Appeal 2007-0119
Application 10/706,190
THE REJECTIONS
The claims stand rejected as follows: claims 28-34 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)
as anticipated by Landis; claims 1, 12 and 13 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious
over Landis in view of Kennedy; and claims 1-3 and 14-16 under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as obvious over Clavin in view of Kennedy.
OPINION
The rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) over Landis is affirmed as to
claims 28-30, 32 and 34, and reversed as to claims 31 and 33. The rejections under
35 U.S.C. § 103 over Landis in view of Kennedy and over Clavin in view of
Kennedy are reversed.
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) over Landis
Claims 28 and 30
Landis discloses a latch for an interior door such as a clothes closet door
(col. 1, ll. 15-17). The latch has, mounted on each side of a hole through the door,
a handle (4, 5) having a push button (6, 7) on its end (col. 1, ll. 55-62; fig. 1). A
flat strip main spring (9) extends through the handle between the push buttons
(col. 1, ll. 62-66; fig. 1). Inside the handle, perpendicular to the handle’s axis, is a
plunger tube (11) that contains a plunger (24) and has an end plate (12) (col. 1,
ll. 67-69; col. 2, ll. 14-15). The end plate is opposite to a jamb plate (25) in a door
jamb (26) (col. 2, ll. 14-17). The main spring presses against one end of the
plunger to force the opposite end of the plunger through a hole in the jamb plate
into an opening in the door jamb (col. 2, ll. 14-17; fig. 1). A secondary or auxiliary
spring (28) on the side of the plunger tube’s end plate opposite the jamb plate
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