Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/201,726

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRESSURE SINTERING CONNECTION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 24, 2023
Examiner
MORALES, RICARDO D
Art Unit
1738
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Semikron Elektronik GmbH & Co. Kg
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allow Rate
350 granted / 431 resolved
+16.2% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
463
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
56.6%
+16.6% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
19.2%
-20.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 431 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 9 recites the limitation "the normal atmospheric air" in Line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-8, 10-11 and 15-16 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The closest prior art of record is Matsubayashi et al. (US20170103903A1) which teaches a method of manufacturing a bonded body with a substrate and electronic part and sintering reaction (abstract) and apply pressure (Figure 1C) where a forming tool is taught in Figures 7-8 including upper and lower tool and holding tools; however the prior art does not teach or suggest each and every device limitation required by independent claim 1. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICARDO D MORALES whose telephone number is (571)272-6691. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9 am- 4 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, Sally Merkling can be reached at 5712726297. 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. /RICARDO D MORALES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 24, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12599970
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING UNDER PROTECTIVE GAS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12599964
BONDING COMPOSITION, CONDUCTOR BONDING STRUCTURE, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12595537
TIN BLACKPLATE FOR PROCESSING AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12595526
HOT-ROLLED STEEL SHEET FOR HYPER TRAIN TUBE, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12595539
QT HEAT TREATED HIGH CARBON HOT ROLLED STEEL SHEET, HIGH CARBON COLD ROLLED STEEL SHEET, QT HEAT TREATED HIGH CARBON COLD ROLLED STEEL SHEET, AND MANUFACTURING METHODS THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+17.0%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 431 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month