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
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, 3 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hapke (US-7306266-B2).
With regards to claim 1, Hapke discloses a door lock (10 Figure 1) comprising:
a main slider (24 Figure 2) driven by a door hook (12 Figure 2) to reciprocate in a first direction (left, Figure 2);
an operating circuit (64 Figure 5) and an operating switch (63 Figure 5), the operating switch connecting or disconnecting the operating circuit based on a position of the main slider (Col. 6 Lines 20-31);
a sensing circuit (68 Figure 5) and a sensing switch (66 Figure 5), the sensing switch connecting or disconnecting the sensing circuit based on the position of the main slider (Col. 6 Lines 20-31); and
a switch box (32 Figure 2), the operating circuit and the operating switch disposed inside the switch box (the operating switch and circuit are disposed within the latch housing 32, as shown Figures 2 and 5), and the sensing circuit and the sensing switch disposed outside the switch box (the sensing switch and circuit may be disposed anywhere between the door and frame, Col. 6 Lines 20-31).
With regards to claim 3, Hapke discloses the door lock according to claim 1, wherein:
the main slider (24 Figure 2) has a locked position (Figure 3) and a released position (Figures 2); and
the door lock further comprises a sensing switch driving member (“push button”, Col. 6 Line 23) configured to switch on the sensing switch (66 Figure 5) in response to the main slider in the released position, thereby connecting the sensing circuit (Col. 6 Lines 20-31); and
to switch off the sensing switch in response to the main slider in the locked position, thereby disconnecting the sensing circuit (Col. 6 Lines 20-31).
With regards to claim 9, Hapke discloses the door lock according to claim 1, further comprising:
a cam (18 Figure 2) configured to receive the door hook (12 Figure 2) and drive the main slider (24 Figure 2) to move in the first direction (left, Figure 2); and
a locking pin (50 Figure 2) movable in a third direction (down, Figure 2) to lock or release the main slider and the cam (Col. 5 Line 50 – Col. 6 Line 5), wherein one end of the locking pin extends into the switch box (32 Figure 2) to switch on the operating switch (63 Figure 5) when the main slider and the cam are locked, or to switch off the operating switch when the main slider and the cam are released (Col. 6 Lines 20-31).
With regards to claim 10, Hapke discloses an electrical appliance (Col. 1 Lines 19-22), comprising the door lock (10 Figure 1) of claim 1.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park (US-10321798-B2).
With regards to claim 1, Park discloses a door lock (embodiment shown Figure 15) comprising:
a main slider (75 Figure 15) driven by a door hook (53 Figure 2) to reciprocate in a first direction (X, Figure 2);
an operating circuit (S1 Figure 4) and an operating switch (S13 Figure 4), the operating switch connecting or disconnecting the operating circuit based on a position of the main slider (Col. 17 Lines 52-61);
a sensing circuit (S3 Figure 15) and a sensing switch (S35 Figure 15), the sensing switch connecting or disconnecting the sensing circuit based on the position of the main slider (Col. 29 Lines 48-59); and
a switch box (S11 Figure 4), the operating circuit and the operating switch disposed inside the switch box, and the sensing circuit and the sensing switch disposed outside the switch box (as shown Figure 15).
With regards to claim 3, Park discloses the door lock according to claim 1, wherein:
the main slider (75 Figure 15) has a locked position (Figure 9) and a released position (Figure 8); and
the door lock further comprises a sensing switch driving member (S33 Figure 15) configured to switch on the sensing switch (S35 Figure 15) in response to the main slider in the released position, thereby connecting the sensing circuit (Col. 29 Lines 48-59); and
to switch off the sensing switch in response to the main slider in the locked position, thereby disconnecting the sensing circuit (Col. 29 Lines 48-59).
With regards to claim 4, Park discloses the door lock according to claim 3, wherein:
the main slider (75 Figure 15) reciprocates in the first direction (X, Figure 2) between the locked position (Figure 9) and the released position (Figure 9), and the sensing switch driving member (S33 Figure 15) comprises a switch slider (S37 Figure 15);
wherein the main slider drives the switch slider to move in the first direction (Col. 29 Lines 60-67).
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hapke in view of Mitchell (US-20250107686-A1).
With regards to claim 2, Hapke discloses the door lock according to claim 1.
Hapke is silent on whether a power source of the operating circuit (64 Figure 5) is a high-voltage power source, and a power source of the sensing circuit (68 Figure 5) is a low-voltage power source.
However, Mitchell discloses an appliance latch system wherein a power source of an operating circuit (generating a second sensing signal) is a high-voltage power source, and a power source of the sensing circuit (generating a first sensing signal) is a low-voltage power source (Para. 0037). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a high-voltage power source for the operating circuit and a low-voltage power source for the sensing circuit, with a reasonable expectation of success. One would have been motivated to use such power sources because in order “to provide improved safety and/or performance for the appliance, it is desirable to isolate the high voltage power from the door latch while providing safety cutoff functionality in case the door is opened” (Para. 0035).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 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 claimed invention. With regards to claim 5, the prior art fails to teach the door lock according to claim 4, wherein: the sensing switch comprises a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal, and the sensing switch driving member comprises an elastic piece made of a conductive material; and the elastic piece being connected to the switch slider to move in the first direction with the switch slider; wherein the sensing switch driving member is configured such that as the main slider drives the switch slider to move, the elastic piece comes into contact with the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal to conduct the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal; or the elastic piece moves away from at least one of the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal to disconnect the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal. Therefore, such an arrangement is not taught by the prior art, nor can the Examiner can find teaching or motivation to suggest such a modification to one of ordinary skill in the art without fundamentally altering the principles of operation of the device or otherwise relying upon the benefit of impermissible hindsight reasoning.
With regards to claim 8, the prior art fails to teach the door lock according to claim 4, wherein: the sensing switch comprises a micro-switch, and the sensing switch driving member comprises an elastic button elastically deformable in the first direction; wherein the sensing switch driving member is configured such that the elastic button is compressed and deformed by the switch slider to switch on the micro-switch, and extends and restores to switch off the micro-switch as the main slider drives the switch slider to move. Therefore, such an arrangement is not taught by the prior art, nor can the Examiner can find teaching or motivation to suggest such a modification to one of ordinary skill in the art without fundamentally altering the principles of operation of the device or otherwise relying upon the benefit of impermissible hindsight reasoning.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-20140000665-A1: A related appliance door latching system.
US-8955232-B2: A related appliance door latching system.
US-4866955-A: A related appliance door latching system.
US-20200115927-A1: A related appliance door latching system.
US-20210180238-A1: A related appliance door latching system.
US-20200149212-A1: A related appliance door latching system.
US-20210222459-A1: A related appliance door latching system.
US-10806322-B2: A related appliance door latching system.
US-8736406-B2: A related appliance door latching system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Noah Horowitz, whose telephone number is (571)272-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 11:00AM - 7:00 PM.
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/NOAH HOROWITZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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