Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 17/680,186

AUTONOMOUS PLACEMENT OF AN AERIALLY-MOUNTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Final Rejection §102§Other
Filed
Feb 24, 2022
Priority
Feb 25, 2021 — provisional 63/153,841
Examiner
ELLIS, CHRISTOPHER P
Art Unit
3644
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Ubicquia Inc.
OA Round
4 (Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
83%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allowance Rate
629 granted / 768 resolved
+29.9% vs TC avg
Minimal +1% lift
Without
With
+0.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
8 currently pending
Career history
779
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
§103
34.2%
-5.8% vs TC avg
§102
32.8%
-7.2% vs TC avg
§112
15.6%
-24.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 768 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §Other
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 § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-4, 7-11, 18-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being clearly anticipated by White III et al. 20190389576. White discloses a system comprising all the features of the claimed invention and that operates as the claimed invention, paras. 7, and 34-38. See especially para. 7 and para. 34 with paras. 61 and 63; describing the pushing and/or rotating movement executed while installing the electronic device. Claim(s) 1-4, 7-11, 18-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being clearly anticipated by Creusen et al. 20200011487. Creusen discloses a system comprising all the features of the claimed invention and that operates as the claimed invention, paras. 17, and 56-68. See especially para. 17 describing the pushing and/or rotating movement executed while installing the electronic device. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 6/16/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. There is nothing novel here… see above rejection. Installing a “light bulb” using downward pressure and a rotational force, or any other lighting device that requires such an action, as most do, whether it be by human hands or a remotely controlled or autonomous UAV is not novel. 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 CHRISTOPHER P ELLIS whose telephone number is (571)272-6914. The examiner can normally be reached normal business hours. 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, Tim Collins can be reached at 571.272.6886. 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. /CHRISTOPHER P ELLIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3644
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Jul 05, 2024
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other
Jan 06, 2025
Response Filed
May 08, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other
Nov 10, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Nov 19, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 16, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other
Jun 16, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 31, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12756053
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) LANDING SYSTEMS
1y 11m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12747045
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE SYSTEM INCLUDING FOLDABLE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
2y 8m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12747695
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING STRIKING OF FOREIGN OBJECTS ON AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12740555
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ELECTRICALLY KILLING PLANTS
3y 2m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12735172
DECOUPLED HAND CONTROLS FOR AIRCRAFT WITH VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AND FORWARD FLIGHT CAPABILITIES
1y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
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
82%
Grant Probability
83%
With Interview (+0.7%)
2y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 768 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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