Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/908,584

HEAD-MOUNTED DEVICE

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Sep 01, 2022
Examiner
BROOKS, JERRY L.
Art Unit
2882
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sony Group Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 7m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allow Rate
553 granted / 794 resolved
+1.6% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
826
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
53.4%
+13.4% vs TC avg
§102
30.8%
-9.2% vs TC avg
§112
13.1%
-26.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 794 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cheng (CN 201820182422 U). With respect to claim 20, Cheng discloses a head-mounted device (fig.1), further comprising a mounting band (see 5 and 6) configured to extend and contract (see the operation of fig.2, 7-9); an inertial sensor (see 12 in fig.3) configured to acquire inertial information of a gravity direction (see “falling” in para. 7 under invention content; to detect falling is to acquire inertial information of a gravity direction); a drive unit (see 11 in fig.3) that generates configured to generate a driving force to cause the mounting band to extend and contract the mounting band (see Abstract: “said main control chip by reading the data of the acceleration sensor to control the motor to drive the gear. so the connection strap extending two racks or shortened.”); and a control unit (see main control chip 13 in fig.3) configured to: control the drive unit based on the inertial information; and control the mounting band to extend and contract based on the control of the drive unit (again see Abstract: “said main control chip by reading the data of the acceleration sensor to control the motor to drive the gear. so the connection strap extending two racks or shortened.” ) . Allowable Subject Matter With respect to claim 1, the prior art does not disclose or suggest a front block mountable on a front side of a head of a user of the head-mounted device; a mounting band that comprises: a pair of a left band portion and a right band portion, wherein the left band portion is mountable on a left side of the head, and the right band portion is mountable on a right side of the head and a rear block mountable on a rear side of the head, wherein the rear block is movable relative to the pair of the left band portion and the right band portion, wherein the mounting band is configured to extend and contract based on a movement of the rear block relative to the pair of the left band portion and the right band portion; a pair of a left first elastic member and a right first elastic member, wherein the pair of the left first elastic member and the right first elastic member is configured to generate a tensile force, and the mounting band is further configured to contract based on the tensile force; and a pair of a left second elastic member and a right second elastic members member, wherein the pair of the left second elastic member and the right second elastic member is between the front block, and the pair of the left band portion and the right band portion. With respect to claim 19, the prior art does not disclose or suggest a front block that is mountable on a front side of a head of a user of the head-mounted device; a mounting band that comprises: a pair of a left band portion and a right band portion, wherein the left band portion is mountable on a left side of the head, and the right band portion is mountable on a right sides side of the head and a rear block mountable on a rear side of the head wherein the rear block is movable relative to the pair of the left band portion and the right band portion, wherein the mounting band is configured to extend and contract based on a movement of the rear block relative to the pair of the left band portions portion and the right band portion; an operation unit provided in the front block; a pair of a left link member and a right link members member, wherein the pair of the left link member and the right link member is movable along the pair of the left band portions portion and the right band portion, and the pair of the left link member and the right link member is movable based on in accordance with an operation of the operation unit; and a pair of a left elastic member and a right elastic member, wherein the pair of the left elastic member and the right elastic member is provided between the pair of the left link member and the right link member and the rear block. Claims 2-18 are allowed as they depend from allowed claims. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. 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 JERRY L. BROOKS whose telephone number is (571)270-5711. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-4:00 PM. 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, Toan Ton can be reached on 5712722303. 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. /JERRY L BROOKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882 /
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 01, 2022
Application Filed
Mar 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Jul 17, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 15, 2025
Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601964
LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE AND DISPLAY DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12585178
LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE AND PROJECTION DISPLAY APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12585179
WAVELENGTH CONVERSION APPARATUS, LIGHT SOURCE APPARATUS, AND PROJECTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12578634
LIGHT SOURCE CONTROL METHOD FOR DISPLAY DEVICE AND DISPLAY DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12578558
IMAGING LENS MODULE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 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
70%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+15.7%)
2y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 794 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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