Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/503,407

TIME-VARYING TEMPLATE FOR IMPROVED SHORT-DISTANCE PERFORMANCE IN CODED ULTRASONIC RANGING

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 18, 2021
Priority
Nov 25, 2019 — continuation of 11/175,402
Examiner
ATMAKURI, VIKAS NMN
Art Unit
3645
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Texas Instruments Incorporated
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
47%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
81%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 47% of resolved cases
47%
Career Allowance Rate
73 granted / 156 resolved
-5.2% vs TC avg
Strong +34% interview lift
Without
With
+33.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
203
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
92.3%
+52.3% vs TC avg
§102
4.4%
-35.6% vs TC avg
§112
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 156 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 9 June 2026 has been entered. 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 1-4, 8-12, and 15-20 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. Claims 1-4, 8-12, and 15-20 recite the limitation ""the first circuitry" and "the second circuitry"" in claim 1. The "a first circuitry" or "a second circuitry" are not there. Similarly claims 8 and 9 should have "a time-of-flight circuitry". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 5-7, and 10-14 are allowed. Claims 1-4, 8-9, and 15-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIKAS NMN ATMAKURI whose telephone number is (571)272-5080. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm. 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, Isam Alsomiri can be reached at (571)272-6970. 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. /VIKAS ATMAKURI/Examiner, Art Unit 3645 /JAMES R HULKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 10 earlier events
Feb 06, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 06, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
May 06, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Nov 11, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Nov 18, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 09, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 17, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12607731
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5y 7m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
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3y 4m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
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5y 11m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
47%
Grant Probability
81%
With Interview (+33.9%)
3y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 156 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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