Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/193,943

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STERILE DELIVERY OF PROSTHESES

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 31, 2023
Examiner
PATEL, YOGESH P
Art Unit
3772
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Rtrs Investment LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 8m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allow Rate
462 granted / 797 resolved
-12.0% vs TC avg
Strong +58% interview lift
Without
With
+58.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 8m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
808
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.5%
-37.5% vs TC avg
§103
45.3%
+5.3% vs TC avg
§102
21.8%
-18.2% vs TC avg
§112
26.6%
-13.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 797 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. DETAILED ACTION Election/Restrictions Applicant's election with traverse of claims 1- 8, 10- 15, 17, 18 in the reply filed on 01/26/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 9 is drawn to non-elected species. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is undue search burden in the absence of restriction. This is not found to be persuasive because the search for each group requires different search queries. Furthermore, execution of a comprehensive search of all method and apparatus claims in the instant application would not only constitute an undue burden on the Examiner, but consideration of the findings of such a search for patentability determination would be unduly onerous. It is further noted that a comprehensive search for the presently claimed subject matter is not solely limited to a search of the classes and subclasses in which they are classified. For instance, searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries constitute undue burden on the Examiner. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL . It is further noted that the Examiner will consider rejoinder if a generic claim is found to be allowable. 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 , 2 , 3, 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Orenstein et al. (5,120,221) . Regarding claim 1, Orenstein discloses a prosthesis support device (fig. 7, 13) comprising: a receiver having a first holder portion coupled to a second holder portion to form a curvature of a dental-implant-receiving portion of the receiver at a first end of the prosthesis support device, the curvature capable of correlating to an exterior surface of an occlusal facing portion of a dental implant, the receiver capable of being operable to distribute a holding force around a corresponding portion of the dental implant for clinical placement of the dental implant within a patient; a gripping portion at or adjacent a second end of the prosthesis support device; and a protruding portion extending from the curvature shaped to create a form-lock fit between the receiver and a corresponding portion of the dental implant. With regard the statement of intended use and other functional statements (e.g. prosthetic support, “to form a curvature of a dental implant,” to distribute…a patient”) , they do not impose any structural limitations on the claims distinguishable over the prior art which is capable of being used as claimed if one so desires to do so. A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. Regarding claim 2, a circumferential profile of the receiver being less than a tooth circumference depending on a size of a tooth (see fig. above) Regarding claim 3, the corresponding portion of the dental implant correlates to an exterior surface of a tooth (see intended use paragraph above). Regarding claim 4, A prosthesis support device (shown above) comprising: a receiver having a first holder portion coupled to a second holder portion to form a curvature (see above) of a dental implant receiving portion of the receiver at a first end of the prosthesis support device, the curvature capable of being correlating to an exterior surface of an occlusal facing portion of a dental implant, the receiver operable /capable to distribute a holding force around a corresponding portion of the dental implant for clinical placement of the dental implant within a patient; a gripping portion (see above) at or adjacent a second end of the prosthesis support device; and a coupling mechanism connecting the first holder portion and the second holder portion operable by a user to close or open the receiver holding or releasing the dental implant. Claim(s) 4 , 5 , 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 , 17, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by J.E. Crim and H.E. Brower (hereinafter Crim, 1,343,661). Regarding claims 4, 5, Crim discloses a prosthesis support device (fig. 1) comprising: a receiver having a first holder portion (e.g. 2) coupled to a second holder portion (the other ref num 2) capable to form a curvature of a dental-implant-receiving portion of the receiver at a first end of the prosthesis support device, the curvature capable of being correlating to an exterior surface of an occlusal facing portion of a dental implant, the receiver operable /capable to distribute a holding force around a corresponding portion of the dental implant for clinical placement of the dental implant within a patient; a gripping portion (e.g. top portion of the device) at or adjacent a second end of the prosthesis support device; a coupling mechanism (see jaws 2 are being coupled) connecting the first holder portion and the second holder portion operable /capable by a user to close or open the receiver holding or releasing the dental implant , wherein the coupling mechanism is a rotatable coupling mechanism that includes a double-sided threaded screw wheel (e.g. 8, 12). Regarding claim 6, an indent (e.g. 4) at the gripping portion corresponding to fingers of a user to releasably grip the corresponding portion of the dental implant with the prosthesis support device. Regarding claim 7, the first holder portion and the second holder portion are customized /capable to have a shape corresponding to a curvature of an exterior surface of a tooth adjacent to an implant site (see fig. 1). Regarding claims 8, 10, a furrow (e.g. 5) disposed between the dental implant-receiving portion and the gripping portion , the furrow is operable /capable to receive a portion of a casing when the prosthesis support device is packaged. Regarding claim 11, the dental implant-receiving portion includes an internal surface with a curve (e.g. structure holding “A”; 4) operable to grip a corresponding custom-shaped portion of the dental implant (fig. 1). Regarding claim 12, the dental implant-receiving portion includes an outer surface with a concave curve (e.g. 5) corresponding to a tooth shape adjacent an implant site for the dental implant. Regarding claim 13, As addressed above, a prosthesis support device (fig. 1) comprising: a receiver having a first holder portion coupled to a second holder portion to form a curvature of an implant-receiving portion at a first end of the prosthesis support device, the curvature corresponding to an exterior surface of a tooth, the curvature operable to distribute a holding force around a corresponding portion of a dental implant for placement of the prosthesis within a patient; a gripping portion at a second end of the prosthesis support device; and a concave indent (e.g. 5) at an outer surface of the receiver corresponding to an implant site-adjacent tooth. Regarding claim 14, the curvature capable of match ing an exterior surface curvature of the prosthesis. Regarding claim 15, a threaded coupling mechanism (e.g. 8, 9) coupling the first holder portion to the second holder portion for adjusting a distance between the first holder portion and the second holder portion. Regarding claim 17, one of the first holder portion or the second holder portion includes a key feature (e.g. threaded portion in fig. 1) to interlock with a corresponding inverse feature of a dental implant when the dental implant is positioned in the prosthesis support device. Regarding claim 18, a mark /notch on the receiver (e.g. 3) indicating a predetermined orientation. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Patel Yogesh whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 270-3646 . The examiner can normally be reached between 9 AM – 5:30 PM on Monday, Thursday and Friday. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, please contact the examiner’s supervisor, SPE Bosques Edelmira, at (571) 270-5614. 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. /YOGESH P PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 31, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §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
58%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+58.5%)
3y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 797 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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