Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/213,807

MAGNET DEVICE FOR RELIEVING ACHES AND/OR PAIN

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Jun 23, 2023
Examiner
TRAN, LARA LINH
Art Unit
3791
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 2m
To Grant

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 0% of cases
0%
Career Allow Rate
0 granted / 0 resolved
-70.0% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
35
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.5%
-36.5% vs TC avg
§103
39.6%
-0.4% vs TC avg
§102
26.4%
-13.6% vs TC avg
§112
27.1%
-12.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 0 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
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 Objections Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 2 , “touching” should be changed to “touch”. Appropriate correction is required. 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claim s 1 and 2 are 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. Regarding claim 1 , “generally-linear” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “generally-linear” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the degree of the linear configuration of the plurality of magnets and elongated extension of the plurality of magnets is rendered indefinite. 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)(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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ions (WO 9900158 A1 ) . Regarding claim 1 , Ions teaches a magnet device for relieving aches and/or pain of a particular area of a body (“device…can provide instant pain relief”, paragraph 4, page 2), said magnet device comprising: A plurality of magnets arranged end to end in close proximity to one another in a generally linear configuration (“magnetic field generating means comprises first and second magnets adapted to generate a substantially uniform magnetic field”, paragraph 10, page 2; magnets 15 and 16, Fig. 3); and An elongated extension for securing said plurality of magnets together in a generally linear configuration (“a charged elongate member which extends along the axis of rotation of the magnetic field”, paragraph 11, page 2). Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Souder (US 6001055 A) . Regarding claim 1 , Ions teaches a magnet device for relieving aches and/or pain of a particular area of a body (“magnetic fields…used for therapeutic purposes such as reduction of inflammation in tissues and pain relief”, Col. 1, lines 18-19) , said magnet device comprising: A plurality of magnets arranged end to end in close proximity to one another in a generally linear configuration (“a ferromagnetic metal block 52, composed of iron, steel or the like, is attached to either the north or south pole face of the magnet 24”, Col. 7, lines 18-21 ; magnet 24 ) ; and An elongated extension for securing said plurality of magnets together in a generally linear configuration ( “shaft 20 which extends outwardly from a motor 18…magnet 24 is eccentrically mounted to shaft 20”, Col. 6, lines 42-44; shaft 20, magnet 24, shown in annotated Fig. 3E below ) . Regarding claim 2 , Ions teaches each magnet of said plurality of magnets abutting or touching at least one adjacent magnet of said plurality of magnets (“four magnets 24 are mounted to block 52”, Col. 7, lines 48-49; magnet 24, block 52, shown in annotated Fig. 3E below) . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT LARA LINH TRAN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-3598 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 7:30am-5:00pm M-F . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Alexander Valvis can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 5712724233 . 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. /L.L.T./ Examiner, Art Unit 3791 /ALEX M VALVIS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 23, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 25, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
Grant Probability
3y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 0 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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