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) 15-17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Don (US-7581421-B2).
With regards to claim 15, Don discloses a handle assembly (1 Figure 1) comprising:
a removable handle (2 Figure 1) including a lock core (4 Figure 1), the handle defining a positioning hole (25 Figure 1);
a spindle (41 Figure 1) coupled to the lock core and selectively rotatable around a longitudinal axis (central axis of lock core 4, Figure 1) via the handle;
a sleeve (5 Figure 1) configured to support the handle, the sleeve including a cylindrical wall defining an interior (as shown Figure 4), the spindle disposed at least partially within the interior, wherein the sleeve includes a support structure (3 Figure 1) that radially extends from the cylindrical wall into the interior relative to the longitudinal axis (as shown Figure 4); and
a catch (51 Figure 1) movably positioned within the sleeve, the catch movable between at least an extended position (Figure 6) and a retracted position (Figure 7) along a transverse axis (as shown Figures 6-7), orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, for selectively securing the handle to the sleeve (Col. 4 Lines 1-28), wherein the catch is axially aligned along the longitudinal axis with the positioning hole (as shown Figure 3), and wherein the support structure is axially offset along the longitudinal axis from the catch (Figure 3 shows the support structure at least partially axially offset along the longitudinal axis from the catch, such that their respective centers are misaligned in the longitudinal direction).
With regards to claim 16, Don discloses the handle assembly of claim 15, wherein the support structure (3 Figure 1) has a first end disposed at the cylindrical wall (of sleeve 5, Figure 1) and an opposite second end, the second end of the support structure has a circumferential length that is smaller than the first end of the support structure (as shown Annotated Figure 4 below).
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Annotated Figure 4
With regards to claim 17, Don discloses the handle assembly of claim 16, wherein the support structure (3 Figure 1) has a first side and an opposite second side (see Annotated Figure 4 above), the first and second sides extending between the first end and the second end, and wherein the first and second sides extend radially relative to the longitudinal axis (Annotated Figure 4 shows that the first and second sides extend in a substantially radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis).
With regards to claim 20, Don discloses the handle assembly of claim 15, wherein the support structure (3 Figure 1) is fastened to the cylindrical wall (of sleeve 5, Figure 1).
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) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Don alone.
With regards to claim 19, Don discloses the handle assembly of claim 15.
Don does not disclose wherein the support structure (3 Figure 1) is monolithically formed with the cylindrical wall (of sleeve 5, Figure 1).
However, In re Larson (340 F.2d 965, 968, 144 USPQ 347, 349) held that that forming in one piece an article which has formerly been formed in two pieces and put together involves only routine skill in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the support structure monolithically with the cylindrical wall, with a reasonable expectation of success. One would have been motivated to monolithically form the support structure and cylindrical wall in order to reduce the number of components of the handle assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-14 allowed.
Claims 18 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 claims 2 and 18, the prior art teaches a handle assembly comprising a removable handle including a lock core, a spindle coupled to the lock core and selectively rotatable around a longitudinal axis via the handle, a sleeve configured to support the handle, the sleeve including a cylindrical wall defining an interior, the spindle disposed at least partially within the interior, wherein the sleeve includes a support structure that radially extends from the cylindrical wall into the interior relative to the longitudinal axis, the support structure having a first end disposed at the cylindrical wall and an opposite second end, the second end having an end surface that faces the longitudinal axis, and a catch movably positioned within the sleeve, the catch movable between at least an extended position and a retracted position along a transverse axis, orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, for selectively securing the handle to the sleeve. However, the prior art does not teach the end surface having a concave curvature. 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 teaches a handle assembly comprising a removable handle including a lock core, a spindle coupled to the lock core and selectively rotatable around a longitudinal axis via the handle, a sleeve configured to support the handle, the sleeve including a cylindrical wall defining an interior, the spindle disposed at least partially within the interior, wherein the sleeve includes a support structure that radially extends from the cylindrical wall into the interior relative to the longitudinal axis, the support structure having a first end disposed at the cylindrical wall, an opposite second end, and a catch movably positioned within the sleeve, the catch movable between at least an extended position and a retracted position along a transverse axis, orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, for selectively securing the handle to the sleeve. However, the prior art does not teach and first and second sides extending radially relative to the longitudinal axis between the first and second ends such that the support structure has an annular sector shape. 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-20160130837-A1: A related handle arrangement.
US-7472571-B1: A related handle arrangement.
US-4550581-A: A related handle arrangement.
US-9175499-B2: A related handle arrangement.
US-7156432-B2: A related handle arrangement.
US-5077994-A: A related handle arrangement.
US-4394821-A: A related handle arrangement.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina Fulton, can be reached at (571) 272-7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NOAH HOROWITZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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