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 .
Drawings
The drawings were received on 30 April 2026. These drawings are acceptable.
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, 5, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kwak, KR 10-0961878 B1, reference attached translation.
Claim 1: Kwak discloses a lock ([0001]), comprising:
a bolt ([0037] “latch bolt”);
an action part (50) configured to drive the bolt to move ([0038]); and
an operation part (illustrated in Fig. 4), wherein the operation part includes an elastic component (button 63 and spring 66 form an elastic component), when the elastic component is in a pressed state (Fig. 5), the operation part has a transmission connection to the action part ([0036-38]), and when the elastic component is in a rebound state (Fig. 7), the transmission connection between the operation part and the action part is blocked ([0040]);
wherein the operation part further includes a handle (40),
the handle includes an opening-closing mechanism (70),
the opening-closing mechanism includes an operating member (73) protruding from the handle (Fig. 1), a limiting structure located within the handle (illustrated in Fig. 5 (see limitations below)), and a slider (body with 71, 72 formed as a slider) located in an accommodating cavity of the handle (the space formed by groove 43 and the hollow part 42 with the cover 80 corresponds to an accommodating cavity),
an end of the slider includes a slot (72 forms a slot at one end of the slider) cooperating with the elastic component (illustrated in Fig. 5), and when a side wall of the slot is attached to a side wall of the elastic component (Fig. 5 illustrates the slot 72 attached to a side wall of the elastic component (63)), an end surface of the slot abuts against a clutch member (groove 64 and protrusion 64 form a clutch member to connect the moving member 70 and the action part 50) of the lock (an end surface of the slot 72 abuts groove 64) to form the limiting structure (illustrated in Fig. 5),
the operating member is connected to the limiting structure (illustrated in Figs. 4-5), the operating member drives the limiting structure to move in the operation part to be in contact with the elastic component or separated from the elastic component ([0030], [0037]), and when the limiting structure is in contact with the elastic component, the elastic component is in the pressed state (depicted in Fig. 5; [0037]).
Claim 2: Kwak discloses the lock of claim 1, wherein the lock further comprises a transmission member (30);
the clutch member is cooperated with the elastic component in the accommodating cavity, the elastic component is at least partially located outside the accommodating cavity (Figs. 1 and 4 depicts part of elastic component 63 is at least partially outside the cavity);
the clutch member has a transmission connection to the operation part ([0026-28]);
the transmission member has a transmission connection to the action part ([0026]; Fig. 2); and
the clutch member has a transmission connection to the transmission member (via projection 65; [0036]) or is separated from the transmission member under the action of the elastic component ([0039-40]).
Claim 5: Kwak discloses the lock of claim 1, wherein the limiting structure is located within the accommodating cavity (illustrated by Fig. 4), and a side wall of the accommodating cavity (cover 80 is structured as a side wall of the cavity) includes a first strip hole (83), the operating member extends through the first strip hole ([0032]), a movement of the operating member along a length direction of the first strip hole drives the limiting structure to slide to be cooperated with a button of the elastic component or separated from the button of the elastic component ([0031-32]; Fig. 7 depicts the limiting structure separated from the button).
Claim 9: Kwak discloses the lock of claim 5, wherein the operating member includes a protruding part protruding from the first strip hole (Figs. 1 and 4 depict a protruding part extending from the slider; [0032]) and a limiting part located in the accommodating cavity (Fig. 4 depicts a part connecting the protruding part and slider, which corresponds to a limiting part), and the limiting part drives the slider to slide (the limiting part is structured to drive the slider to slide in response to pressing the protruding part).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwak, KR 100961878 B1, as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Li et al., CN 205577619 (reference attached machine translations).
Claim 3: Kwak discloses the lock of claim 2, wherein the elastic component comprises a button (63) at least partially located outside the accommodating cavity (Fig. 1) and a return spring (66) located in the accommodating cavity (Fig. 4). Kwak further discloses the return spring is configured to provide elastic force on the button toward the front side ([0029]), but does not explicitly disclose a spring baffle.
Li teaches a spring baffle (4) fixed in an accommodating cavity, a return spring (3) located between the spring baffle and a clutch member (201, 202 form a clutch member), and the clutch member passes through the spring baffle (Fig. 3) to cooperate with a transmission member (14).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the lock disclosed by Kwak to include a spring baffle fixed in the accommodating cavity, wherein the return spring is located between the spring baffle and the clutch member and the clutch member passes through the spring baffle to cooperate with the transmission member, as taught by Li et al., with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to physically support an end of the return spring to provide an elastic force to the button (Li et al. [0009], [0025]) for practicing the device taught by Kwak.
Claim(s) 1, 13-17, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al., CN 108005476 A, in view of Kwak, KR 100961878 B1, reference attached machine translations.
Claim 1: Liu discloses a lock, comprising:
a bolt ([0004], [0050] (a bolt is moved for opening and locking functions));
an action part (5, 6, 8 form an action part) configured to drive the bolt to move ([0050]); and
an operation part (2, 3, 4 form an operation part), wherein the operation part includes an elastic component (3, 4 form an elastic component), when the elastic component is in a pressed state (Fig. 7), the operation part has a transmission connection to the action part ([0050]), and when the elastic component is in a rebound state (Fig. 8), the transmission connection between the operation part and the action part is blocked ([0050-51]),
wherein the operation part further includes a handle (2).
However, Liu is silent to the handle including an opening-closing mechanism, the opening-closing mechanism includes an operating member protruding from the handle, a limiting structure located within the handle, and a slider located in an accommodating cavity of the handle.
Kwak discloses a lock comprising an operation part (Fig. 4), wherein the operation part includes an elastic component (button 63 and spring 66 form an elastic component),
the handle includes an opening-closing mechanism (70),
the opening-closing mechanism includes an operating member (73) protruding from the handle (Fig. 1), a limiting structure located within the handle (illustrated in Fig. 5), and a slider (body with 71, 72 formed as a slider) located in an accommodating cavity of the handle (a cavity is formed by groove 43 and cover 80),
an end of the slider includes a slot (72 forms a slot at one end of the slider) cooperating with an elastic component (button 63 and spring 66 form an elastic component), and when a side wall of the slot is attached to a side wall of the elastic component (Fig. 5 illustrates the slot 72 attached to a side wall of the elastic component (63)), an end surface of the slot abuts against a clutch member (64) of the lock (an end surface of the slot 72 abuts groove 64) to form the limiting structure (illustrated in Fig. 5),
the operating member is connected to the limiting structure (illustrated in Figs. 4-5), the operating member drives the limiting structure to move in the operation part to be in contact with the elastic component or separated from the elastic component ([0030], [0037]), and when the limiting structure is in contact with the elastic component, the elastic component is in the pressed state (depicted in Fig. 5; [0037]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the handle disclosed by Liu to further include the opening-closing mechanism taught by Kwak, including an operating member, a limiting structure, and a slider, in order to allow the user to selectively prevent the button from returning to its original position as needed depending on the situation for convenience (Kwak [0037], [0041]).
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Claim 13: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 1, further comprising a panel (Liu 1), the panel includes a fixing hole (Liu 11), and the operation part and the action part are respectively arranged at both ends of the fixing hole (Liu Fig. 1);
the panel includes a limiting plate (Liu Fig. 2 annotated above) and a limiting block (Liu 7) along a circumference of the fixing hole (Liu Fig. 1), the limiting plate includes a gap, the limiting block is located at a middle position of the gap (depicted in Liu Fig. 2, above);
the action part further includes a connecting cylinder (Liu 6) and a torsion spring (Liu 5), the connecting cylinder includes a limiting cover (Liu 61) and a rotating cylinder (Liu 62), the limiting cover includes a first stucking member (Liu 63) located between two torsion arms of the torsion spring (Liu [0047]), the rotating cylinder passes through the fixing hole (Liu Fig. 8) and is fixed with the operation part (Liu [0047]), the rotating cylinder includes a cavity (depicted in Liu Fig. 8), the cavity is connected to the accommodating cavity to form a clutch cavity (Liu Fig. 8 depicts the cavity connected to an accommodating cavity (shown in Fig. 10)); and
the torsion spring is located inside the limiting plate (Liu Fig. 1) and the two torsion arms of the torsion spring abut on both sides of the limiting block (Liu [0047]), respectively, the two torsion arms move between the limiting block and an end of the limiting plate (Liu [0049]).
Claim 14: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 13, wherein the action part includes a driving member (Liu 8), the driving member includes a clutch structure (Liu 811), and a rotation of the driving member drives the bolt to eject or retract (Liu [0050]); and
the driving member includes a blocking plate (Liu 82) and a clutch sleeve (Liu 81), the blocking plate includes a second stucking member (Liu 822) located between the two torsion arms (Liu [0048]), the clutch sleeve passes through the cavity of the rotating cylinder (Liu Fig. 8), an end of the clutch sleeve includes the clutch structure (Liu Fig. 5), and when the elastic component is pressed, the clutch member cooperates with the clutch structure in the clutch cavity (Liu [0050]).
Claim 15: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 14, wherein the limiting cover includes a first blocker (Liu 9; Liu [0046]), the blocking plate includes a second blocker (Liu 821) that cooperates with the first blocker (Liu [0048]), when the clutch member and the clutch structure are in a separated state (button 3 is not pressed (Liu)), a rotation of the operation part in a reverse-locking direction (Liu [0049] “handle 2 is lifted”) drives the driving member to rotate through the first blocker and the second blocker, so that the lock is reverse locked (Liu [0049]).
Claim 16: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 15, further comprising a compression cover (Liu 91), wherein the limiting cover (Liu 61) includes a mounting groove on a side away from the rotating cylinder (Liu Fig. 4), the compression cover is fixed with the limiting cover (Liu [0054]), and the blocking plate is rotatably located in the mounting groove (Liu Fig. 1; Liu [0054-55]).
Claim 17: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 16, further comprising a bearing (Liu bushings 93 form a bearing), and the operation part further including a connecting part (the portion of the handle with cavity 22 is a connecting part (Liu)), wherein a side of the fixing hole facing the action part includes a flange along the circumference of the fixing hole (depicted in Liu Fig. 3), an outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the flange (Liu [0059-60] (the bearing is attached to the hole and therefore connected to the flange surrounding the hole)), and the limiting cover and the connecting part abut against an inner ring of the bearing at two ends of the bearing, respectively (Liu [0059-60]; Liu Fig. 1; the limiting cover abuts an interior end of an inner ring when the bearing is fitting onto cylinder 62, and the connecting part abuts an exterior end of the inner ring, similar to the structure in the present application (see Fig. 34)).
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Claim 20: Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 17, wherein the connecting part includes a first convex plate on a side facing the driving member (Liu Fig. 1; Liu Fig. 9 annotated above), the limiting cover (Liu 61) includes a second convex plate on a side facing the operation part (Liu Fig. 9, annotated above), and the first convex plate and the second convex plate abut against the inner ring of the bearing from the two ends of the bearing (one skilled in the art would recognize the bearing disclosed by Liu is structured so the first convex plate abuts exterior side of the inner ring and the second convex plate abuts the interior side of the inner ring in order to be fitted onto the rotating shaft and disposed in the mounting cavity to prevent rubbing against the cavity, as disclosed (Liu [0059-60]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10-12, 18, and 19 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: Although the references of record show some features similar to those of Applicant’s device, the prior art fails to teach or make obvious the invention of claims 8, 10-12, 18, and 19.
Regarding claim 8, Kwak discloses the lock of claim 1, but is silent to wherein the slider includes a second strip hole, the slider is fixed to the operation part through a limiting screw and the second strip hole. The examiner can find no motivation to modify the slider taught by Kwak, to include a second strip hole, the slider fixed to the operation part through a limiting screw and the second strip hole, without use of impermissible hindsight and/or destroying the intended structure of the device.
Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 1, but is silent to the slider including a second strip hole, and the slider being fixed to the operation part through a limiting screw and the second strip hole. The examiner can find no motivation to modify the slider taught by Liu, as modified by Kwak, to include a second strip hole, the slider fixed to the operation part through a limiting screw and the second strip hole, without use of impermissible hindsight and/or destroying the intended structure of the device.
Regarding claim 10, Kwak discloses the lock of claim 9, but is silent the limiting part including a limiting convex plate, the accommodating cavity includes a division block cooperating with the limiting convex plate, the division block divides the accommodating cavity into a first position limiting region and a second position limiting region; and when the limiting structure cooperates with the button, the limiting convex plate is located within the first position limiting region, when the limiting structure is separated from the button, the limiting convex plate is located within the second position limiting region. The examiner can find no motivation to modify the lock disclosed by Kwak such that the limiting part includes a limiting convex plate and a division block divides the accommodating cavity into a first position limiting region and a second position limiting region without use of impermissible hindsight and/or destroying the intended structure.
In regards to claims 11-12, the prior art fails to disclose each and every limitation of claim 10 from which the claims depend.
Regarding claim 18, Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 17, but is silent to wherein an inner wall of the flange includes at least three convex ribs uniformly along an axial direction, a length direction of each convex rib is parallel to an axial direction of the flange, and the outer ring of the bearing has an interference cooperation with the convex ribs. The examiner can find no motivation to modify the flange and bearing disclosed by Liu to have the above-mentioned features without use of impermissible hindsight and/or destroying the intended structure.
Regarding claim 19, Liu, in view of Kwak, teaches the lock of claim 17. Liu teaches a bearing pressure plate (91) connected to the panel, but does not explicitly disclose a diameter of the flange is greater than that of the fixing hole and the bearing pressure plate and the edge of the fixing hole abut against the outer ring of the bearing from two ends. The examiner can find no motivation to modify the lock disclosed by Liu to further include a bearing pressure plate, wherein a diameter of the flange is greater than that of the fixing hole, and the bearing pressure plate and the edge of the fixing hole abut against the outer ring of the bearing from two ends without use of impermissible hindsight and/or destroying the intended structure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pp. 11-14, filed 30 April 2026, with respect to the objections to the drawings, specification, and claims have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pp. 15-16, with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The § 112(b) rejections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102-103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
With respect to Applicant’s arguments, see p. 21, regarding the teachings of Kwak, Applicant states Kwak does not disclose “an end surface of the slot abuts against the clutch to form the limiting structure” as recited in prior claim 7 (which is incorporated into the present claim 1). Prior claim 7 was dependent from claims 1-6, however claim 1 is not amended to include each and every limitation of claims 2-7 and thus has a different scope than the prior claim 7. Additionally, Kwak was not relied upon in the prior rejection to teach the clutch structure. As shown above, Kwak discloses the elements of claim 1, as amended.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/EGB/Examiner, Art Unit 3675 /KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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