Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/376,085

STAGGERED AND TILE STACKED MICRODEVICE INTEGRATION AND DRIVING

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jul 14, 2021
Examiner
YEUNG LOPEZ, FEIFEI
Art Unit
2899
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Vuereal Inc.
OA Round
8 (Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
9-10
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allow Rate
858 granted / 1060 resolved
+12.9% vs TC avg
Minimal -3% lift
Without
With
+-3.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
47 currently pending
Career history
1107
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
52.0%
+12.0% vs TC avg
§102
26.1%
-13.9% vs TC avg
§112
17.6%
-22.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1060 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 36 and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The original disclosure does not teach “”a common electrode bridging a first tile structure and a second tile structure of the plurality of tile structures, the common electrode being connected to one terminal of the one or more microdevices of the first tile structure and one terminal of the one or more microdevices of the second tile structure [[.]] span” or “a common electrode bridging each adjacent pair of tile structures of the plurality of tile structures, each common electrode being connected to one terminal of the one or more microdevices of one tile structure of the adjacent pair of tile structures and one terminal of the one or more microdevices of another tile structure of the adjacent pair of tile structures”, and “wherein the tile structures of the plurality of tile structures are stacked on each other such that the microdevices of all of the plurality of tile structures at least partially horizontally overlap and are mounted to and substantially level with the substrate” (claim 21). Applicant points to fig. 23 for support for claims 36 and 37. The features in claim 21, “wherein the tile structures of the plurality of tile structures are stacked on each other such that the microdevices of all of the plurality of tile structures at least partially horizontally overlap and are mounted to and substantially level with the substrate,” are shown only in figs. 19 and 20 and are not shown in fig. 23. Therefore, combining the features from different embodiments renders claims 36 and 37 rejectable under 112(a). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 21-24,28,29,33,39,40 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Prior art does not teach “each of the plurality of tile structures includes at least one alignment mark for aligning the tile structure with an adjacent one of the plurality of tile structures” (claim 21). Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed March 2, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. See rejection above. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8am to 4pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached at 571 270 7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 14, 2021
Application Filed
Feb 07, 2023
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jun 12, 2023
Response Filed
Aug 07, 2023
Final Rejection — §112
Jan 11, 2024
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 18, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 18, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jul 23, 2024
Response Filed
Oct 02, 2024
Final Rejection — §112
Jan 06, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 06, 2025
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 03, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 26, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 18, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 19, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 20, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jun 25, 2025
Response Filed
Aug 28, 2025
Final Rejection — §112
Dec 29, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 16, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Mar 02, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 26, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

9-10
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (-3.0%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1060 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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