Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/218,573

AIRCRAFT HAND CONTROLS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 05, 2023
Examiner
JOHNSON, VICKY A
Art Unit
3617
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Avian Aerospace LLC
OA Round
4 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
4-5
OA Rounds
2y 5m
To Grant
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
854 granted / 1070 resolved
+27.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
1105
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
16.3%
-23.7% vs TC avg
§102
52.9%
+12.9% vs TC avg
§112
29.6%
-10.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1070 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 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) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hanlon et al (US 2009/0039205). Re claim 11, Hanlon et al disclose, aircraft brake hand controls, comprising: a left brake hand control (102) for exerting pressure on a right brake of an aircraft; a right brake hand control (104) for exerting pressure on a left brake of the aircraft; and a set of hydraulic master cylinders (106, 106) that convert the exerted pressure into hydraulic pressure. Re claim 12, the set of hydraulic master cylinders (106, 106) plumb the hydraulic pressure into a hydraulic brake system of the aircraft. Re claim 13, the set of hydraulic master cylinders (106, 106) plumb the hydraulic pressure into a right hydraulic brake or a left hydraulic brake based on whether the exerted pressure comes from the left brake hand control or the right brake hand control. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-10 and 14-20 are allowed. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed December 17, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The rejection described above is on claim 11-13. Applicant’s remarks have been accorded due consideration; however, they are noy deemed fully persuasive. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICKY A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7106. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday. 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, John R Olszewski can be reached at 571-272-2706. 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. /VICKY A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 05, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 10, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Aug 15, 2024
Response Filed
Oct 03, 2024
Final Rejection — §102
Apr 08, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 09, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 13, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Dec 17, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601369
Modular Cable Replacement
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12601389
PNEUMATIC-LIQUID AUTO-BALANCE ACTUATOR WITH LARGE DIAMETER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12595917
CONTROL UNIT AND COOKING APPLIANCE INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12596392
PEDAL ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING REDUNDANT SENSING SYSTEMS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12589828
ELECTRIC MODULE FOR BICYCLE, BICYCLE TIRE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND TIRE CONDITION DIAGNOSIS METHOD OF BICYCLE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+12.1%)
2y 5m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1070 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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