Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/038,872

CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF AN OBJECT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 25, 2023
Priority
Nov 26, 2020 — AT A51033/2020 +1 more
Examiner
DHAKAL, BICKEY
Art Unit
2896
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
B&R Industrial Automation GmbH
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
636 granted / 756 resolved
+16.1% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
778
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.5%
-37.5% vs TC avg
§103
69.2%
+29.2% vs TC avg
§102
8.8%
-31.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.0%
-22.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 756 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 . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 8 and 9, filed 04/03/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1 and 28 under 35 USC § 102 rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new 35 USC § 112 rejection has been made. 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 1-4, 8 and 10-30 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. Claims 1 and 28 recite the limitation “the parameterized object path" in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It’s not clear whether it is the same object path disclosed in line 5 or new object path. The term “as far as possible” in line 2 in claim 27 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “as far as possible” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Regarding claims 20 and 21, the phrase "preferably" in line 3 in claim 20 renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1 and 28 are allowed for the reason mentioned in the previous office action. Allowable subject matter has been incorporated into claims 1 and 8. Claims 1 and 28 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 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BICKEY DHAKAL whose telephone number is (571)272-3577. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-4:30 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, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached on 571-272-2060. 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. /BICKEY DHAKAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 25, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 03, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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ELEVATOR DOOR CONTROL DEVICE
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Patent 12679694
MOBILE CONTROL UNIT AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING AN ELEVATOR INSTALLATION
4y 2m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12668453
ELEVATOR SYSTEMS
4y 10m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12660972
ROBOT CLEANER FOR CLIMBING AND CLEANING STAIRS
3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12654983
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5y 7m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+16.5%)
2y 4m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 756 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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