Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/034,922

SMART WIPES DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 02, 2023
Priority
Nov 05, 2020 — ES P202031117 +1 more
Examiner
RANDALL, JR., KELVIN L
Art Unit
3651
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Jabil Inc.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
45%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
61%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 45% of resolved cases
45%
Career Allowance Rate
384 granted / 860 resolved
-7.3% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+16.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
42 currently pending
Career history
905
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
58.5%
+18.5% vs TC avg
§102
14.2%
-25.8% vs TC avg
§112
25.5%
-14.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 860 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/01/2026 has been entered. 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, 2, 4, 5, and 21-35 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 “an evaporation device unit positioned relative to the wipes housing and that includes a ring vaporizer positioned above the dry wipes and an evaporation device;” – It is unclear as to whether or not the “an evaporation device” claimed twice is the same device or another device, or if the claim is stating that the evaporation device unit is above an evaporation device. Claim 1 recites “when the user pulls the dry wipe” – there is no prior mentioning or description of a user pulling a dry wipe, such should be stated. Claim 33 recites “when the user pulls the dry wipe” – there is no prior mentioning or description of a user pulling a dry wipe, such should be stated. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 21-35 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KELVIN L RANDALL, JR. whose telephone number is (571)270-5373. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 am-5 pm 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, Gene Crawford can be reached at 571-272-6911. 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. /K.L.R/Examiner, Art Unit 3651 /GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 02, 2023
Application Filed
Aug 13, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Nov 06, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 11, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 10, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 01, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 07, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12703572
PHARMACEUTICAL ORDER PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
5y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12703574
ARTICLE SUPPLY DEVICE
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12698146
DISPENSING BOX COMPRISING A STACK OF SHEET PRODUCTS
6y 10m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12692071
Delivery Vehicle and Method for Delivery of Consignments to Different Sites Along a Delivery Route
9y 3m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12690726
DISPENSER
5y 1m to grant Granted Jul 28, 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
45%
Grant Probability
61%
With Interview (+16.6%)
3y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 860 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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