Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/202,194

DOUBLE-SIDED ULTRA SLIM MODULE CONNECTOR

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
May 25, 2023
Examiner
ABRAMS, NEIL
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Intel Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
817 granted / 988 resolved
+22.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
7 currently pending
Career history
998
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
48.4%
+8.4% vs TC avg
§102
29.2%
-10.8% vs TC avg
§112
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 988 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 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. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perry (U. S. 2021/0119361). For claim 1, Perry figure 10B includes top ultra -slim module 1070 with offset lead frame to bridge pads from a first surface of module board 1014 to a surface of a system board formed by 1020, 1024 and an inline ultra- slim module 1050 with inline lead frame to bridge pads of a second module board 2034 to pads on a surface of system board 1020. The second module inline with the system board. The module 1032, 1022 are not mounted to opposite surface of the system board. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Perry to mount them, such change producing no new result. Threaded studs 444,442 are all connectors. Claims 2-4, relate to manner of use of the device. Claims 5-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 11-20 are allowed. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Neil Abrams whose telephone number is (571)272-2089. The examiner can normally be reached M-F from 8:30 am - 5:30 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, TC Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. 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. /NEIL ABRAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 25, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 03, 2023
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12705151
BRANCHING POWER CORD SYSTEM
6y 1m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12700704
BUSBAR CONNECTOR
4y 0m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12700701
ANTI-NOISE ELECTRODE CONNECTOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12695224
ADAPTER CARD WITH COMPRESSION ATTACHED MEMORY MODULES
4y 0m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12695251
PLUG OR SOCKET AS A COMPONENT FOR AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
3y 11m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
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
83%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+12.4%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 988 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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