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.
Claim(s) 12, 14, and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Number 7,836,739 to Huang et al.
Huang et al. disclose a rekeyable lock cylinder comprising: a cylinder body (10) having an inner surface defining a shear line and an opposite outer surface, the cylinder body includes a chimney (12) projecting radially outward from the outer surface and housing a plurality of pins (31) biased towards the inner surface of the cylinder body and extending across the shear line; and a plug assembly (20) disposed at least partially within the cylinder body and selectively rotatable therein around a longitudinal axis, the plug assembly including: a plug body (21) having a plug face defining a keyway opening (214) extending into the plug body along the longitudinal axis, the keyway opening being sized and shaped to receive at least a first key having a first plurality of key cut positions and a second key having a second plurality of key cut positions different from the first plurality of key cut positions; a plurality of key followers (322) mounted on the plug body, the plurality of key followers spaced along the longitudinal axis and slidably movable in a transverse direction relative to the plug body, each of the plurality of key followers having at least one rack engagement feature (3221); and a plurality of racks (321), each rack corresponding to a different one of the plurality of key followers, each of the plurality of racks having a key follower engagement feature (3212) and being selectively engageable with the at least one rack engagement feature of the corresponding key follower at a plurality of different bitting positions corresponding to different key cut heights, wherein disengagement of the key follower engagement feature from the at least one rack engagement feature allows rekeying between different keys without removing the plug assembly from the cylinder body (figure 13); wherein, when the plurality of racks is engaged with the plurality of key followers at a predetermined bitting position of at least six different bitting positions corresponding to the first plurality of key cut positions of the first key, insertion of the first key positions the plurality of racks in alignment with the plurality of pins in the chimney to remove the plurality of pins from the shear line and enable rotation of the plug assembly within the cylinder body (column 5, line 62-column 7, line 6), as in claim 12.
Huang et al. also disclose when the plurality of racks is engaged with the plurality of key followers at the predetermined bitting position, insertion of the second key enables rotation of the plug assembly within the cylinder body (the racks set to the bitting of the second key, allowing for proper effectuation of the lock and second key), as in claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of key followers are spring biased and positionable within the plug body based on a height of a corresponding key cut position for either the first key or the second key when received within the keyway opening (via 323), as in claim 17, as well as the chimney defines a plurality of channels (12a), each channel slidably supports a corresponding pin of the plurality of pins, and wherein each pin is individually biased via a biasing member disposed within the channel (shown in figure 1), as in claim 18, further comprising a cover retaining the plurality of pins and the corresponding biasing members within the respective channel (top plate shown in figure 1), as in claim 19.
Huang et al. further disclose the plurality of racks is engaged with the plurality of key followers at the predetermined bitting position of the at least six different bitting positions corresponding to the first plurality of key cut positions of the first key, insertion of the second key misaligns at least one of the plurality of racks from the corresponding pin of the plurality of pins in the chimney to retain the pin in a position across the shear line (an incorrect key would not place the respective pins in alignment with the shear line, thus the pins would be positioned across the shear line), as in claim 20, as well as the first key (50) is a master key and the second key (60) is a user key, as in claim 16.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 are allowed.
Claims 13, 15 and 21 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The claims are allowable over the prior art of record because the teachings of the references taken as a whole do not teach or render obvious the combination set forth, including that of a first carrier subassembly selectively engageable with the at least one key follower and configured to control component movement across the first shear plane, wherein the first carrier subassembly is rekeyable between different master keys without removing the plug assembly from the cylinder body; and a second carrier subassembly selectively engageable with the at least one key follower and configured to control component movement across the second shear plane, the second carrier subassembly allows the plug assembly to rotate relative to the inner sleeve that is coupled to the cylinder body, and wherein the second carrier subassembly is rekeyable between different user keys without removing the plug assembly from the cylinder body; and the plug face further defines a tool opening disposed to the right of the keyway opening.
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 lock cylinders:
U.S. Patent Number 8,056,378 to Huang et al.; U.S. Patent Number 7,526,935 to Huang et al.; U.S. Patent Number 6,119,495 to Loretti; U.S. Patent Number 5,176,015 to Sussina; U.S. Patent Number 4,712,399 to Mattossovich; U.S. Patent Number 3,667,262 to Hill.
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/
September 9, 2026
