Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/131,670

APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF SCREW CONNECTIONS

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Apr 06, 2023
Examiner
SMITH, JACOB A
Art Unit
3731
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allow Rate
267 granted / 331 resolved
+10.7% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+19.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
354
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
49.8%
+9.8% vs TC avg
§102
27.5%
-12.5% vs TC avg
§112
18.8%
-21.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 331 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16 th , 2013 is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Information Disclosure Sheet The information disclosure statement s (IDS ’s ) submitted on 06/09/2023 and 06/06/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 5 recites, “adapted to be subjected to negative pressure and is accommodated…” which affects the clarity of the structure. It appears that the claim should recite, “adapted to be subjected to negative pressure and which is accommodated…” or “…pressure and is accommodated…” or some variation thereof. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections – 35 USC §102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Walther (DE 3416344) . Regarding claim 1 , Walther discloses a n apparatus for automated production of screw connections (Shown in figures 1 and 2) , the apparatus comprising: an articulated-arm robot (Figures 1 and 2; #1, #2, #3) ; an effector (Figure 1, #5) that is accommodated on an output element (Figures 1 and 2, #4) of an end member (#2, 3) of the articulated-arm robot (Figures 1 and 2; #1, #2, #3) so as to be rotatable about an effector axis (Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an end effector axis going through the drive motor #3, screw spindle #4, and screw tool #5) , the effector being in the form of a screwdriving tool (Figures 1 and 2, #5a) ; and a mouthpiece (Figures 1 and 2; #18, #19) for providing a screw (Figure 1, #21) , the mouthpiece being accommodated on the end member (Figure 1, #2, #3) via a linear guide (Figures 1 and 2; #11, #13, #14) and being movable along the effector axis between a feeding position and at least one screwing position (Described in ¶'s [0010] - [0012]) . Regarding claim 2 , Walther further discloses an electric drive (Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an electric drive motor #3) to move the linear guide (Described in ¶ [0006] - [0007]) . 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 s 3-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walther in view of Fehlings ( DE 4301858 ) . Regarding claim 3 , Walther does not specifically teach at least one spring that pretensions the mouthpiece into the feeding position . Fehlings teaches at least one spring (#7) that pretensions the mouthpiece (#3, #5) into the feeding position (Shown in figures 1-3) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Fehlings to include structures such as a spring or series of sensors with the motivation of providing screws and controlling operation of the tool, as recognized by Fehlings in ¶ [0025] – [0027] . Regarding claim 4 , Walther does not specifically teach at least one position sensor to determine a position of the mouthpiece . Fehlings teaches at least one position sensor (#8, #110) to determine a position of the mouthpiece (Described in ¶'s [0026] - [0027]) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Fehlings to include structures such as a spring or series of sensors with the motivation of providing screws and controlling operation of the tool, as recognized by Fehlings in ¶ [0025] – [0027] . Regarding claim 6 , Walther does not specifically teach a screw feeding device via which a screw is fed from a feed hose, which is supplied with compressed air, into the mouthpiece in the feeding position . Fehlings teaches a screw feeding device (#4, #9, #10) via which a screw (#101) is fed from a feed hose (#9) , which is supplied with compressed air, into the mouthpiece (#3, #5, #101) in the feeding position (Described in ¶ [0025]) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Fehlings to include structures such as a spring or series of sensors with the motivation of providing screws and controlling operation of the tool, as recognized by Fehlings in ¶ [0025] – [0027] . Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walther in view of Kaneko ( JPS59152072 ) . Regarding claim 5 , Walther does not specifically teach a hollow tube adapted to be subjected to negative pressure and is accommodated on the end member via a bearing arm, wherein the screwdriving tool extends axially in the hollow tube, and wherein the hollow tube has a mouth opening for the airtight seating of a screw head . Kaneko teaches a hollow tube (#16, #17) adapted to be subjected to negative pressure and is accommodated on the end member (#1, #2) via a bearing arm (#20, #21) , wherein the screwdriving tool extends axially in the hollow tube, and wherein the hollow tube has a mouth opening (Shown in figure 1, right of #16) for the airtight seating of a screw head (Shown in figure 1) . It would have been obvious to on e of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Kaneko to include a hollow tube with the motivation of providing a means to supply negative pressure via said tube, as recognized by Kaneko on pages 2-4 of the provided translation . Claim s 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Walther in view of Weitschat ( DE 102015101920 ) . Regarding claim 7 , Walther does not specifically teach wherein the articulated-arm robot has six axes of rotation, wherein the effector axis is formed by the sixth axis of rotation, and wherein the end member is rotatable about the fifth axis of rotation. Weitschat teaches wherein the articulated-arm robot has six axes of rotation, wherein the effector axis is formed by the sixth axis of rotation, and wherein the end member is rotatable about the fifth axis of rotation (Robot with articulated-arm shown in figure 2) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Weitschat to include a robot with multiple axes with the motivation of providing a sophisticated device with a usable work implement at the end of the robot arm for use in an automated industrial manner, as recognized by Weitschat in ¶’s [0001] – [0003] . Regarding claim 8 , Walther does not specifically teach a torque sensor associated with the screwdriving tool and/or further comprising a force sensor . Weitschat teaches a torque sensor associated with the screwdriving tool and/or further comprising a force sensor (Described in ¶'s [0021], [0025] - [0027], and [0029]) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Walther to incorporate the teachings of Weitschat to include a robot with multiple axes with the motivation of providing a sophisticated device with a usable work implement at the end of the robot arm for use in an automated industrial manner, as recognized by Weitschat in ¶’s [0001] – [0003]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached Notice of References Cited. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT JACOB A SMITH whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-3974 and email address is Jacob.Smith@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 7:30AM - 5:30PM . 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, Anna Kinsaul can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT ( 571) 27 0 - 1926 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JACOB A SMITH/ Examiner, Art Unit 3731
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 06, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 06, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+19.9%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 331 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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