Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/071,493

CABLE STRUCTURE FOR USE IN AIRCRAFT WHEEL BRAKES

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Nov 29, 2022
Examiner
KING, BRADLEY T
Art Unit
3616
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Airbus Operations SAS
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allow Rate
666 granted / 940 resolved
+18.9% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+24.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
53 currently pending
Career history
993
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
36.7%
-3.3% vs TC avg
§102
30.1%
-9.9% vs TC avg
§112
29.7%
-10.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 940 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 214 175 761U. CN ‘761 discloses all the limitations of the instant claim including; a cable structure capable of carrying signals to and from a component of a temperature sensing arrangement in an aircraft wheel brake, comprising: elongate elements including a plurality of cables and/or wires 12, one or more ceramic spacer layers (11, page 4, 5th full paragraph of translation), a ceramic cover layer (22, page 4, 14th paragraph), and a metallic layer (32, page 5, 6th paragraph) surrounding the one or more ceramic spacer layers and the ceramic cover layer. Regarding claim 2, a cross section of the ceramic cover layer 22 is an arc; and the metallic layer 32 is configured to hold the one or more ceramic spacer layers 11 and the ceramic cover layer 22. Figure 1. Regarding claim 3, a cross section of the ceramic cover layer 22 is a circle. Note figure 1 shows layer 22 as a discontinuous circle. Regarding claim 4, the one or more ceramic spacer layers 11 separate one or more of the plurality of wires and/or cables from the remainder of the plurality of wires and/or cables. Regarding claim 5, the cable structure is for providing thermal protection to the plurality of cables and/or wires. Page 4, 5th full paragraph of translation. 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. Claim 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 214 175 761U in view of Waltz (US# 20090125286). CN ‘761 discloses all the limitations of the instant claims with exception to the cable being combined with an aircraft wheel brake. Waltz discloses an aircraft wheel brake 11 with temperature monitoring in combination with a cable [0029]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the cable of CN ‘761 with an aircraft wheel brake, such as taught by Waltz as the heat resistant properties of the cable are desirable in the braking environment for protecting the signal cables. Claims 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 214 175 761U and Waltz (US# 20090125286) in further view of Canabal et al “Multi-Sensor Wireless Interrogation of SAW Resonators at High Temperatures”, IEEE, International Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, pages 265-268, October 11, 2010 (submitted in the IDS of 9/15/2023). CN ‘761 and Waltz disclose all the limitations of the instant claims with exception to the cable being electrically coupled to a wireless relay device for wirelessly transmitting an interrogation signal to a temperature sensing device and wirelessly receiving an output signal from the temperature sensing device. Canabal et al disclose a temperature sensing device for aerospace applications (note introduction), including a wireless relay device for wirelessly transmitting an interrogation signal to a temperature sensing device and wirelessly receiving an output signal from the temperature sensing device. Note section II, Wireless Interrogation Method. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the wireless sensor of Canabal et al, with the device of CN ‘761 and Waltz to minimize the amount of cable required, and eliminate the need for cabling at the hottest portions of the brake, thereby improving durability of the system. Regarding claim 8, Waltz teaches an aircraft. 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 BRADLEY T KING whose telephone number is (571)272-7117. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30-5:00 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, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571 272-7124. 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. /BRADLEY T KING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 BTK
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 29, 2022
Application Filed
Oct 18, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600332
Vehicle Braking System
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12600334
ELECTRONIC BRAKE DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12600337
HYDRAULIC BRAKE APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12601385
SHOCK ABSORBER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12600338
AIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REUSING EXHAUSTED AIR
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
71%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+24.4%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 940 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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