DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
All of the claims include multiple antecedent and misdescriptive problems. The following suggestions would overcome all the problems with the claims.
In claim 1, line 7, “each latch member comprising a projection extending toward the second end” should be changed to “each latch member comprising a projection extending toward the first end of the first end of the male buckle connector”, in line 9, “the latch members”, both occurrences, should be changed to “the pair of latch members”, in lines 11 and 12, “the latch members” should be changed to “the pair of latch members”, in line 11, “the projections” should be changed to “the projection on each of the pair of latch members”, and in line 12, “the slots” should be changed to “the pair of slots”.
In claim 3, line 1, “the female buckle connector” should be changed to “the pair of slots” and in line 3, “the slot” should be changed to “each slot of the pair of slots”.
In claim 4, line 1, “each latch member” should be changed to “each latch member of the pair of latch members”.
In claim 5, line 2, “each latch member” should be changed to “each latch member of the pair of latch members”.
In claim 6, line 2, “the second end” should be changed to “the first end of the male buckle connector” and in line 3, “the slots” should be changed to “the pair of slots”.
In claim 7, line 2, “the latch members” should be changed to “the pair of latch members”.
In claim 11, line 2, “the second end thereof” should be changed to “the second end of the male buckle connector”.
In claim 12, line 1, “each slot” should be changed to “each slot of the pair of slots”, also in line 1, “the buckle connector” should be changed to “the female buckle connector”, in line 2, “the shoulder” should be changed to “the camming shoulder”, in line 3, “the projection of a latch member” should be changed to “the projection of the latch member”, in line 3, “the buckle connect and belt” should be changed to “the female buckle connector and male buckle”, in line 4, “deflecting the latch member” should be changed to “deflecting the projection of the latch member”, “allowing it” should be changed to “allowing the projection of the latch member”, line 5, “the slot’s detent” should be changed to “an inner detent located in the slot”, and in line 5, “the buckle connector” should be changed to “the female buckle connector”.
In claim 13, line 2, “the latch members” should be changed to “the pair of latch members” and in line 3, “the corresponding side of the belt connector” should be changed to “a corresponding side of the male buckle connector”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-4, 8 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Wang, US 11324287 B2. Wang discloses a buckle (1) with a female buckle connector (2) attached to the buckle with pin nubs (figure 2) in the second end of the female buckle connector (2). Wang discloses a male buckle connector (3) for attaching the buckle to a belt. The male buckle connector includes a spring (32 formed of two parts) for biasing the pair of latch members (311) outwardly. Each latch member includes a projection (312), which engages the inner detent in the slot (211).
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Regarding claim 2, Wang discloses the belt buckle (1) being removably attached to the female buckle connector with the pin nubs (first paragraph in the summary section of the patent).
Regarding claim 3, as discussed and shown in the above annotated drawing of Wang, Wang discloses inner detents adjacent to an interior surface of the slots.
Regarding claim 4, Wang discloses each latch member (311) with an angled portion (top surface and/or bottom surface of the latch), i.e., it is angled with respect to the side surface of the latch member, configured to interface with an inner surface of the female buckle connector.
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Regarding claim 8, Wang discloses two channels, extending along a length, on each side of the first end of the female buckle connector. Each of the channels receive a pin on the flange of the buckle to pivotally engage the female buckle connector.
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Regarding claim 12, Wang discloses a camming shoulder on each slot (211) for engaging the projection of each latch member (311), respectively, for forcing the latch members inwardly to fit within the female buckle connector opening (212).
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Regarding claim 13, Wang discloses two separate springs (32) that make up the spring.
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 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, US 11324287 B2 in view of Amit, US 20230165341 A1. Wang fails to disclosed the claimed angled portion of each latch member being received within the detent to maintain the locked configuration. However, Amit discloses this type of locking latch and inner detent arrangement between a male and female connector is old and well-known.
Amit discloses a male buckle connector (210, figure 3a) with a latch member having an angled portion (244) that is received by an inner detent (224) on a female buckle connector (220) for maintaining a locked configuration between the male and female buckle connectors.
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The benefits of having the inner detent receiving the angled portion of the latch member within the female buckle connector is to improve the locking configuration from becoming detached during operation of the locked buckle. Therefore, it would have been obvious, prior to the earliest effective filing date, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Wang’s locking mechanism between the male and female buckle connectors to improve the reliability of the locked configuration.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, US 11324287 B2 in view of Szemplak, US 3090092. Wang fails to disclose a tongue and groove on the male and female buckle connectors. However, Szemplak discloses that it is old and well-known to use a tongue (9, key, figure 5) and a groove (22, keyway, figure 6) to ensure that proper alignment between the female and male buckle connectors as they engage one another and to prevent lateral displacement between the buckle connectors in the locked position (column 2, lines 41-45). Therefore, it would have been obvious, prior to the earliest effective filing date, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Wang’s female and male buckle connectors to include a tongue and groove to prevent lateral displacement between the connectors as they engage one another and in the locked position.
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Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, US 11324287 B2 in view of Clarke, US 2153077. Wang discloses the spring being form from two spring parts separated by a retaining block that has a pair of blind holes to receive the ends of the respective spring parts.
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The claim requires that the spring be a single spring that extends through an aperture in the retaining block. However, this spring arrangement is old and well known in buckle couplings with a pair of latches as disclosed in Clarke.
Clarke discloses a pair of latches (24) biased outwardly away from one another via a single spring (26) extending through an aperture in a retaining block between the pair of latches.
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Both spring positioning arrangements function equally as well as the other in biasing the latch members outwardly and away from one another. The use of a single spring over Wans’s dual spring arrangement simplifies the assembly of the buckle and reduces the number of parts used for making the buckle, i.e., saves on the costs of assembling and manufacturing the buckle. Therefore, it would have been obvious, prior to the earliest effective filing date, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Wang’s dual spring arrangement into a single spring for biasing the latches outwardly.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang, US 11324287 B2 in view of Crawford, US 11109648 B1. Wang discloses a panel on the end of the male buckle connector (3, right end side in figure 3). Wang is absent on how the male buckle connector is attached to the end of a belt, i.e., Wang fails to disclose aperture in the panel for receiving a screw to attached the end of the belt thereto. However, Crawford discloses that this is a known means of attaching the buckle components to the ends of a belt, i.e., screws 26 are inserted through apertures in the ends of the buckle connectors for attaching the belt ends thereto (column 2, last paragraph). Therefore, it would have been obvious, prior to the earliest effective filing date, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify Wang’s panel on the end of the male buckle component to include apertures for receiving screws to engage the belt end and a clamping part for securing the belt end to the male buckle connector.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACK W LAVINDER whose telephone number is (571)272-7119. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 9-4pm (EST).
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JACK W. LAVINDER
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3677
/JACK W LAVINDER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3677
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