Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/638,146

COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Feb 24, 2022
Examiner
PATEL, PARTHKUMAR
Art Unit
2479
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
OA Round
4 (Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
596 granted / 764 resolved
+20.0% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+23.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
64 currently pending
Career history
828
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.9%
-35.1% vs TC avg
§103
58.3%
+18.3% vs TC avg
§102
17.1%
-22.9% vs TC avg
§112
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 764 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Response to Amendment In response to amendment filed on 8/5/2025, claims 1, 10 and 11 are amended, claim 4 was cancelled. Claims 1- 3, 5- 11 are pending for examinations. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed in the remarks on 8/5/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Examiner respectfully submits that (based on see page 5 of remarks first 11 lines), applicant has failed to provide or show support for previously raised rejection based on 35 USC 112 first. Same thing applies to newly added language for claims 1 and 11 as well. 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 1, 11 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. As per the amended limitations, “..a receiver, which, in operation, receives a plurality of reference signals including a plurality of spatial streams…determines a part of the plurality of spatial streams………second information relating to only the part of the plurality of spatial streams…. ” are not disclosed in the paragraph stated in the remarks as well as examiner could not find in entire specification. Hence it is a new matter situation. Further new amended language regarding, “wherein the control circuitry, in operation, generates the second information based on a matrix having a smaller size than a matrix with a number of rows equal to a number of the plurality of spatial streams and a number of columns equal to a number of antennas”; are not disclosed in the specification as well. Dependent claims can be rejected based on same above rationale. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1- 3, 5- 11 are allowed. Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 PARTH PATEL whose telephone number is (571)270-1970. The examiner can normally be reached 7 a.m. -7 p.m. PST. 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, Jae Y. Lee can be reached at 5712703936. 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. PARTH PATEL Primary Examiner Art Unit 2479 /PARTH PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2479
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 24, 2022
Application Filed
May 22, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Aug 23, 2024
Response Filed
Oct 27, 2024
Final Rejection — §112
Jan 28, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 14, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 18, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 30, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Aug 05, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 15, 2025
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

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+23.4%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 764 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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