Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/050,475

INTELLIGENT APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING WALNUT KERNELS AND RED COATS BY BELT CONVEYING AND HEAT RADIATION BASED ON THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION PRINCIPLE

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Oct 28, 2022
Priority
Feb 11, 2018 — CN 201810141173.3 +1 more
Examiner
LEE JR, WOODY A
Art Unit
3761
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Xinjiang Jiangning Light Industry Machinery Engineering Technology Co. Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
4-5
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
570 granted / 675 resolved
+14.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+13.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
719
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
44.2%
+4.2% vs TC avg
§102
21.7%
-18.3% vs TC avg
§112
29.0%
-11.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 675 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 This application discloses and claims only subject matter disclosed in prior Application No. PCT/CN2018/119449, filed 12/06/2018. Since Applicant, apparently inadvertently, failed to include the priority in the ADS for the instant Application (18/050,475) the priority to CN20181041173.3 is not proper and effective filing date of this Application is taken at the last proper domestic priority date with respect to 16/725,994 on 12/23/2019. The petition to accept the updated priority claim was dismissed on 09/17/2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by CN 108185450A As can be seen CN108185450A is the publication of application no. CN 20181041173.3 from which the present Application claimed Foreign Priority. The written disclosure and drawings are identical (see figures and translation) and therefore there can be no subject matter differing between the applications and CN 108185450A must clearly anticipate all claimed structures in the present application. Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 WOODY A LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-1051. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 0800-1630. 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, Edward "Ned" Landrum can be reached at 571-272-5567. 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. /WOODY A LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 28, 2022
Application Filed
Sep 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Nov 21, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Mar 10, 2026
Interview Requested
Mar 30, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 30, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+13.2%)
3y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 675 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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