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 .
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 12/12/25.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the circumferential opening, see 112 2nd paragraph rejection below, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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 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 1-20 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, 9 and 17 now requires that the pocket is a notch with a circumferential opening that slidably receive the projection.
At the instant, it is unclear what is claimed here since there is no support in the specification and in the drawings for that limitation.
Here is what it is illustrated in the drawings:
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As shown, and in the other species, and as described in par 51, the pocket 204 has a simi-circular shape defining a notch, open nest. How the opening is “circumferential”.
Therefore, in order to continue with the examination, the limitation will be interpreted as a notch having an opening for slidably receiving the projection. Correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 9, and 12-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 6,745,602 to Nakasone et al (Nakasone) in view of US Pat No 5,118,152 to Lin.
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Regarding claim 9, Nakasone discloses a lockset assembly (10) that comprises a first knob assembly (12) including at least one projection (22) having an enlarged head; and a second knob assembly (14) configured to couple to the first knob assembly along a first axis. The second knob assembly including a rose liner (36) having at least one opening (56) configured to receive the enlarged head of the at least one projection in a bayonet connection.
Nakasone fails to disclose that the lockset assembly further comprises a retainer coupled to the rose liner, the retainer defining at least one screw receiver that is a notch having an opening for slidably receive the at least one projection.
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Lin teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a rose assembly (2) with a retainer (4) defining at least one screw receiver (42) that is a notch having an opening for slidably receive the at least one projection (12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the lockset assembly described by Nakasone with a retainer, as taught by Lin, in order to retain the projection.
As to claim 12, Lin teaches that the at least one screw receiver is a pocket.
As to claim 13, Nakasone discloses that the at least one screw is selectively rotatable when received at least partially within the at least one screw receiver.
As to claim 14, Nakasone discloses that the second rose liner includes at least one ramp (54) proximate the at least one opening, the retainer disposed radially outside of the at least one ramp.
As to claim 15, Lin teaches that the second rose liner defines an interior cavity, the retainer completely disposed within the interior cavity.
As to claim 16, Nakasone, as modified by Lin, teaches that the torque blade (Nakasone 16) extends through the retainer.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 6,745,602 to Nakasone et al (Nakasone) in view of US Pat No 5,118,152 to Lin and further in view of US Pat No 3,647,252 to Nolin et al (Nolin).
Nakasone, as modified by Lin, teaches that the retainer is formed from a different material than the second rose liner.
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Nolin teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a retainer (10) formed from a different material than a rose liner (38).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the rose liner/retainer described by Nakasone, as modified by Lin, fabricated from different materials, as taught by Nolin, in order to provide more flexibility to the retainer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 21 is allowed.
Claims 1 and 17 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
Claims 2-8 and 18-20 are also allowed since the claims depend from claims 1 and 17 above.
Claim 11 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.
Response to Arguments
In view of the current amendment, a new objection to the drawings and a new 112 2nd paragraph rejection has been made on the record.
As to the prior art rejection, applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Prosecution has been closed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS LUGO whose telephone number is (571)272-7058. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6pm.
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, Kristina Fulton can be reached at (571)272-7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
February 15, 2026