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 .
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 horizontal line or plane claimed in claim 1, and the movement claimed in claim 2, 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.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of the term “disclosed”. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
In the whole specification, change the term “deadbolt 24” to -latchbolt 24- and term “latchbolt 25” to -deadbolt 25- (see 112 2nd paragraph rejection below).
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 1-8 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 1 requires exterior and interior handles with respective driving levers that are received into a recess formed on the deadbolt to move the deadbolt by the handles.
At the instant, the limitation is indefinite.
First, as well known in the art, a deadbolt is a bolt on a door lock device that is moved by a key or thumb knob. Here is the invention:
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As shown, the member that is moved by the key cylinder 12 is actually element 25. Element 24 is actually a latchbolt. And is the latchbolt 24 that is actually operated by the handles, not the deadbolt as claimed.
Therefore, in order to continue with the examination, the limitation will be interpreted as mentioned before. Correction is required.
Claim 1 requires a second gear that is arranged on the spindle and meshes with the first gear, and one end of the spindle is arranged on the interior panel and provided with a rotary handle.
At the instant, the limitation is indefinite. As described and illustrated, the spindle 27 has one end provided with the rotary handle 31 and an opposite end provided with the 2nd gear 203, as shown in fig 7. As claimed, the 2nd gear can be provided at any position of the spindle, one of them same as the rotary handle.
Therefore, in order to continue with the examination, the limitation will be interpreted as mentioned before. Correction is required.
Furthermore, the invention is drawn to a door lock, however, there is no lock claimed. The 2nd gear is operatively connected to a lock, so the lock and the rotary handle will operate the device from the interior and the exterior. Correction is required.
Claim 1 also requires the limitation “at least one spring is arranged between one end of the deadbolt and a bottom of the first sliding cavity”. At the instant, the term “at least one” implies 1 or more than 1 spring, which has no basis and it is unclear how it would actually work.
Therefore, in order to continue with the examination, the limitation will be interpreted as “having a spring”. Correction is required.
Claim 1 also requires a horizontal line and then a horizontal plane. At the instant, it is unclear which term is the one to be considered since a “line” and a “plane” are two different things. Therefore, in order to continue with the examination, a broad interpretation will be given. 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) 1, and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat Application Publication No 20200308880 to Lin in view of US Pat No 886,635 to Pool et al (Pool), US Pat No 9,085,919 to Bacon and CN 204531709 to Guan et al (Guan).
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Regarding claim 1, Lin discloses a door lock of a recreational vehicle that comprises an exterior panel (10) mounted on a door of a recreational vehicle, a lock body and an interior panel (102). The lock body is located between the exterior panel and the interior panel.
The lock body comprises a first sliding cavity, a second sliding cavity and a driving cavity (space between 10/102). A slidable deadbolt (20) and a slidable latch bolt (14) are arranged in the first sliding cavity and the second sliding cavity respectively, a motor (32) and a rotatable spindle are mounted in the driving cavity. A first gear (32) is mounted on an output shaft (34) of the motor. The motor is configured to function as a limit component for preventing the first gear from further rotating.
A spring is arranged between one end of the deadbolt and a bottom of the first sliding cavity, and under the action of the spring, the other end of the deadbolt keeps stretching out of the lock body. An exterior handle (12) is hinged and connected to the exterior panel.
A recess is formed in the latchbolt and a driving lever (122) is arranged on the exterior handle and a top end of the driving lever is inserted into the recess of the latchbolt; and when the exterior handle is rotated, the driving lever pushes the latchbolt to retract into the lock body.
First, Lin fails to disclose that the device further comprises an inside handle that also defines a driving lever to operate the latchbolt from the inside.
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Bacon teaches that it is well known in the art to provide exterior and interior handles (1 and 50), each defining a respective driving lever (26,51) to be received into a recess (47) on a latchbolt (47).
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 device described by Lin with an inside handle, as taught by Bacon, in order to operate the latchbolt from the inside.
Second, Lin fails to disclose that the deadbolt is operated by the motor operating a 1st gear that comprises an eccentric rod arranged to be in a sliding slot formed on the deadbolt, so as to move the deadbolt according to the movement of the motor or by having a spindle connected to a 2nd gear and to a rotary handle on the inside plate.
Lin discloses a different drive, wherein an arm (38) is connected to the deadbolt and is mounted on a cylindrical member that is mounted to the spindle and operated by the 1st gear.
Bacon teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a rotary handle (52) operatively connected to a spindle (78), that comprise s a cylindrical member (74) connected to the deadbolt (80), to operate a deadbolt from the inside.
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 device described by Lin with a rotary handle/spindle connection, as taught by Bacon, in order to operate the deadbolt from the inside
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Pool teaches that it is well known in the art to provide the driving connection between a gear (7) and a bolt (13) by means of providing the gear with an eccentric rod (10) arranged to be in a sliding slot (11) formed on the bolt, so as to move the bolt according to the movement of an actuator (knobs).
A horizontal line is defined by a center of the first gear, and after the bolt stretches out of the lock body, the eccentric rod is located below the horizontal line.
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Guan teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a lock (10) connected to a spindle to move a 2nd gear (94), to mesh with a 1st gear (92, 93) to operate a deadbolt (7).
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 manual drive described by Lin with an eccentric rod/sliding slot, as taught by Pool, and a spindle/2nd gear connected to a 1st gear, as taught by Guan, in order to define simple drive with less members and that defines the movement of the bolt.
As to claim 5, Lin discloses a circuit mainboard (102) is arranged on the exterior panel or the interior panel; a fingerprint recognition module and a password key module (50, par 21), which allow the motor to be started to work after passing recognition, are integrated on the exterior panel.
Bacon teaches a battery (AA) mounted thereon to be replaced, is arranged on the interior panel; and the fingerprint recognition module, the password key module, the battery holder and the motor are all electrically connected to the circuit mainboard.
As to claim 6, Lin discloses that a receiving cavity is formed in the exterior panel corresponding to the exterior handle to allow the exterior handle to be received therein, and a gap for a hand to be inserted therein is reserved between a grip portion of the exterior handle and an inner wall of the receiving cavity.
As to claim 7, Bacon teaches that the motor (86) is a gear motor with a reduction gear box (Col 9 Line 39).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat Application Publication No 20200308880 to Lin in view of US Pat No 886,635 to Pool et al (Pool), US Pat No 9,085,919 to Bacon, CN 204531709 to Guan et al (Guan) and further in view of US Pat No 6,701,761 to Chang et al (Chang).
As to claim 4, Lin discloses that a lock cylinder (40) and that the spindle is in connection with a cylindrical member that is operatively connected to the deadbolt and the lock cylinder.
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Bacon teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a spindle (74) connected to a lock cylinder (11), by means of a cam (71), wherein the spindle defines an opening (72) at one end with mortises (131) to interact with the cam.
Guan teaches that the mortises (only one shown in fig 8), can be configured as interconnected 90⁰ mortises.
However, the combination fails to disclose that the lock cylinder has two bulges to engage the 90⁰ interconnecting members. Bacon teaches an additional member (cam 71) in between.
Chang teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a lock cylinder (9) that has mortises (98) at the end, that are directly connected to a bell crank (52).
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 lock cylinder described by Lin, as modified by Pool, Bacon, and Guan, in direct connection, as taught by Chang, in order to eliminate elements without affecting the movement.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat Application Publication No 20200308880 to Lin in view of US Pat No 886,635 to Pool et al (Pool), US Pat No 9,085,919 to Bacon, CN 204531709 to Guan et al (Guan) and further in view of US Pat Application Publication No 20250109617 to Harris et al (Harris).
Lin, as modified by Pool, Bacon and Guan, disclose that the battery (Bacon, AA), is mounted on the battery holder (Bacon 57).
However, the combination fails to disclose that the battery is a rechargeable battery, and that the circuit mainboard is provided with a charging port, and a receptacle of the charging port is arranged outside.
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Harris teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a charging port (126, 2902) for charging a rechargeable battery (not shown).
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 device described by Lin, as modified by Pool, Bacon, and Guan, with a charging port, as taught by Harris, in order to recharge the batteries at any convenient time.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 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.
Claim 3 would also be allowed since the claim depend from claim 2 above.
Conclusion
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.
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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
February 23, 2026