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 § 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) 1, 2, 5, 7-9, 12, 14, 15, 18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 524,146 to Hotten in view of EP 2011938 to Ferrarini and US Pat No 4,343,500 to Steiner.
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Regarding claim 1, Hottes discloses a latch comprising a housing (13) and a first movable member (21) which can slide in the housing along a first axis.
The first movable member comprises a bolt (23) which protrudes from the housing in an extended position of the bolt.
The housing comprises at least one support wall and at least two main walls substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the support wall. The first axis is substantially parallel to the support wall and/or substantially perpendicular to the main walls.
The bolt is slidably arranged in a first opening in the first main wall of the housing, wherein the first movable member is urged outward from the housing by first elastic means (39).
The first movable member comprises a bar (21) which is slidably arranged in a second opening in the second main wall of the housing.
The first movable member comprises a control portion (28) to move the bolt towards the inside of the housing, overcoming the force of the first elastic means, and bring the bolt from the extended position to a retracted position in which the bolt protrudes less or not at all from the housing.
The latch comprises a second movable member (19) along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis.
The second movable member comprises a tip (34) configured to penetrate at least one seat (24) of the first movable member and block the movement of the bolt along the first axis.
Hottes fails to disclose that the second movable member will slide in the housing urged by a 2nd elastic means, and a magnetic or ferromagnetic head which is arranged in a position opposite to the tip of the second movable member.
Hottes discloses that the second movable member is threadly moved into the housing or using a tool to move it away.
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Ferrarini teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a second movable member (19) which can slide in the housing along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis and that is urged towards the first movable member by second elastic means (25).
The second movable element is moved away by means of a magnet attracting the magnetic or ferromagnetic material of the second movable member.
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Steiner teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a bolt (11) with a head (12), of a magnetic or ferromagnetic material, as a separate element fastened to the bolt, to interact with a magnet (9) to move the bolt to a desired position.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the second movable member described by Hottes as one slidably movable by means of an elastic means, as taught by Ferrarini, in order to automatically move the second movable member toward the first movable member.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the second movable member with a magnetic or ferromagnetic material, as taught by Steiner, in order to define a surface for interacting with the magnet.
Applicant is reminded that separate elements fastened together, in place of a one-piece construction, is a design consideration within the skill of the art.
As to claim 2, Hottes, as modified by Ferrarini and Steiner, teaches that a portion of the second movable member (Hottes 19) is arranged in a slidable manner in a sleeve (Hottes 18, Ferrarini movement) integral with the housing, wherein the magnetic or ferromagnetic head of the second movable member (Hottes, as modified by Steiner) is arranged in a slidable manner in a cavity (Hottes 20) of the sleeve.
As to claim 5, Hottes discloses that the housing comprises one or more secondary walls substantially perpendicular to the support wall and to the main walls, wherein the sleeve (18) is fixed in a third opening in the first secondary wall.
As to claims 7 and 8, Hottes discloses that the housing comprises one or more cover walls (1) substantially parallel to the support wall and substantially perpendicular to the main walls.
As to claim 9, Hottes discloses that the control portion (28) of the first movable member is arranged outside the housing.
As to claim 12, Hottes illustrates that the support wall, the main walls, the secondary walls, and/or the cover walls are capable of being made by shaping and bending portions of a single sheet of non-magnetic metal, in particular a sheet of stainless steel.
Steiner teaches that the use of a steel as a manufacturing material is well known in the art.
As to claims 14, 15, 18 and 20, Ferrarini teaches that the latch is capable of being used on a cage having a door which can be automatically blocked by the bolt of this latch (used to secure doors, or other products provided with a fixed part and an opening part).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 10, and 11 are 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.
Claims 4, 6, 13, 16, 17 and 19 are also allowed since the claims depend from claims 3 and 11 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS LUGO whose telephone number is (571)272-7058. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6pm.
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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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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
August 5, 2026
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