Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/840,183

METHOD AND UNIVERSALLY USABLE DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A PREDETERMINED BREAKING LINE, AND PROCESSING SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 14, 2022
Priority
Jun 15, 2021 — DE 10 2021 115 496.0
Examiner
ISKRA, JOSEPH W
Art Unit
3761
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Jenoptik Automatisierungstechnik GmbH
OA Round
2 (Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
523 granted / 733 resolved
+1.4% vs TC avg
Strong +27% interview lift
Without
With
+27.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
34 currently pending
Career history
787
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
89.9%
+49.9% vs TC avg
§102
1.4%
-38.6% vs TC avg
§112
6.7%
-33.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 733 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION This office action is responsive to the amendment filed on 04/13/26. As directed by the amendment: claims 5 and 7 have been amended; and no claims have been cancelled nor added. Thus, claims 1-8 are presently pending in this application. 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 5-8 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 5 has been amended to recite “a sensor matrix configured to detect transmitted components of the laser beam during production of the breaking line”; however, the term “the laser beam” has inappropriate antecedent basis as “a laser beam” is not recited. The remaining claims are rejected for at least the reason of their respective dependency from claim 5. The Examiner recommends the following claim amendment to claim 5 to overcome the instant definiteness rejection(s): “A device for producing …. … … a laser generator generating a laser beam, a sensor matrix configured to detect transmitted components of the laser beam during production of the breaking line, …. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 04/13/26 have been fully considered and are addressed hereafter. The rejections have been adapted as appropriate in view of the newly presented claim amendments. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 5-8 would be allowable assuming the aforementioned definiteness rejections were overcome. 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 JOSEPH W ISKRA whose telephone number is (313) 446-4866. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 09:00-17:00 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, IBRAHIME ABRAHAM can be reached on 571-270-5569. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOSEPH W ISKRA/Examiner, Art Unit 3761 /IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 14, 2022
Application Filed
Nov 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 13, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 30, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
71%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+27.1%)
3y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 733 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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