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
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 - 5 and 7 - 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fogelson, US 4,458,390 in view of Lemosquet et al., US 2010/0242234.
Regarding claim 1, Fogelson discloses an interchangeable buckle device comprising: a buckle (16) comprising a bar (34) around which a tongue (38) is articulated; an insert (14) provided with a channel (32) arranged to receive the bar (34); a lever (52) arranged to cooperate with the insert (14) so as to hold the bar (34) in the channel (32), the lever (52) being pivotally assembled (pivotal mounting is provided by the bores 60, 62) relative to the insert (14) and arranged to move from a locked position (figure 4) in which the bar (34) is held in the channel (32) to an open position (figure 3) in which the bar (34) is free to leave the channel (32).
Fogelson does not explicitly disclose a pair of ball catches; wherein the insert includes a first pair of blind holes configured to receive the ball catches therein and hold the lever in the locked position.
Lemosquet teaches a ball detent catch mechanism comprising a pair of ball catches (1) with the catches engaging corresponding blind holes (19a-b, 25a-b) configured to receive the ball catches (1) therein and hold the lever (17) in a locked position. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Fogelson to have the lever (52) comprises a pair of ball catches and the insert (14) comprises corresponding blind holes (on a wall member 26) to receive the ball catches as taught by Lemosquet so that the lever is held in the locked position with the aid of the ball detent catch mechanism to reduce unintentional unlocking while providing a tactile and audible feedback when the lever is fully locked.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. Fogelson further discloses wherein the insert (14) comprises a recess (58) arranged to receive the lever (52) in the locked position (figure 3).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 2. Fogelson further discloses wherein the recess (58) comprises, on inner side walls (26) of the insert (14), a second pair of blind holes (60, 62) arranged to co-operate with pivot catches (segments of a pin 66) integral with the lever (52), the co-operation forming a pivot axis (along the pin 66) for the lever (52).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. Fogelson further discloses wherein the channel (32) comprises a passage (36; see figure 1) for the tongue (38).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. Fogelson further discloses wherein the lever (52) comprises a holding member (56) arranged to hold the bar (34) in the channel (32), the holding member having a passage (68) for the tongue (38).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. The combination further teaches wherein the first pair of blind holes and the second pair of blind holes are coplanar.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. Fogelson further discloses wherein the lever (52) comprises a handling tab (56) for moving the lever (52) from the locked position (figure 4) to the open position (figure 3).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the interchangeable buckle device according to claim 1. Fogelson further discloses wherein the insert (14) has a shoulder (30) forming a space (see element 36) for handling the tongue (38), the tongue (38) resting partially in the recess when the lever (52) is in the locked position (figure 4).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet teaches the buckle device according to claim 1 except for a watch comprising said interchangeable buckle device. The examiner takes Official Notice that it is well known in the buckle art for a belt buckle having a prong/tongue to be used interchangeably with a strap buckle of a watch. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the buckle device of the combination of Fogelson and Lemosquet to be used with a watch to connect to one end of a watch strap since it is well known in the art to fasten watch straps with a buckle having the same design of a belt buckle.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed December 8, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant has amended the claims to include a pair of ball catches and corresponding blind holes in claim 1; the amendment has necessitated a new ground of rejection as set forth above. The argument for Lemosquet not making up for the deficiencies of Fogelson is found not persuasive in view of the rejection of the claim 1 above. It is noted that the lever element 52 of Fogelson is modified to include the claimed ball catches and the wall member 26 is modified to include the claimed blind holes.
Examiner’s assertion of official notice from the Office Action Mailed September 10, 2025 (pages 10 - 11) with regards to a belt buckle design to be used with a strap buckle of a watch is now taken to be admitted prior art due to Applicant's failure to traverse said official notice (see MPEP § 2144.03).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 for similar art cited.
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.
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/R.D./ Examiner, Art Unit 3677
/JASON W SAN/ SPE, Art Unit 3677