [0067], “The pin 148 is depressible (e.g., via the motor 160 driving the transmission spring 164 and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 described above), from a disengaged position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 to an engaged position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.") (Para [0072], “the pin 148 will, in the engaged position, contact an engagement portion of the driver 150 as well as the pin cover 182. In particular, the pin 148 is depressible into and fits the receiver 214 of the driver 150 and the similar receiver 212 of the pin cover 182. The pin cover 182 is fixedly coupled to coupling 152, e.g., via the pin housing 184. Accordingly, the pin 148 rotatably couples the manual exterior turn piece 146 and the driver piece 150 to the coupling 152 and the torque blade 122 in the engaged position."), and wherein the slider is configured to disengage the dog from the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion to decouple the first rotating portion from the second rotating portion when the slider is in a second position; (Para [0071], "In the unengaged position, the pin spring 168 will lift the pin 148 away from the driver piece 150 and the pin cover 182, thereby disengaging the driver piece 150 from the coupling 152. In this configuration, the manual exterior turn piece 146 and driver piece 150 may be rotatable, but are not engaged with the coupling 152 or torque blade 122.") and a magnet configured to apply a magnetic force to the slider to bias the slider toward the second position when the slider is in the second position. (Para [0069], “the transmission spring 164 (shown in FIG, 9) is in its neutral position so that the pin spring 168 urges the pin 148 in the upward direction so as to decouple the driver 150 from the coupling 152 that is attached to the end of the torque blade 122. The pin 148 is positioned around the pin spring 168, which is positioned to bias the pin 148 and the actuator 166 upwardly toward the cradle 174.").
Chong fails to explicitly disclose wherein the force biasing the slider towards the second position is a magnetic force.
Chen teaches an electromagnetic door lock wherein magnets (293, 344) are used to bias sliding pieces (moveable rods 29, 34) to preferred positions (Col. 56, Lns. 8-12 "[A] magnetic field . . . affects the pushing shaft 23…so as to push the first moveable rod 29 to move forward toward the second moveable rod 34...").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise, repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 9.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 8, further comprising an actuator (160) configured to move the slider from the second position to the first position (Para [0061], "For example, the motor 160 can rotate the actuating spindle 162 in both a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction around the axis 190, such that rotation in one direction causes the transmission spring 164 to move upward to the neutral position (FIG. 9).
Re Claim 10.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 9, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the actuator comprises the magnet. Chen teaches using magnets to attract the sliding parts of an electromagnetic lock towards an actuator (Col. 5, Lns. 8-22, "a magnetic field, under left-hand rule, creates simultaneously around the field coil 22 that affects the pushing shaft 23 to be magnetized and attracted by the annular magnet 28 therein, so as to push the first movable rod 29 to move forward toward the second movable rod 34 of the shift assembly 30. The magnet 293 at the top center of the domed head 292 thereof will disengageably repel the equivalent magnet 344 at top center of the domed 343 and thus forces the second movable rod 34 to move backward and the square catch 342 thereof entering into the cap shaped seat 31 and engageable with the indenture 323 of the rotary means 32 which is now checked from rotation (as shown in FIG. 4). So that the handle 124 of the front cover 12 is now engageable with the elongate rectangular shaft 133 via the shift member 30 and opens the door readily.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 11.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 10, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the magnet is configured to translate with a portion of the actuator.
Chen teaches an electronic door lock wherein magnets translate with portions of an actuator (Col. 5, Lns. 8-22, "a magnetic field, under left-hand rule, creates simultaneously around the field coil 22 that affects the pushing shaft 23 to be magnetized and attracted by the annular magnet 28 therein, so as to push the first movable rod 29 to move forward toward the second movable rod 34 of the shift assembly 30. The magnet 293 at the top center of the domed head 292 thereof will disengageably repel the equivalent magnet 344 at top center of the domed 343 and thus forces the second movable rod 34 to move backward and the square catch 342 thereof entering into the cap shaped seat 31 and engageable with the indenture 323 of the rotary means 32 which is now checked from rotation (as shown in FIG. 4). So that the handle 124 of the front cover 12 is now engageable with the elongate rectangular shaft 133 via the shift member 30 and opens the door readily.").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Chong with the teaching of Chen for the purpose of providing precise repeatable biasing, in order to reduce the number of wear parts within the lock mechanism.
Re Claim 13.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 8, further comprising a spring (164) configured to apply a force to the slider to bias the slider into the second position (Para [0063], "The actuator 166 is biased toward the second position (e.g., Fig. 10) when the transmission spring 164 is in the biasing position ...").
Re Claim 14.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 8, wherein the first rotating portion comprises a lever hub (Para [0047], “The driver piece 150 rotates with the manual exterior turn piece 146 to, in turn, rotate the pin 148 and coupling 152, thereby rotating the torque blade 122 around an axis 154 to operate the latch bolt 134.") and the second rotating portion comprises a drive hub (Para [0045], “An interior housing 114 generally houses internal components of the interior assembly 108 as explained below, and includes interior actuating assembly portions 116 of a mechanical actuating mechanism 118 (both schematically illustrated in FIG. 7) embodied as an interior turn piece 120 that may be rotated by a user to manually operate the deadbolt latch assembly 110, e.g., via engagement with a torque blade 122.").
Re Claim 15.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch of claim 8, wherein the slider is slidably attached to the second rotating portion (Housing 112, which contains the clutch of claim 8, is slidably connected to housing 114 via element 122, as in Fig. 3)
Re Claim 16.
Chong as modified by Chen discloses the clutch for a lock of claim 8, further comprising a housing (112, Fig. 11) at least partially surrounding the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion, wherein the housing further comprises a slot (channels 200 in guide plate 186, Fig. 11), the slot configured to receive and engage with the slider when the slider is in the second position (Para [0066], "[C]onfigured to slidably receive corresponding pins 202 extending from the actuator 166 (shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) so that the actuator 166 can mount to the rear side and slidably move up and down.").
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is 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.
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
With respect to claims 12 and 17, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest moving the magnet away from the slider as the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion rotate about the lock axis, wherein the magnet is moved along a path orthogonal to a direction of the magnetic force.
Chong fails to explicitly disclose wherein a magnet supplies the force to the slider, and moving the magnet away from the slider as the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion rotate about the lock axis, wherein the magnet is moved along a path orthogonal to a direction of the magnetic force.
Chen teaches an electromagnetic door lock wherein magnets (293, 344) are used to bias sliding pieces (moveable rods 29, 34) to preferred positions (Col. 56, Lns. 8-12 "[A] magnetic field . . . affects the pushing shaft 23…so as to push the first moveable rod 29 to move forward toward the second moveable rod 34..."), but fails to further teach or suggest wherein magnets move away from sliders which move orthogonal to a direction of the magnetic force.
Accordingly, this limitation defines over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Note the cited prior art clutch mechanisms.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUZANNE DINO BARRETT whose telephone number is (571)272-7053. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 8AM-6:30PM.
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SUZANNE DINO BARRETT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675B
Sdb
/SUZANNE L BARRETT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675