Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/578,492

SOLAR ELECTRIC ROLLER SHADE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 19, 2022
Examiner
BETIT, JACOB F
Art Unit
3634
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Yangli Deng
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
35%
Grant Probability
At Risk
3-4
OA Rounds
4y 11m
To Grant
51%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 35% of cases
35%
Career Allow Rate
53 granted / 151 resolved
-16.9% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 11m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
178
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
11.2%
-28.8% vs TC avg
§103
42.6%
+2.6% vs TC avg
§102
23.4%
-16.6% vs TC avg
§112
19.9%
-20.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 151 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . 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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/1/2025 has been entered. Drawings The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “protruding portion” and the “wire slot” must be shown with reference characters or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: The claimed “protruding portion” and “a wire slot” are not assigned reference characters. As such, these features are not clearly shown in the drawings Appropriate correction is required. The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “1012” has been used to designate both a side cover board and a second connecting groove. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Claim Objections The following claims are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 line 15 recites “one of the side cover boards”, but should recite “said one of the side cover boards” Claim 1 line 20 recites “the side cover board”, but should recite “said one of the side cover boards” Claim 1 line 26 recites “the first connecting groove is”, but should recite “the first connecting grooves are” Claim 1 line 27 recites “the second connecting groove is”, but should recite “the second connecting grooves are” Claim 1 line 31 recites “the antenna rotates”, but should recite “the antenna wraps” Claim 1 line 38 recites “the L-shaped”, but should recite “each L-shaped” Claim 1 lines 39-40 recite “the L-shaped”, but should recite “each L-shaped” Claim 1 line 41 recites “the L-shaped”, but should recite “each L-shaped” Claim 2 line 2 recites “wherein-the”, but should recite “wherein the” Claim 9 line 3 recites “the first connecting port”, but should recite “one of the first connecting ports” Claim 10 line 4 recites “one of the side cover boards”, but should recite “said one of the side cover boards” Claim 10 line 5 recites “one of the side cover boards”, but should recite “said one of the side cover boards” These are non-limiting examples, the applicant must find and correct all objectionable matters. Appropriate correction is required. 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 1-2, 6, and 9-10 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. Claim 1 line 29 recites “a lower end of one of the side cover boards protrudes from the cross beam body”. It is unclear exactly how these elements are oriented in view of lines 8-11, which recite “a first connecting port matching the cross beam body is provided above an inner side surface of each side cover board, and a second connecting port matching the scroll is provided below the inner side surface of each side cover board”. How exactly are these components oriented, and how is “above” being defined? Does the lower end of one of side cover boards protrude below the cross beam body, while the first connecting port is provided extending from an inner side surface, while the second connecting portion is lower than the first connecting port? Please clarify. Claim 1 line 31-32 recites “the antenna rotates around the second connecting port along the periphery of the protruding portion under one of the side cover boards”. How is the protruding portion under one of the side cover boards? It is understood that it is part of the board. Or is this claiming that the antenna is what goes “under one of the side cover boards”? Please clarify. Claim 1 lines 38-41 refer to a “short side” and a “long side” of each L-shaped angle steel. It is unclear what is exactly required as short and long are relative terms of degree. It is recommended that the applicant insert the limitation that “wherein the short side is shorter than the long side” to clear this up. Dependent claims are rejected for depending from a rejected claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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. The dependent claims would be allowable for depending from an allowed claim. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments filed 4/1/2025, with respect to the claims have been fully considered and are persuasive. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW R SHEPHERD whose telephone number is (571)272-5657. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 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, Daniel Cahn can be reached at (571) 270-5616. 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. /M.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3634 /DANIEL P CAHN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3634
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 19, 2022
Application Filed
Apr 08, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jul 05, 2024
Response Filed
Aug 06, 2024
Final Rejection — §112
Oct 02, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 24, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 01, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 16, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Oct 29, 2025
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

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Patent 9020954
RANKING SUPERVISED HASHING
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Patent 8819054
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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
35%
Grant Probability
51%
With Interview (+16.3%)
4y 11m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 151 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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