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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 7 should state “an open position”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1,11-12 /are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Patane et al. US 20190271179 (hereinafter referred to as Patane).
Claim 1. Patane discloses a power latch assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a power release actuator (94,96,98) arranged to move a power release gear (90) from a home position (rest position, paragraph 54) to a release position (release position, paragraph 57) to move a pawl (70) from a ratchet holding position (fig3) to a ratchet releasing position (fig8) and to cause a ratchet (60) to move from a striker capture position (fig3), whereat the ratchet is in latched engagement with a striker (31) to maintain a closure panel (14) in a closed position (paragraph 46), to a striker releasing position (paragraph 49-50) out of latched engagement from the striker to allow the closure panel to be moved from the closed position to the open position, the power release actuator further arranged to move the power release gear from the home position to a lock position (actuated position, paragraphs 59-63); and
an outside door release mechanism (outside handle 17) arranged to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the home position, the outside door release mechanism being operable to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the lock position. (Paragraphs 62-63, 67: The outside handle can be used to bypass the power release actuator in order to mechanically move the pawl, via rod 73a, to release the ratchet. NOTE: Although Patane does discuss in more detail how the inside door handle functions, the function of the inside door handle and outside door handle in relation to the pawl, is the same therefore the details of the inside door handle function can also be applied to the outside door handle function.).
Claim 11. Patane discloses the power latch assembly of Claim 1, wherein the outside door release mechanism is not associated with an outside door handle. (paragraphs 46,62-63,67)
Claim 12. Patane power latch assembly of Claim 11, wherein the outside door release mechanism is associated with a key cylinder (abstract).
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) 13, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patane et al. US 20190271179 (hereinafter referred to as Patane), alone.
Claim 13. Patane teaches a power latch assembly for a motor vehicle therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that Patane is capable of also teaching a method of mechanically moving a power latch assembly for a motor vehicle (10) from a latched state (paragraph 46) to an unlatched state (paragraph 46) to allow a closure panel (14) to be moved from a closed position (paragraph 46) to an open position (paragraph 46), comprising:
arranging a power release actuator (94,96,98) to move a power release gear (90) from a home position (rest position, paragraph 54) to a release position (release position, paragraph 57) to move a pawl (70) from a ratchet holding position (fig3), whereat a ratchet (60) is in latched engagement with a striker (31) in a striker capture position (paragraph 46) to maintain the closure panel in a closed position, to a ratchet releasing position, whereat the ratchet moves from the striker capture position to a striker releasing position (paragraphs 49-50) out of latched engagement from the striker to allow the closure panel to be moved from the closed position to the open position;
arranging the power release actuator to move the power release gear from the home position to a lock position (actuated position, paragraphs 59-63);
arranging an outside door release mechanism (17) to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the home position; and arranging the outside door release mechanism to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the lock position. (Paragraphs 62-63, 67: The outside handle can be used to bypass the power release actuator in order to mechanically move the pawl, via rod 73a, to release the ratchet. NOTE: Although Patane does discuss in more detail how the inside door handle functions, the function of the inside door handle and outside door handle in relation to the pawl, is the same therefore the details of the inside door handle function can also be applied to the outside door handle function.).
Claim 19. Patane further teaches the method of Claim 13, further including providing the outside door release mechanism to be associated with a mechanism other than an outside door handle. (paragraphs 46,62-63,67)
Claim 20. Patane further teaches the method of Claim 19, further including associating the outside door release mechanism with a key cylinder. (abstract)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10,14-18 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.
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Patane although discloses a lock link (73a), Patane does not disclose an outside release lever that is different to the handle. The definition of lever, according to Oxford Languages online is, “a rigid bar resting on a pivot…”. There is no pivoting lever that is part of the outside door release mechanism.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Art is related to power latch assemblies.
Related but not relied upon prior art: US 20220178178, US 12320169, US 20170314298.
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/F.F.A./
Examiner
Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675