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
Claims 2-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 2-10, lines 1, “with a combination lock” should be “with the combination lock”.
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)(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, 4-5, and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WO 2025219409 to Abus.
Regarding claim 1, Abus discloses:
A detachable lock device (fig 1a) with a combination lock (fig 2a), comprising a lower clamping plate (137), a locking assembly (27), and a connecting assembly (139, 141, 142, 146), wherein a bottom of the locking assembly corresponding to the lower clamping plate is formed with an upper clamping plate (135, fig 2b), the upper clamping plate is located above the lower clamping plate (figs 2a/b), the upper clamping plate has a clamping position (fig 2a) for clamping a zipper (19) relative to the lower clamping plate, and an unclamping position (fig 11) for releasing the zipper relative to the lower clamping plate, and the upper clamping plate is connected to the lower clamping plate through the connecting assembly, so that the upper clamping plate is locked at the clamping position relative to the lower clamping plate (fig 11); the locking assembly has a rotatable encircling member (21), a locking area (103) for locking the zipper slider is formed between the lower clamping plate and the encircling member (fig 4a), by rotating the encircling member, the zipper slider is locked in the locking area or the locking area is opened (rotation of 21 locks/unlocks the zipper from 103 via moving 93 and 17), and the locking assembly comprises a mechanical combination lock (41) for locking or unlocking the encircling member (when 41 locks 17, 21 cannot rotate to release 19).
Regarding claim 2, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 1, wherein the lower clamping plate comprises a main plate (150) and a pressing toothed rack (95), the pressing toothed rack is arranged on a pressing surface (top surface) of the main plate (figs 4a-c).
Regarding claim 4, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 1, wherein the locking assembly further comprises a casing (23) and a lock tongue (17), a bottom of the casing is formed with the upper clamping plate (fig 2a), the mechanical combination lock is built into the casing (fig 2a), an output end (93) of the mechanical combination lock is matched with the lock tongue, the lock tongue is slidably arranged in the casing and has a locking position (fig 4a) that engages with the encircling member and an unlocking position (fig 4b) that disengages from the encircling member relative to the casing (17 disengages from 93 in fig 4b), and the lock tongue is switched between the locking position and the unlocking position under the driving of the mechanical combination lock (when 41 is locked/unlocked).
Regarding claim 5, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 4, wherein the mechanical combination lock comprises a rotary dial combination lock (41) and a sliding member (39), the sliding member is slidably arranged in the casing (fig 4a), the rotary dial combination lock is used to lock or unlock the sliding member (when 41 is in the locked position, 39 cannot move to unlocked 19), the sliding member is extended towards the lock tongue to form a sliding column (via 93), the lock tongue has a driving inclined surface (portion of 17 that abuts 17) corresponding to the sliding column, and the sliding column slides on the driving inclined surface, driving the lock tongue to switch between the locking position and the unlocking position (See figs 4a-c).
Regarding claim 9, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 5, wherein the locking assembly further comprises an elastic member (125), the elastic member provides an elastic force which always tends to move the lock tongue from the unlocking position to the locking position (see fig 7b).
Regarding claim 10, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 1, wherein the lower clamping plate is extended outward to form a bottom support plate (fig 2b, bottom position of 137)) for accommodating the zipper slider (via providing support for 103).
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2025219409 to Abus.
Regarding claim 3, Abus discloses:
The detachable lock device with a combination lock according to claim 1, wherein the connecting assembly comprises a threaded hole (144) and a hand screw (screw that goes in 144 seen in fig 4a), the threaded hole is arranged on the lower clamping plate, the upper clamping plate has a locking hole (144), the hand screw passes through the locking hole and connects with the threaded hole, and the upper clamping plate is locked at the clamping position relative to the lower clamping plate (screw enters 144 via 146).
Abus does not explicitly disclose: the threaded hole is arranged on the upper clamping plate, the lower clamping plate has a locking hole. Abus teaches the locking hole on the upper clamping plate and the threaded hole on the lower clamping plate. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the locking hole and threaded hole on the opposite clamping plate at least because doing so requires a simple rearrangement of parts and could be accomplished without undue experimentation and would yield the same result, providing a locking hole and threaded hole. See MPEP 2144, subsection VI.C.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Yahya Sidky whose telephone number is (571)272-6237. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:30-4:30.
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/Y.S./Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675