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 § 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.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, CN 113914074 A, in view of Shibao, JPH0464677A.
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches a door lock assembly [n0001] for locking a door of an electrical apparatus ([n0001]; Note: paragraph numbers are from the Espacenet machine translation of CN113914074A) comprising:
a cam (cam 1) configured to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise [n0043] about a camshaft (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang);
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Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang
a slider (slider 2) configured to fit and engage with the cam [n0043], such that when the cam rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the slider can reciprocate in the length direction of the slider along with the rotation of the cam (movement between Fig 1 and Fig 2 depicts 2 reciprocating in the length direction of 2 along with the rotation of 1), wherein the slider is provided with a movement guide groove ([n0048] discusses this feature to be the limiting structure depicted in Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang which is form of a long depression thereby meeting the Merriam-Webster definition 1 of groove and the broadest reasonable interpretation of the term) defining a conventional movement path (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the path to be ABCDA) which includes a first segment (ABC; [n0053]; see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2) of the conventional movement path and a second segment (CDA; [n0051]; see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2) of the conventional movement path, the first segment (ABC) of the conventional movement path and the second segment (CDA) of the conventional movement path being connected to each other (see (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2); and
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Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2
a pin assembly (latch 3) configured such that an end of the pin assembly (hook end 4) can move relative to the slider in the conventional movement path defined by the movement guide groove as the slider moves reciprocally (see movement of 4 between Fig 1 and Fig 2);
Wang teaches it is known in the art for a movement guide groove to comprises an alternate movement path ([n0053] discusses 3 rotating directly out of the limiting structure as a result of excessive force on the door), Wang does not teach wherein, the movement guide groove further defines an alternative movement path, and the pin assembly is further configured such that the end of the pin assembly can move relative to the slider in the first segment of the conventional movement path and the alternative movement path defined by the movement guide groove as the slider moves reciprocally, but does not move in the second segment of the conventional movement path.
Shibao teaches it is known in the art for a door lock assembly (latch device 10) to comprise a slider (sliding body 30) provided with a movement guide groove (cam groove 50) defining a conventional movement path (Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao depicts the path to be ABCDA); and a pin assembly (lock pin 60) configured such that an end of the pin assembly (distal end 61) can move relative to the slider in the conventional movement path (pages 21-22 discuss the movement of 60 within 50) wherein the movement guide groove further defines an alternative movement path (bypass passage 58; Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao depicts the bypass passage 58 as the alternative movement path), and the pin assembly is further configured such that the end of the pin assembly can move relative to the slider in the first segment of the conventional movement path and the alternative movement path defined by the movement guide groove as the slider moves reciprocally, but does not move in the second segment of the conventional movement path (page 27).
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Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao
The Supreme Court in KSR noted that the analysis supporting a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 should be made explicit. The Court quoting In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977, 988, 78 USPQ2d 1329, 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2006), stated that “‘[R]ejections on obviousness cannot be sustained by mere conclusory statements; instead, there must be some articulated reasoning with some rational underpinning to support the legal conclusion of obviousness.’” KSR, 550 U.S. at 418, 82 USPQ2d at 1396. Exemplary rationales that may support a conclusion of obviousness include:
(A) Combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results;
(B) Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results;
(C) Use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way;
(D) Applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results;
(E) “Obvious to try” – choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success;
(F) Known work in one field of endeavor may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one based on design incentives or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art;
(G) Some teaching, suggestion, or motivation in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention.
See MPEP § 2143 for a discussion of the rationales listed above along with examples illustrating how the cited rationales may be used to support a finding of obviousness. See also MPEP § 2144 - § 2144.09 for additional guidance regarding support for obviousness determinations.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, using KSR Rationale D, to modify the movement guide groove of Wang with the movement guide groove with locked position bypass of Shibao. The prior art contains a “base” device upon which the claimed invention can be seen as an “improvement” and a known technique that is applicable to the base device. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to apply the known technique of an alternative movement guide groove (an emergency opening path) in order to improve the safety of the electrical appliance to provide a manual forcible exit capability for someone trapped inside. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system, namely a door lock assembly with an emergency opening capability that is configured to otherwise operate in the same manner as the unimproved movement guide groove of Wang.
Regarding claim 2, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement guide groove (Wang, [n0048] discusses this feature to be the limiting structure depicted in Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang which is form of a long depression thereby meeting the Merriam-Webster definition 1 of groove and the broadest reasonable interpretation of the term) is a heart-shaped guide groove (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the groove to be heart-shaped), and the conventional movement path is a heart-shaped movement path (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the path ABCDA to be heart-shaped), four path points being provided on the heart-shaped movement path, sequentially including: a heart bottom intersection A (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2), a heart first side path vertex B (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2), a heart upper intersection C (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2), and a heart second side path vertex D (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2); wherein the alternative movement path (Shibao, 58) is disposed between the heart upper intersection C and the heart bottom intersection A (see Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao), such that the pin assembly (Shibao, 60) can directly move from the heart upper intersection C to the heart bottom intersection A without passing through the heart second side path vertex D (see Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao).
Regarding claim 3, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first segment (ABC ; [n0053]; see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2) of the conventional movement path is a heart first side path (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2), and the second segment (CDA; [n0051]; see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2) of the conventional movement path is a heart second side path (see Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2); wherein the heart first side path is formed from the heart bottom intersection A to the heart upper intersection C through the heart first side path vertex B, the heart second side path is formed from the heart upper intersection C to the heart bottom intersection A through the heart second side path vertex D, the heart first side path and the heart second side path are out-protruding movement paths, and the heart first side path vertex B and the heart second side path vertex D are respectively the highest protruding points of the heart first side path and the heart second side path (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the heart first and second side paths to be structured in the same manner as the instant invention), and concaved paths are formed from the heart first side path vertex B to the heart upper intersection C, and from heart upper intersection C to the heart second side path vertex D (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the heart first and second side paths to be concave in the same manner as the instant invention).
Regarding claim 4, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the heart-shaped movement path (Annotated excerpt Fig 1-Wang #2 depicts the path ABCDA to be heart-shaped) is a unidirectional movement path, and the movement in the heart-shaped movement path sequentially passes through the heart bottom intersection A, the heart first side path vertex B, the heart upper intersection C, and the heart second side path vertex D, and finally returns to the heart bottom intersection A (it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date that the apparatus of Wang and Lim comprising the heart-shaped movement path would operate in one direction as is commonly known and taught by Kurosaki, FR 2585060 A1, [0008] page 40)
Regarding claim 5, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pin assembly (Shibao, 60) is located at the heart bottom intersection A when the door is in an open position; the pin assembly is located at the heart upper intersection C when the door is in a closed position; and the pin assembly is located at the heart first side path vertex B or the heart second side path vertex D when a door hook (Wang, 12) of the door is in the maximum insertion position; wherein: the pin assembly moves from the heart bottom intersection A to the heart first side path vertex B and the door hook moves to the maximum insertion position when the door is subjected to a first inward force in the open position, the pin assembly moves from the heart first side path vertex B to the heart upper intersection C and the door moves to the closed position after the first inward force is removed, the pin assembly moves from the heart upper intersection C to the heart second side path vertex D and the door hook moves again to the maximum insertion position when the door is subjected to a second inward force in the closed position, and the pin assembly moves from the heart second side path vertex D back to the heart bottom intersection A and the door returns to the open position after the second inward force is removed (Wang, [n0048-0051]; Shibao, pages 21-26; it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date that the apparatus of Wang and Lim comprising the heart-shaped movement path structured in the same manner as the instant invention would function and operate in the same manner as the instant invention).
Regarding claim 6, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the alternative movement path (Shibao, 58) is a release guide groove provided on the slider (Shibao, 30; see Annotated excerpt Fig 6-Shibao).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, CN 113914074 A, in view of Shibao, JPH0464677A, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lim et al., US 12410549 B2.
Regarding claim 20, Wang in view of Shibao teaches the door lock assembly as claimed in claim 1; wherein the electrical apparatus is a washing machine (claim 10).
Wang in view of Shibao does not teach wherein the electrical apparatus is a dryer.
Lim teaches it is known in the art for an apparatus lock device (Fig 1) wherein the electrical apparatus is a dryer (col 1, lines 15-17; col 5, lines 27-31).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, using KSR Rationale B, to substitute the washing machine application disclosed by Wang with the dryer application disclosed by Lim. The prior art contains a door lock assembly which differs from the claimed device by the substitution of a component (the washing machine electrical appliance upon which it is used by Wang) with another component (the dryer electrical appliance upon which it is used by Lim). Locks are known in the art to be mounted on a variety of electrical appliances. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to design a door lock assembly for use on multiple appliances in order to increase product marketing and sales opportunities. One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted one known element for another with a reasonable expectation of success and the results of the substitution would have been predictable, namely a door lock assembly configured to function in the same manner on a dryer electrical appliance as it does on a washing machine electrical appliance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. (FP 7.43)
Regarding claim 7, it is not known in the art for a door lock assembly wherein the diameter of the end of the pin assembly is greater than the groove width of the release guide groove, when the door is in the closed position and subjected to an outward force, the pin assembly is configured to apply compressive force to two side walls of the release guide groove, thereby expanding the release guide groove in the groove width direction, such that the pin assembly can move from the heart upper intersection C to the heart bottom intersection A in the release guide groove.
Regarding claims 8, 9, and 10, they are allowable because they pend from claim 7.
Regarding claim 11, it is not known in the art for a door lock assembly wherein the release guide groove is provided with a baffle near the heart upper intersection C, and the pin assembly is configured to apply force to the baffle, wherein the baffle is destroyed when the force applied to the baffle exceeds a threshold that the baffle can withstand, such that the pin assembly can move in the release guide groove from the heart upper intersection C to the heart bottom intersection A.
Regarding claims 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, they are allowable because they pend from claim 11.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art for door lock apparatus.
Chen et al., CN 209556617 U, teaches a door lock switch of household appliance with a cam, a slider, a pin assembly, and a heart-shaped movement guide groove.
Choi, US 10829881 B2, teaches a door lock device for washing machine and method of locking washing machine door with a cam, a slider, a pin assembly, and a heart-shaped movement guide groove.
Zheng et al., CN 110080631 A, teaches an automatically flicking electromagnetic door lock for an electrical appliance door with a cam, a slider, a pin assembly, and a heart-shaped movement guide groove.
Wang, CN 110984703 A, teaches an induction type door lock for an electrical appliance door with a cam, a slider, a pin assembly, and a heart-shaped movement guide groove.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN A TULLIA whose telephone number is (571)272-6434. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 ET.
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/STEVEN A TULLIA/Examiner, Art Unit 3675