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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information disclosure statement of 07/23/2024 has been received and reviewed.
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 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-15, 17-18, 21, 23-24, 27-28, and 30-31 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, 5, 7, 12, 14-15, 21, and 27-28 recite the phrase “can be”. It is unclear if the limitations following this phrase is required or not.
Claims 2, 4, 8, 11, 13, 17-18, 23-24, and 30-31 are rejected due to their dependency on a rejected claim
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) 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-14, 21, 23-24, 27-28, and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20190308684 to Fiedler in view of US 20110298227 to Fiedler (hereby referred to as 227).
Regarding claim 1, Fiedler discloses:
A locking device (fig 2) for connecting two assemblies (4, 5) to one another, comprising: a first locking part (5) which is associated with a first one of the assemblies and comprises a housing part (50) and two slots (50a,b) each having at least one first engagement protrusion (510), and a second locking part (4) which is associated with a second one of the assemblies and comprises two engagement elements (41a/b) each having at least one second engagement protrusion (410), wherein, for closing the locking device, each of the engagement elements of the second locking part can be attached to one of the slots of the first locking part, the first engagement protrusions are engaged with the second engagement protrusions in a closed position for holding the first locking part and the second locking part against one another against the closing direction (see paragraph 0047), and the first locking part and the second locking part can be separated from one another for opening the locking device, wherein the first locking part and the second locking part are movable relative to one another along a movement plane perpendicular to the closing direction for opening the locking device (see paragraph 0052).
Fiedler does not explicitly disclose: wherein at least one of the slots comprises an adjustment element which can be adjusted relative to the housing part, wherein the adjustment element is arranged on the housing part of the first locking part so as to be adjustable between a first position and a second position, wherein, in the first position, the adjustment element is configured to enable the first locking part and the second locking part to be attached to one another along a closing direction for closing the locking device and, in the second position, to block movement of the first locking part and the second locking part along the movement plane relative to one another and thereby blocking an opening of the locking device.
However, 227 teaches that it is well known in the art for an adjustment element (24) to be adjusted relative to the housing part, wherein the adjustment element is arranged on the housing part of the first locking part so as to be adjustable between a first position (fig 9a) and a second position (fig 9b), wherein, in the first position, the adjustment element is configured to enable the first locking part and the second locking part to be attached to one another along a closing direction for closing the locking device (movement from fig 9a to 9b) and, in the second position, to block movement of the first locking part and the second locking part along the movement plane relative to one another and thereby blocking an opening of the locking device (fig 9b). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 227 into Fiedler at least because doing so would provide additional safety by providing security options to keep the device in a locked state.
Regarding claim 2, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein each of the slots comprises an adjustment element, wherein the adjustment elements are jointly adjustable via an actuating mechanism of the first locking part or the adjustment elements are adjustable independently of one another (as per the combination, since Fiedler has 2 openings instead of 1, both openings would be adjusted with 24 from 227 and be adjustable independently of one another).
Regarding claim 4, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking-device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first locking part and the second locking part comprises a bearing pin (42) and the other of the first locking part and the second locking part comprises an engagement opening (542), wherein the bearing pin engages in the engagement opening in the closed position and the first locking part and, as a result, the second locking part are supported against each other (see paragraph 0050).
Regarding claim 5, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein, in order to open the locking device, the first engagement protrusions and the second engagement protrusions can be disengaged from one another by pivoting the first locking part and the second locking part along the movement plane relative to one another, or for opening the locking device, the first engagement protrusions and the second engagement protrusions can be disengaged from one another by parallel displacement of the first locking part and the second locking part along the movement plane relative to one another (paragraph 0050, 4 pivots about the y axis and is then displaced axially to be removed).
Regarding claim 7, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first engagement protrusion (244, see 227) of the at least one of the slots is arranged on the adjustment element and can be adjusted together with the adjustment element relative to the housing part (see fig 8 of 227).
Regarding claim 8, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment element comprises a base (240a, 227) and a collar portion (240) rigidly formed on the base and projecting from the base along the closing direction (see fig 8 of 227).
Regarding claim 11, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first engagement protrusions and the second engagement protrusions are engaged with one another in a form-fit manner in the closed position (see paragraph 0047).
Regarding claim 12, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first locking part and the second locking part can be attached to one another exclusively in the first position of the adjustment element for closing the locking device (fig 9a,9d of 227 shows the adjustment element only allowing attachment in the first position of 9a and not 9d) .
Regarding claim 13, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment element is rotatable between the first position and the second position relative to the housing part of the first locking part (figs 9a-d of 227).
Regarding claim 14, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment element can be rotated between the first position and the second position about an associated axis of rotation (Y, 227), which is directed parallel to the closing direction, relative to the housing part (see figs 9a-d of 227).
Regarding claim 21, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first locking part comprises an actuating element (244, 227) which can be actuated in order to move the adjustment element between the first position and the second position.
Regarding claim 23, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first locking part comprises a drive element (244, 227) which is operatively connected to the adjustment element and which is configured to introduce an adjusting force into the adjustment element when actuated.
Regarding claim 24, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 23, wherein at least one of: the drive element is arranged rotatably on the housing part (when 24 is on the housing part, 244 is also arranged on the housing part, 227), the drive element comprises a first toothed portion which is in toothed engagement with a toothed portion of an actuating element, and the drive element comprises a second toothed portion which is in toothed engagement with a toothed portion of the adjustment element.
Regarding claim 27, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the housing part comprises an insertion opening (500a/b) at each slot, into each of which an engagement element of the second locking part can be inserted along the closing direction for closing the locking device (fig 5a).
Regarding claim 28, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 27, wherein at least one of: each insertion opening is opened through an exit opening (502a/b) in an opening direction (A) directed transversely to the closing direction, wherein, in the first position of the adjustment element, the engagement elements are movable out of the insertion openings in the opening direction, for opening the locking device, and the adjustment element associated with at least one of the slots blocks the exit opening in the second position in such a way that the associated engagement element cannot be moved out of the insertion opening in the opening direction for opening the locking device (see paragraph 0049).
Regarding claim 30, Fiedler in view of 227 discloses:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first locking part comprises a first magnetic element (53a/b) and the second locking part comprises a second magnetic element (43a/b), wherein the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element magnetically attractively cooperate to magnetically support the attachment of the first locking part and the second locking part for closing the locking device (see paragraph 0048).
Claim(s) 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20190308684 to Fiedler in view of US 20110298227 to Fiedler (hereby referred to as 227), and further in view of EP 2640604 to Fiedler (hereby referred to as 604).
Regarding claim 31, Fiedler in view of 227 does not explicitly disclose:
The locking device according to claim 1, wherein in the first locking part comprises a first electrical contact arrangement and the second locking part comprises a second electrical contact arrangement, wherein the first electrical contact arrangement and the second electrical contact arrangement are operatively connected to one another in an electrically contacting manner in the closed position.
However, 604 teaches that it is well known in the art for a first locking part to comprise a first electrical contact arrangement (5) and the second locking part comprises a second electrical contact arrangement (4), wherein the first electrical contact arrangement and the second electrical contact arrangement are operatively connected to one another in an electrically contacting manner in the closed position (see fig 11b). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 604 into Fiedler in view of 227 at least because doing so would provide additional utility by providing supplying power and transmitting desirable data via the electrical contact arrangements.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 and 17-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Yahya Sidky whose telephone number is (571)272-6237. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:30-4:30.
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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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/Y.S./Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675