Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 17/945,114

Drive Mechanism and Massage Device

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Sep 15, 2022
Priority
Aug 09, 2022 — CN 202222094527.8
Examiner
COX, THADDEUS B
Art Unit
3791
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Dongguan Renchun Electronics Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allowance Rate
875 granted / 1132 resolved
+7.3% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
52 currently pending
Career history
1193
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.2%
-36.8% vs TC avg
§103
47.7%
+7.7% vs TC avg
§102
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
§112
23.4%
-16.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1132 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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 1, “an active component and (200)” should apparently read --an active component (200) and--. 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 1-9 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 recites the limitation “an inner wall of the active component resists to an outer wall of the support member” in lines 3-4. It is not clear what is meant by “resists to” in this limitation. This phrase does not appear in any other prior art references in this field that could be found by the examiner. The specification also fails to provide any guidance or suggestion as to what this could mean. Based upon the specification and the Figures, the inner wall of the active component contacts and is connected to the outer wall of the support member, but there is no explanation of what is meant by “resists to” in this limitation. The fact that the specification teaches both that these components “resist to” one another and also “connect to” one another further confuses matters. Claim 1 also recites the limitation “an outer diameter of the active component is increased or reduced along the movement of the active component” in the last two lines. It is not clear what is meant by “along the movement” in this limitation. Does this mean along the axis direction that the active component makes a straight reciprocating movement, or does it mean during the movement or based upon the movement of the active component? Claim 2 recites the limitation “an inner wall of each framework resists to the support member” in lines 4-5. Similar to claim 1, it is not clear what is meant by “resists to” in this limitation. This phrase does not appear in any other prior art references in this field that could be found by the examiner. The specification also fails to provide any guidance or suggestion as to what this could mean. Based upon the specification and the Figures, the inner wall of the frameworks contact and are connected to the the support member, but there is no explanation of what is meant by “resists to” in this limitation. Claim 3 recites the limitation "the other side" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 3 also recites the limitation “the first inclined plane inclines in an axis direction closing to the installation part from one end away from the installation part to one end closing to the installation part” in lines 5-7. It is not clear what is meant by “closing to” (either instance) in this limitation. Does this mean “close to”? If so, this may be a relative term that would render the claim indefinite (e.g., what are the metes and bounds of “close to”?). It is also not clear what would be meant by an axis direction that is close to the installation part. Claim 5 recites the limitation "the grooves or the installation blocks that are correspondingly arranged on the installation part" in lines 5-6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim; the claim previously recites grooves or installation blocks that are arranged on the nut seat, but not that are arranged on the installation part. Claim 7 recites the limitation "the length directions" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 8 recites the limitation “the plurality of installation grooves are in sliding fit with the plurality of auxiliary frameworks correspondingly” in lines 3-4. It is not clear what is meant by “sliding fit” in this limitation. Claim 9 recites the limitation "the other side" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-9 are rejected by virtue of their dependence upon at least one rejected base claim. Subject Matter Not Currently Rejected Over Prior Art As detailed supra, it is not clear what is meant to be claimed. Accordingly, while a good-faith examination has been conducted based upon other features of the present invention, no prior art is presently able to be cited or applied against the claims as currently written. As stated in In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859, 134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962), a prior art rejection should not be based on considerable speculation about the meaning of terms employed in a claim or assumptions that must be made as to the scope of the claims. See also MPEP 2173.06(II). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THADDEUS B COX whose telephone number is (571)270-5132. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm. 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, Jason M. Sims can be reached at (571)272-7540. 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. /THADDEUS B COX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 15, 2022
Application Filed
Feb 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 06, 2026
Response Filed
May 26, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+18.2%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1132 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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