Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/108,497

MAGNETICALLY REGULATED PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 10, 2023
Priority
Feb 10, 2022 — provisional 63/308,685
Examiner
LEE JR, WOODY A
Art Unit
3761
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
National Presto Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
559 granted / 659 resolved
+14.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+13.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
698
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
64.8%
+24.8% vs TC avg
§102
12.4%
-27.6% vs TC avg
§112
19.2%
-20.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 659 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 . Drawings The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the lid locking/”removal of a portion of the pressurized cooker” function must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. It is noted that Applicant specifically states this function is not shown in the disclosure ”which combines with a lid securing mechanism generally formed by slots in the lid 212 and tabs on the body 214 (not shown).” Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. 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) 1-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 107296487 to Xiao. Regarding claims 1, 2, 7, 8, 11 and 13 Xiao teaches: A pressure cooking utensil comprising: a body open at one end (open portion of pressure cooker lid, that is internal hollow portion and below; Fig. 1); a lid (Fig. 1 shows most of lid) which when applied to the body open end forms a chamber (when attached for pressure cooking as described in abstract) the lid comprising A safety interlock device (Figs. 1-4) for releasing pressure/to allow pressure to escape from a pressurized cooker (abstract) having an internal chambe (inside of pressure cooker) , the safety interlock device comprising: an interlock pin (4) housed in an interlock shaft such that the interlock pin is movable from a first position to a second position (opening formed by 2,3, 10 and opening through lid); a first magnet (3) affixed to a first end of the interlock pin (Fig. 1); a second magnet (2) positioned such that the movement of the first magnet is influenced by the second magnet (Fig. 1); a base (lowest point of 4) positioned at the second end of the interlock pin such that pressure asserted against the base causes the interlock pin to move from the first position toward the second position (“and blocking the linkage sliding block 4 moves upwards and the second attracting element 3 is limited in the first low level, the pressure will have another size of exhaust pressure through the locking structure”). wherein when the interlock pin is in the second position, the internal chamber of the pressurized cooker cannot be accessed/interferes with removal of a portion of the pressurized cooker (“moving self-locking slider 7, so that the self-locking block 7 the inner end with the interlocking slider 4 in the horizontal direction, so that the coupling block 4 is trip. and the interlocking slider 4 and second magnetic element 3 can reset to the high level under the action of the first reset piece 6.”) Regarding claims 3 and 14 further comprising a recess (see lid recess in Fig. 1 in which pin is located) into which the interlock pin extends when in the second position (The pin is in a recess in the lid it is in the recess in both the first and second position, the claim is not exclusive to the pin only being in the recess when the pin is in the second position) Regarding claim 4, 5, 9, 10, 15 and 16 Wherein the first magnet influences the second magnet using an attractive/repulsive force (“the magnets are described as attracting each other” which explicitly meets one part of the definition, but it is also noted that the attraction is used to overcome a pressure force therefore the magnets are also reasonably considered as influencing each other through a repulsive force against pressure movements). Regarding claims 6, 12 and 17 Wherein the pressure is allowed to escape through the interlock pin via a pressure relief passage which is obstructed when the interlock pin is in the second position (see central bore in Fig. 1 of pin 4 which is obstructed when pushed into stopper directly above; it may also be unobstructed in a second position, but as with before the claims are not exclusive). 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
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 10, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 07, 2026
Non-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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+13.2%)
3y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 659 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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