Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/039,358

MODULAR VISION SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY FOR HELMETS AND THE LIKE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 30, 2023
Examiner
PATEL, TAJASH D
Art Unit
3732
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Ifalcon S R L
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allow Rate
1266 granted / 1567 resolved
+10.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+6.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
1602
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§103
45.6%
+5.6% vs TC avg
§102
11.7%
-28.3% vs TC avg
§112
25.0%
-15.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1567 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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 § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 11 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilor (US 2006/0072007). Gilor discloses a modular vision system (1000, particularly for helmet, subparagraph 7 including three portions, a central portion (1040) in a single piece, adapted to support a video camera (1021), a rear portion (1014) coupled to a first end of the central portion (1040) and configured to support an electronic unit (1033), subparagraph 50 as shown in figures 2 and 4. Further, a front portion is coupled to a second end of the central portion as also shown in figure 2. However, Gilor does not show the central portion and the rear portion being configured to conform to a profile of a helmet. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the module vison system of Gilor attached to the helmet by hooks (1002, 1012) including the central and rear portions with curved arc are mutually coupled seamlessly as shown in figures 2 and 4 and substantially conforms to a profile of the helmet secured to the device in a fixed position when the hooks are fastened or as required for particular application thereof. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilor as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Wang (CN 207720301 U). Gilor discloses the invention as set forth above except for having the video camera being tilted upward and/or downward. Wang discloses a video camera (2) coupled to the helmet having a central portion via adjustable means (6) with a front plate (11) to tilt the video camera upward and or downward as shown in figure 1. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention that the modular vision system of Gilor can be provided with a front plate (11) having adjustable means (6) to tilt the video camera upward and or downward as taught by Wang in order to properly record videos at required angles when the helmet is worn or end use thereof. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 12-13, 15-18 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art reference cited on PTO-892 discloses a helmet having a rail system having a mount retaining a video camera in an adjustable manner. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TEJASH PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-4993. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9am -5pm. 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, Clinton Ostrup can be reached at (571) 272-5559. 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. December 22, 2025 /TAJASH D PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3732
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 30, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 23, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Feb 24, 2025
Response Filed
Jun 08, 2025
Final Rejection — §103
Nov 10, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Nov 12, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 24, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (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
81%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+6.9%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1567 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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