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
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoshimoto et al. DE 102018128579.
Regarding claim 1, Yoshimoto et al. discloses a door latch device comprising:
a base (15) that has an insertion groove (15c) into which a striker (2) is insertable;
a fork (22) that is mounted on a fork shaft (23) disposed on the base, on one side of the insertion groove, the one side being one side in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the insertion groove extends, that is rotatable between a latching position for holding the striker and an open position at which the striker is releasable, and is biased (24) in a direction from the latching position toward the open position by a biasing member;
a claw (26) that is pivotally supported by a claw shaft (29) disposed on the base, on another side of the insertion groove (Fig.7B) in the direction intersecting with direction in which the insertion groove extends, and extending along the fork shaft, that is rotatable between an abutting position where the claw comes into abutment against the fork at the latching position and a non-abutting position where the abutment against the fork is released and the fork is allowed to be rotated by the biasing member (fork bias 24);
an opening lever (48) that includes a fork restricting portion (48b) configured to restrict a rotation of the fork toward the open position and a claw actuating portion (48a) configured to rotate the claw from the abutting position to the non-abutting position, that is pivotally supported on the base on the other side of the insertion groove, and that is disposed spaced apart from the claw in an axial direction of the claw shaft; and
a driving mechanism (35, 36, 41) that rotates the opening lever from an initial position to a first rotational position spaced apart from the initial position (Fig.7B, closed position), a second rotational position (intermediate position) further away from the initial position than the first rotational position, and a third rotational position (Fig.11B, open position) further away from the initial position than the second rotational position, wherein
when the opening lever is at the initial position, the fork restricting portion allows the fork to rotate, and the claw actuating portion keeps the claw at the abutting position (Fig.9B),
a rotation of the opening lever from the initial position to the first rotational position causes the fork restricting portion to restrict rotation of the fork toward the open position (Fig.10B),
a rotation of the opening lever from the first rotational position to the second rotational position causes the claw actuating portion to rotate the claw from the abutting position to the non-abutting position (Fig.11B), and
a rotation of the opening lever from the second rotational position to the third rotational position causes the fork restricting portion to cease to restrict the rotation of the fork toward the open position, while causing the claw actuating portion to restrict rotation of the claw toward the abutting position (Fig.11B).
Regarding claim 6, Yoshimoto et al. discloses the door latch device according to claim 1, wherein
the fork (22) is rotatable from the open position (Fig.11B) to an over-latching position that is further away from the open position than the latching position, via the latching position,
the claw (26) is rotatable from the abutting position to an over-rotated position that is further away from the abutting position than the non-abutting position, via the non-abutting position (Fig.10b),
by rotating the opening lever (48) from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, the fork restricting portion is caused to rotate the fork from the latching position to the over-latching position against a biasing force of the biasing member (24), and by rotating the opening lever being rotated from the second rotational position to the third rotational position, the claw actuating portion is caused to rotate the claw from the non-abutting position (Fig.10B)to the over-rotated position (Fig.11B), and the fork restricting portion is caused to gradually rotate the fork from the over-latching position, through the latching position (Fig.7B), to the open position 9Fig.11B), and then ceases to restrict the rotation of the fork (disengaged, 12B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 and 7-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Yoshimoto discloses the door latch device except:
the fork lever has a restriction receiving portion against which the fork restricting portion butts,
the driving mechanism includes
a motor disposed on a side opposite to an open end of the insertion groove with respect to the claw, in a direction in which the insertion groove extends, and
a spindle extending in a direction intersecting with the insertion groove and being driven in rotation by the motor, and
a slider that is screwed onto the spindle in a manner movable forwardly and reversely, and that operates the opening lever, and
the opening lever includes
a lever body that is pivotally supported on a side nearer to the open end of the insertion groove than the claw shaft, and that extends along the insertion groove toward the spindle, and
an operation receiving portion that is provided at a tip of the lever body and receives an operation of the slider.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as it may affect the patentability of applicant’s claimed invention is listed on the attached PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas L. Neubauer whose telephone number is 571.272.4864. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina R. Fulton can be reached on 571-272-7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T. L. N./
Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675