DETAILED ACTION
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 1-13 and 15-21 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.
In claim 1, the entire phrase “a mechanical driving of the latch… movement of the rotor” is generally not understood in the context of the claim language. Among several issues with this claim language is that it is unclear what is intended to constitute a “mechanical driving of the latch”; the phrase “can be effected by” is not fully understood”. Additionally, it is unclear how, in what way(s), and by what means that the claimed function of this passage is achieved and for what particular structure and/or functional purpose(s).
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)(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 1-13 and 15-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nave, US Patent 8,850,858. See the embodiment of figure 5. As in claim 1, a portable electronic lock, comprising a lock body and a securing part 130 that is movable relative to the lock body between a closed position and an open position, wherein the lock body comprises an electromechanical locking device that has an electric motor 145 inherently having a rotor, a latch (including one or move of 180, 170, 165, 160) coupled to the rotor, and a control circuit 144, wherein the latch can be electrically driven by means of the electric motor from a locking position, in which the securing part located in the closed position is locked to the lock body, into an unlocking position in which the securing part is released for a movement into the open position (all as conventional), wherein, as best understood, a mechanical driving of the latch can be effected by a moving of the securing part from the open position into the closed position, with the latch being drive-effectively coupled to the rotor of the electric motor such that the mechanical driving of the latch effects a forced rotational movement of the rotor, with the electric motor being configured to generate an electrical voltage on the basis of the forced rotational movement of the rotor (see column 5, lines 26-34). As in claim 2, the latch is connected to a return spring that is configured to mechanically drive the latch from the unlocking position into the locking position. As in claim 3, the return springcircuit is configured, after the electrical driving of the latch into the unlocking position, to control the electric motor to return the latch into the locking position and hereby to relax the return spring, wherein, due to a subsequent moving of the securing part from the open position into the closed position, first the latch can be mechanically driven into the unlocking position and the return spring connected to the latch can hereby be tensioned again, and wherein, on a final reaching of closed position of the securing part, the latch can be mechanically driven from the unlocking position into the locking position by a relaxing of the spring. As in claim 6, the control circuit is configured, after the electrical driving of the latch into the unlocking position, to control the electric motor to return the latch into the locking position, wherein, due to a subsequent moving of the securing part from the open position into the closed position, the latch can be mechanically driven into the unlocking position in order hereby to effect the forced rotational movement of the rotor, and wherein the control circuit is configured, after the detection of the forced rotational movement of the rotor, to control the electric motor to electrically drive the latch from the unlocking position into the locking position. As in claim 7, the latch is linear movable. As in claim 8, the electric motor is configured to generate the electrical voltage by induction on the basis of the forced rotational movement of the rotor. As in claim 9, the control circuit is configured to detect the electrical voltage generated by the electric motor. As in claim 10, a rechargeable electrical energy store that is configured to store at least a portion of the generated electrical voltage as electrical energy. As in claim 11, the control circuit is configured to use the electrical energy stored on the basis of the generated electrical voltage to outwardly output a signal. As in claim 12, the control circuit is configured, in an unlocking operation, to drive the electric motor to perform an electrical driving of the latch from the locking position into the unlocking position, wherein the control circuit is further configured, in a detection operation following the unlocking operation, to detect the electrical voltage generated by the electric motor or to store it as electrical energy. As in claim 13, the device is capable of including a radio unit, wherein the control circuit is connected to the radio unit, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive a control command for the electromechanical locking device via the radio unit and to control the electric motor in response to the received control command wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a state information. As in claim 15, the rotor of the electric motor is capable of being coupled to the latch via a reduction gear unit that is not self-locking. As in claim 16, the securing part is a hoop and has two ends, wherein the hoop can be introduced with both ends into the lock body and can be locked with one end or with both ends to the lock body; or wherein the securing part has at least one boltdriving of the latch into the unlocking position and the mechanical blocking of the latch in the unlocking position, to control the electric motor to slightly rotate the rotor back in the locking direction in order to relieve the rotor. As in claim 18, the control circuit is configured to evaluate a value of the generated electrical voltage by a comparison with a threshold value. As in claim 19, the device is capable of having a radio unit, wherein the control circuit is connected to the radio unit, wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a state information, which represents a position of the securing part, or a control command via the radio unit as a radio signal. As in claim 20, the rotor of the electric motor is coupled with clearance to the latch.
Claim 21 is rejected with the same or similar reasoning as above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK A WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-7064. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
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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.
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/MARK A WILLIAMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675