Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 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

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 28, 2022
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
2 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
3y 2m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allow Rate
543 granted / 641 resolved
+14.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+13.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
681
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
41.3%
+1.3% vs TC avg
§102
29.2%
-10.8% vs TC avg
§112
25.7%
-14.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 641 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 . Reopening of Prosecution Prosecution on the merits of this application is reopened on claims 1-7 considered unpatentable for the reasons indicated below: See rejection under 35 USC §102 (a)(1). Applicant is advised that the Notice of Allowance mailed 12/23/2025 is vacated. If the issue fee has already been paid, applicant may request a refund or request that the fee be credited to a deposit account. However, applicant may wait until the application is either found allowable or held abandoned. If allowed, upon receipt of a new Notice of Allowance, applicant may request that the previously submitted issue fee be applied. If abandoned, applicant may request refund or credit to a specified Deposit Account. A Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) has approved of reopening prosecution by signing below: /EDWARD F LANDRUM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761 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. 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 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 /EDWARD F LANDRUM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 28, 2022
Application Filed
Sep 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Nov 21, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Mar 10, 2026
Interview Requested
Mar 30, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12588115
THERMORESISTIVE HEATING PLATE FOR MICROWAVE APPLIANCE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12581601
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Patent 12575006
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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 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
85%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+13.1%)
3y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 641 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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