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 § 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 1-6 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "A UWB" in line 1. It is unclear what this abbreviation stands for in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Number 11,655,653 to Zhang et al.
Zhang et al. discloses an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) separated antenna device, comprising a rear lock body (22), a rear hanging plate (29), a UWB antenna (31), a cable (134), a plurality of screws (142) and an antenna slot (123), wherein the rear hanging plate is fixed on a door panel; mounting holes are provided on the rear hanging plate symmetrically (shown in figure 2a); the plurality of screws locked to corresponding screw holes of a front lock body are provided in the mounting holes (figure 7); an oblique groove (depression above block having 123) is provided on one side of the mounting holes; the oblique groove passes through the cable connected to the UWB antenna; and the UWB antenna is arranged in the antenna slot in a lower half portion of the rear lock body (figures 6 and 7), as in claim 1.
Zhang et al. also discloses a size of the rear hanging plate is consistent with a size of the lower half portion of the rear lock body (figure 2a), as in claim 2, and the plurality of screws are tightly pressed with the door panel (figure 7), as in claim 3, wherein the UWB antenna is of an integrally packaged rectangular structure (figure 2a), as in claim 4.
Zhang et al. further discloses a size of a cross-sectional area of the UWB antenna is smaller than a size of an opening of the oblique groove; and in this way, it is possible for the UWB antenna to extend from the oblique groove (as shown in figure 2a), as in claim 5, as well as the cable is connected with communication parts in the front lock body (figure 2a), as in claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to wireless lock devices:
U.S. Patent Number 12,577,811 to Romero; U.S. Patent Number 12,509,914 to Chong; U.S. Patent Number 12,322,231 to Uyeda et al.; U.S. Patent Number 11,920,372 to Uyeda; U.S. Patent Number 11,091,936 to Beck; U.S. Patent Number 10,975,595 to Hickman et al.; U.S. Patent Number 10,267,063 to Lin et al.; U.S. Patent Number 10,208,508 to Tien; U.S. Patent Number 9,56,2370 to Ohl et al.; U.S. Patent Number 7,334,443 to Meekma et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2015/0240530 to Mani et al.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER J BOSWELL whose telephone number is (571)272-7054. The examiner can normally be reached M-R: 9-4; F 9-12.
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/CHRISTOPHER J BOSWELL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
CJB /cb/
June 25, 2026
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