Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/197,893

AIR DELIVERY SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 16, 2023
Examiner
WEINERT, WILLIAM C
Art Unit
3762
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Ford Global Technologies LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
60%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 4m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 60% of resolved cases
60%
Career Allow Rate
76 granted / 127 resolved
-10.2% vs TC avg
Strong +39% interview lift
Without
With
+38.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
167
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
67.0%
+27.0% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
9.6%
-30.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 127 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer (US 3550522 A) in view of Li (CN 111845268 A). Regarding claim 1, Bauer teaches an air delivery system for a vehicle (FIG. 1, unit 1), the air delivery system comprising: a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (FIG. 2, heater 5, which may also be an air cooling unit); an air duct (FIG. 1, feed duct 3) fluidly coupled with the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system; a follower feature assembly (FIG. 1, the assembly of the unit 1), wherein the follower feature assembly selectively defines an air outlet (FIG. 1, the outlet of outlet duct 25) in fluid communication with the air duct, wherein the follower feature assembly is articulated to translate the defined air outlet along a surface of an interior of the vehicle (FIG. 1, the exits 23 allow the outlet ducts 25 to change lateral position with a seat). Bauer fails to teach a first sensor configured to measure at least one of a distance between the air outlet and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and an air flow therebetween; and a controller configured to control the air flow based upon the at least one of the distance between the air outlet and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and the air flow therebetween. However, Li teaches a first sensor configured to measure at least one of a distance between the air outlet and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and an air flow therebetween (FIG. 3, airflow direction sensor 12); and a controller (FIG. 1, controller 16) configured to control the air flow based upon the at least one of the distance between the air outlet and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and the air flow therebetween (FIG. 1, the controller 16 controls the ventilation device 1 based on data received from the airflow direction sensor 12). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by making it so the register of Bauer is adjusted based on a quality of the airflow as sensed by the sensor 12 of Li, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Li with the motivation of allowing the register to open an amount appropriate for the quality of the airflow when the assembly is at different positions within the vehicle. Regarding claim 2, the combination of Bauer and Li teaches that the follower feature assembly is articulated to translate the defined air outlet along a surface of floor of the vehicle (Bauer, FIGS. 1 and 2). Regarding claim 3, the combination of Bauer and Li teaches a module defining an air chamber (Li, FIG. 1, the shell that contains the assembly shown, as well as air), the module comprising a cam assembly (Li, FIG. 1, the assembly of the cam 15) disposed within the air chamber, wherein the cam assembly engages the follower feature assembly. Regarding claim 7, the combination of Bauer and Li teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises a telescopic tube (FIG. 1, telescopic duct 12) having a plurality of sealing gaskets (FIG. 3, gasket 38 etc.) between a respective plurality of telescopic sections of the telescopic tube. Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer and Li as applied to claims 1, 2, 3, and 7 above, and further in view of Foggini (EP 0192110 A2). Regarding claim 4, the combination of Bauer and Li fails to teach that the follower feature assembly comprises: a gate hingedly coupled with the air duct; a protrusion extending from the gate, wherein the protrusion comprises an apex; a hinge, wherein the gate pivots toward an open position about the hinge away from the cam assembly in response to the cam assembly engaging the protrusion, wherein the gate in the open position defines the air outlet; and a spring coupled with the hinge that biases the gate toward a closed position. However, Foggini teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises: a gate (FIG. 3, valve 37, which may block the opening) hingedly coupled with the air duct; a protrusion (FIG. 3, face cam 46, which is connected to the valve 37) extending from the gate, wherein the protrusion comprises an apex (FIG. 3, the crest of the face cam 46); a hinge (FIG. 3, the hinge/axle of the valve 37), wherein the gate pivots toward an open position about the hinge away from the cam assembly in response to the cam assembly engaging the protrusion, wherein the gate in the open position defines the air outlet; and a spring (FIG. 2, hairpin spring 42) coupled with the hinge that biases the gate toward a closed position. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by replacing the cam assembly of Li with the cam assembly of Foggini to bias the door to a closed position, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Foggini with the motivation of biasing the door to a closed position to prevent air leakage. Regarding claim 5, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Foggini teaches that the cam assembly comprises: a cam holder (Foggini, FIG. 3, the assembly holding the face cam 46); and a cam (Foggini, FIG. 3, the face cam 46), wherein the cam engages the protrusion, and wherein the cam pivots the gate toward the open position in response to the cam engaging the apex of the protrusion. Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer and Li as applied to claims 1, 2, 3, and 7 above, and further in view of Bao (CN 109305015 A). Regarding claim 6, the combination of Bauer and Li fails to teach that the follower feature assembly comprises a spool-tensioned cover having a static end and a dynamic end, wherein the spool-tensioned cover is coupled with the follower feature assembly at the air outlet, wherein the spool-tensioned cover is coupled with the vehicle at the static end, and wherein the spool-tensioned cover spools at least one of the static end and the dynamic end as the follower feature assembly is articulated to translate the defined air outlet along the surface of the interior of the vehicle toward the static end. However, Bao teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises a spool-tensioned cover (FIG. 7, the assembly of spool 552) having a static end (FIG. 7, the end of the rope 553 connected to the part) and a dynamic end (FIG. 7, the end of the rope connected to the spool 552), wherein the spool-tensioned cover is coupled with the follower feature assembly at the air outlet, wherein the spool-tensioned cover is coupled with the vehicle at the static end, and wherein the spool-tensioned cover spools at least one of the static end and the dynamic end as the follower feature assembly is articulated to translate the defined air outlet along the surface of the interior of the vehicle toward the static end (in the combination below, the spool assembly is installed to keep tension and aid in moving the assembly of Clark). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by employing the spool system of Bao to keep tension and aid in moving the assembly of Clark, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Bao with the motivation of keeping tension and aiding in moving the assembly of Bauer. Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer and Li as applied to claims 1, 2, 3, and 7 above, and further in view of Xiang (CN 210941281 U). Regarding claim 8, the combination of Bauer and Li fails to teach that the follower feature assembly comprises a corrugated expansion tube. However, Xiang teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises a corrugated expansion tube (FIGS. 1 and 2). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by utilizing the corrugated expansion system of Xiang instead of the telescoping system of Bauer, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Xiang with the motivation of preventing air leaks. Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer and Li as applied to claims 1, 2, 3, and 7 above, and further in view of Weiss (US 20210310268 A1). Regarding claim 9, the combination of Bauer and Li fails to teach that the follower feature assembly comprises a zipper gasket and the cam assembly comprises a first zipper and a second zipper oriented opposite of the first zipper, wherein one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper unclasps the zipper gasket as the module slides toward the one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper, and further wherein the other chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper clasps the zipper gasket as the module slides toward the other one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper. However, Weiss teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises a zipper gasket and the cam assembly comprises a first zipper and a second zipper oriented opposite of the first zipper, wherein one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper unclasps the zipper gasket as the module slides toward the one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper, and further wherein the other chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper clasps the zipper gasket as the module slides toward the other one chosen from the first zipper and the second zipper (FIG. 28, the zipper gaskets 36d flanks an opening to seal an air system). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by using zipper gaskets, as taught by Weiss, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Weiss with the motivation of allowing for a movable system that minimizes air leaks. Regarding claim 10, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Weiss teaches a widener inserted into the zipper gasket between the first zipper and the second zipper (Weiss, FIG. 28, the structure between the zipper seals 36d widens the seals). Claim(s) 11 and 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer in view of Li and Nakagawa (US 20240424861 A1). Regarding claim 11, Bauer teaches an air delivery system for a vehicle (FIG. 1, unit 1), the air delivery system comprising: an air duct (FIG. 1, feed duct 3) fluidly coupled with a heating, ventilation air conditioning system (FIG. 2, heater 5, which may also be an air cooling unit), the air duct defining an opening (FIG. 1, the outlet of outlet duct 25); a follower feature (FIG. 1, the assembly of the unit 1) assembly coupled with the air duct, wherein the follower feature assembly restricts the opening into an air outlet (FIG. 1, the outlet of outlet duct 25), and wherein the follower feature assembly selectively restricts fluid communication between the air duct and the air outlet; a rail disposed on an interior of the vehicle (FIGS. 1 and 2, the exits 23 allow the assembly to be adjusted along the vehicle); an overhead module (FIG. 1, the assembly of the openings that may direct air in a number of directions (e.g., underfoot, overhead, etc.)) comprising: a rail rider (FIG. 1, the portion of the assembly connecting the opening to the ducts) slidably coupled with the rail, wherein the overhead module translates along the rail via the via the rail and rail rider. Bauer fails to teach a cam assembly that engages the follower feature assembly to increase fluid communication between the air duct and air outlet, wherein the overhead module defines an air chamber in selective fluid communication with the air outlet; and an air register in fluid communication with the air chamber; a location sensor that measures a distance between the overhead module and the heat ventilation air conditioning system; and a controller that controls an air flow leaving the heating, ventilation air conditioning system based on the distance measured by the location sensor. However, Li teaches a cam assembly (Li, FIG. 1, the assembly of the cam 15) that engages the follower feature assembly to increase fluid communication between the air duct and air outlet, wherein the overhead module defines an air chamber (Li, FIG. 1, the shell that contains the assembly shown, as well as air) in selective fluid communication with the air outlet; and an air register (FIG. 1, air register 90) in fluid communication with the air chamber; and a controller that controls an air flow leaving the heating, ventilation air conditioning system based on the …sensor (FIG. 1, the controller 16 controls the ventilation device 1 based on data received from the airflow direction sensor 12). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by making it so the register of Bauer is adjusted based on a quality of the airflow as sensed by the sensor 12 of Li, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Clark with these aforementioned teachings of Li with the motivation of allowing the register to open an amount appropriate for the quality of the airflow when the assembly is at different positions within the vehicle. Li fails to teach a location sensor that measures a distance between the overhead module and the heat ventilation air conditioning system. However, Nakagawa teaches a location sensor that measures a distance between the overhead module and the heat ventilation air conditioning system (FIG. 32, paragraph 414, the seat position sensor 53). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by making it so the register of Bauer is adjusted based on a distance between the air source and the register, as taught by Nakagawa, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Nakagawa with the motivation of allowing the register to open an amount appropriate for the quality of the airflow when the assembly is at different positions within the vehicle. Regarding claim 15, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises at least one of: a zipper gasket; a spool-tensioned cover; a telescopic tube (Bauer, FIG. 2, duct 25); and a corrugated expansion tube. Regarding claim 16, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa teaches a widener extending from the air chamber into the air duct (Bauer, FIG. 1, the widening split section leading to the outlets). Regarding claim 17, the combination of Clark, Li, and Nakagawa teaches that the overhead module translates along the rail in response to at least one of an actuator and an occupant manually translating the module (Bauer, FIG. 2, the duct 25 is moved manually). Claim(s) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa as applied to claims 11 and 15-17 above, and further in view of Foggini. Regarding claim 12, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa fails to teach that the cam assembly comprises: an arcuate cam holder disposed inside the air chamber; and at least one cam coupled with the arcuate cam holder at a first apex of the arcuate cam holder, wherein the at least one cam moves the follower feature assembly to widen the air outlet upon the overhead module being slid along the rail. However, Foggini teaches that the cam assembly comprises: an arcuate cam holder (Foggini, FIG. 3, the assembly holding the face cam 46) disposed inside the air chamber; and at least one cam Foggini, FIG. 3, the face cam 46) coupled with the arcuate cam holder at a first apex of the arcuate cam holder, wherein the at least one cam moves the follower feature assembly to widen the air outlet upon the overhead module being slid along the rail. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by replacing the cam assembly of Li with the cam assembly of Foggini to bias the door to a closed position, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Foggini with the motivation of biasing the door to a closed position to prevent air leakage. Regarding claim 13, the combination of Bauer, Li, Nakagawa, and Foggini teaches that the at least one cam is a plurality of cams (Foggini, FIG. 2, the various cams of cam 46) gradated along the arcuate cam holder, wherein the plurality of cams moves the follower feature assembly varying degrees to widen the air outlet upon the overhead module being slid along the rail. Regarding claim 14, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa teaches that the follower feature assembly comprises: a plurality of gates operable between an open position and a closed position hingedly coupled with the air duct at the opening (Bauer, FIG. 1, the multiple openings at the end of duct 25). The combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa fails to teach a sinusoidal protrusion extending toward an interior of the vehicle, the sinusoidal protrusion coupled with each gate, wherein the sinusoidal protrusion selectively engages the cam assembly; and a spring-loaded hinge coupled with each gate biasing each gate toward the closed position. However, Foggini teaches a sinusoidal protrusion (FIG. 3, the cam assembly 46 is roughly sinusoidal) extending toward an interior of the vehicle, the sinusoidal protrusion coupled with each gate, wherein the sinusoidal protrusion selectively engages the cam assembly; and a spring-loaded hinge coupled with each gate biasing each gate toward the closed position (FIG. 2, spring 42). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by replacing the cam assembly of Li with the cam assembly of Foggini to bias the door to a closed position, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Foggini with the motivation of biasing the door to a closed position to prevent air leakage. Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer in view of Li, Nakagawa, and Talarico (US 20150217628 A1). Regarding claim 18, the combination of Bauer, Li, and Nakagawa fails to teach a light and a human-machine interface, a power supply port; and a visor. However, Talarico teaches a light and a human-machine interface (paragraph 31, the assembly may include an LED and an LCD screen), a power supply port (paragraph 47, the plugs of the electrical connector 40); and a visor (paragraph 24, the visors). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by including the lights, screens, plugs and visors of Talarico, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Talarico with the motivation of including basic and popular vehicle features for driver and passenger use. Claim(s) 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer in view of Li, Nakagawa, and Foggini. Regarding claim 19, Bauer teaches an air delivery system for a vehicle (FIG. 1, unit 1), the air delivery system comprising: an overhead module (FIG. 1, the assembly of the openings that may direct air in a number of directions (e.g., underfoot, overhead, etc.)) defining an air chamber in fluid communication with an air inlet (the shell containing the assembly), a forward air register (FIG. 1, the left opening), and a rearward air register (FIG. 1, the right opening), wherein the overhead module comprises: a rail rider (FIG. 1, the portion of the assembly connecting the opening to the ducts) coupled with a rail (FIGS. 1 and 2, the exits 23 allow the assembly to be adjusted along the vehicle) disposed on an interior of the vehicle, wherein the overhead module slides and halts along the rail; a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (FIG. 2, heater 5, which may also be an air cooling unit); an air duct (FIG. 1, feed duct 3) fluidly coupled with the heating, ventilation air conditioning system, and wherein the air duct comprises: a follower feature assembly (FIG FIG. 1, the assembly of the unit 1) selectively defining an air outlet (FIG. 1, the outlet of outlet duct 25) in fluid communication with the air duct. Li teaches a cam assembly (Li, FIG. 1, the assembly of the cam 15) disposed within the air chamber, and wherein the air outlet and the air inlet are in fluid communication in response to at least one gate defining the air outlet (FIG. 2); and a spring-loaded hinge (FIG. 1, the hinge of valve 37, which is affected by the spring 42 of FIG. 3) biasing the gate to restrict fluid communication between the air duct and the air outlet; a first sensor configured to measure an air flow between the heating, ventilation air conditioning system and at least one of the forward air register and rearward air register (FIG. 1, the controller 16 controls the ventilation device 1 based on data received from the airflow direction sensor 12); and a controller configured to control the air flow based on at least one the measured air flow and the distance (FIG. 1, the controller 16 controls the ventilation device 1 based on data received from the airflow direction sensor 12). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by making it so the register of Bauer is adjusted based on a quality of the airflow as sensed by the sensor 12 of Li, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Li with the motivation of allowing the register to open an amount appropriate for the quality of the airflow when the assembly is at different positions within the vehicle. Foggini teaches wherein the cam assembly comprises: an arcuate cam holder (Foggini, FIG. 3, the assembly holding the face cam 46); a plurality of cams (Foggini, FIG. 2, the various cams of cam 46) coupled with the arcuate cam holder, wherein the plurality of cams extend from the arcuate cam holder parallelly (they are all in the same plane); wherein the follower feature assembly comprises: a plurality of gates each hingedly coupled with the air duct (in the combination below, there is a cam assembly for each of the outlets of Clark); a sinusoidal protrusion (FIG. 3, the cam assembly 46 is roughly sinusoidal) having an apex, wherein the sinusoidal protrusion extends from each gate toward the interior of the vehicle, wherein the sinusoidal protrusion is configured to engage one cam of the plurality of cams in response to the overhead module sliding to at least one gate of the plurality of gates. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by replacing the cam assembly of Li with the cam assembly of Foggini to bias the door to a closed position, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Foggini with the motivation of biasing the door to a closed position to prevent air leakage. However, Nakagawa teaches a second sensor configured to measure a distance between the overhead module and the heating, ventilation air conditioning system (FIG. 32, paragraph 414, the seat position sensor 53). At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the teachings of Bauer by making it so the register of Bauer is adjusted based on a distance between the air source and the register, as taught by Nakagawa, with a reasonable expectation of success of arriving at the claimed invention. At the time the invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Bauer with these aforementioned teachings of Nakagawa with the motivation of allowing the register to open an amount appropriate for the quality of the airflow when the assembly is at different positions within the vehicle. Regarding claim 20, the combination of Bauer, Li, Foggini, and Nakagawa teaches that each gate of the plurality of gates comprises a proximal end coupled with the spring-loaded hinge and a distal end, and wherein the sinusoidal protrusion is coupled with the proximal end (Foggini, FIG. 3). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM C. WEINERT whose telephone number is (571)272-6988. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:00 ET. 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, Steve McAllister can be reached at (571) 272-6785. 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. /WILLIAM C WEINERT/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 /Allen R. B. Schult/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §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
60%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+38.7%)
3y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
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