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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-10 and 12-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Arabia (US-5316354-A).
With regards to claim 1, Arabia discloses a lock holder (18 Figure 4) for a motor vehicle door lock (16 Figure 1), the lock holder comprising:
a lock holder plate (20 Figure 4), a locking bolt (24 Figure 4), a center piece (22 Figure 4), and a connecting bolt (26 Figure 4), wherein the locking bolt and the connecting bolt are separately formed (Figure 4, Col. 3 Lines 31-49).
With regards to claim 2, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and the connecting bolt (26 Figure 4) includes an increased cross section (34 Figure 1) in a contact region with the lock holder plate (20 Figure 4).
With regards to claim 4, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein the center piece (22 Figure 40) is flat (as shown Figures 1, 4) at least in a mounting region for the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and/or the connecting bolt (26 Figure 4).
With regards to claim 5, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein the center piece (22 Figure 40) is designed flat such that a cross-sectional area of the center piece as a whole has a rectangular cross-sectional shape (shown Figure 1).
With regards to claim 6, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) has a material thickening in a mounting region for the center piece (22 Figure 4) (Figure 1 shows that the locking bolt has a material thickening between the locking bolt segment within the center piece and the locking bolt segment contacting the catch).
With regards to claim 7, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 6, wherein the material thickening forms a contact surface (surface of locking bolt 24 contacting catch 11, Figure 1) for a catch (11 Figure 2, shown in cross-section but unlabeled in Figure 1) of the motor vehicle door lock (16 Figure 1).
With regards to claim 8, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 7, wherein the material thickening is a collar that forms the contact surface (the material thickening of the between the locking bolt segment within the center piece and the locking bolt segment contacting the catch can be interpreted as forming a collar on the center piece, Figure 1).
With regards to claim 9, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the collar (of locking bolt 24, Figure 1) and the catch (11 Figure 2) includes a plastics coating in a contact region of the catch on the collar (specifically the catch, Col. 4 Lines 9-12).
With regards to claim 10, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and the connecting bolt (26 Figure 4) is a rivet bolt (Figure 4, Col. 3 Lines 31-49).
With regards to claim 12, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the center piece (22 Figure 4) and the lock holder plate (20 Figure 4) includes at least one rivet hole (32, 38 Figure 1).
With regards to claim 13, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) is cylindrical.
With regards to claim 14, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and the connecting bolt (26 Figure 4) is configured to be connected to at least one of the center piece (22 Figure 4) and the lock holder plate (20 Figure 4) via cold forming (Col. 3 Lines 31-49).
With regards to claim 15, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 1, wherein the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and the connecting bolt (26 Figure 4) are symmetrical.
With regards to claim 16, Arabia discloses a motor vehicle lock (16 Figure 1) comprising:
the lock holder (18 Figure 4) according to claim 1, and a catch (11 Figure 2), wherein the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) has a material thickening (Figure 1 shows that the locking bolt has a material thickening between the locking bolt segment within the center piece and the locking bolt segment contacting the catch) in a mounting region for the center piece (22 Figure 4).
With regards to claim 17, Arabia discloses the motor vehicle lock according to claim 16, wherein the material thickening forms a contact surface (surface of locking bolt 24 contacting catch 11, Figure 1) for the catch (11 Figure 2, shown in cross-section but unlabeled in Figure 1).
With regards to claim 18, Arabia discloses the motor vehicle lock according to claim 17, wherein the material thickening is a collar that forms the contact surface (the material thickening of the between the locking bolt segment within the center piece and the locking bolt segment contacting the catch can be interpreted as forming a collar on the center piece, Figure 1).
With regards to claim 19, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the collar (of locking bolt 24, Figure 1) and the catch (11 Figure 2) includes a plastics coating in a contact region of the catch on the collar (specifically the catch, Col. 4 Lines 9-12).
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) 3 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arabia in view of Burton (US-20060055179-A1).
With regards to claim 3, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 2.
Arabia does not disclose wherein at least one of the locking bolt (24 Figure 4) and the connecting bolt (22 Figure 4) includes a cross-sectional area continuously increasing towards the contact region (with lock holder plate 20, Figure 4).
However, Burton discloses a high strength vehicle striker (40 Figure 7) wherein the locking bolt (50 Figure 7) and the connecting bolt (52 Figure 7) includes a cross-sectional area continuously increasing (56 Figure 7) towards the contact region with the lock holder plate (42 Figure 7). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add Burton’s cross-sectional area continuously increasing towards the contact region with the lock holder plate to at least one of Arabia’s locking bolt and connecting bolt, with a reasonable expectation of success. One would have been motivated to add such a feature to improve the strength of the lock holder.
With regards to claim 11, Arabia discloses the lock holder according to claim 10, wherein the rivet bolt includes a rivet head (Figure 4, Col. 3 Lines 31-49).
Arabia does not disclose that the rivet head has a bevel.
However, Burton discloses a high strength vehicle striker (40 Figure 7) wherein the locking bolt (44 Figure 12a) is a rivet bolt having a rivet head (end of bolt 44, Figure 12a) with a bevel (56 Figure 12a). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a bevel to Arabia’s rivet head, with a reasonable expectation of success. One would have been motivated to add a bevel to improve the strength of the lock holder.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-6073980-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-7703818-B2: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-12060737-B2: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-6698080-B2: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-6106037-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-4989313-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-5707092-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-5785365-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-4981313-A: A high strength vehicle striker.
US-20260002387-A1: A high strength vehicle striker.
WO-2017211348-A1: A high strength vehicle striker.
Conclusion
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/NOAH HOROWITZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3675