Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/223,743

Device and method for detecting objects

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jul 19, 2023
Examiner
BAGHDASARYAN, HOVHANNES
Art Unit
3645
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Sick AG
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
759 granted / 971 resolved
+26.2% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
85 currently pending
Career history
1056
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.6%
-37.4% vs TC avg
§103
45.7%
+5.7% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
23.9%
-16.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 971 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 § 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) 1 , 10 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D1 US 20220137227 A1 . Regarding claim 1 , 10 D1 teaches 1. A device for detecting at least one object comprising a plurality of object segments in a monitored zone having - at least one FMCW LiDAR sensor for transmitting transmitted light beams into the monitored zone, for scanning a plurality of measurement points and for generating measurement data from transmitted light remitted or reflected by the measurement points, with the measurement data comprising radial speeds of the measurement points; [0042](fig. 2) - a control and evaluation unit (130) for (intended use no patentable weight) evaluating the measurement data, with the control and evaluation unit being configured to segment the measurement points and to associate them at least in part with the object segments, [0048](clustering) wherein the control and evaluation unit is further configured to determine a movement pattern of at least one of the object segments using the radial speeds of the measurement points associated with the object segments. [0040] 2 , 11 The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to segment the measurement points using the radial speeds and to associate them at least in part with the object segments. [0048] 3 , 12 The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to determine radial speeds of the objects and/or object segments and to extract features of the objects and/or object segments using the radial speeds of the objects and/or object segments. [0040-0041] [0048] 4 , 13 The device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to classify the objects and/or object segments using the radial speeds of the objects and/or object segments. [ 0040-0041] [0048] 5 , 14 The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to filter the measurement points using the radial speed of the measurement points. [0040-0041] [0048] (implicit clusters associated with each other by having similar radial velocities) 6 , 15 The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to discard measurement points having a radial speed below a predefined threshold value for the evaluation. [0040-0041] [0048] (implicit if the object is moving with high radial velocity small radial velocity objects will not correspond to that object and would be discarded for that object) 7. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the FMCW LiDAR sensor is stationary. (fig. 3 everything depends on reference frame. For example if car is even moving and lidar is on the car, in the reference frame of the car the lidar is stationary) 9. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the device is configured to detect vehicles on a lane, with the control and evaluation device being configured to determine a rotation of wheels of the vehicle. [0023] Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1. Although D1 does not explicitly teach 8. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the device has at least one further FMCW LiDAR sensor having a further monitored zone and the monitored zone at least partly overlaps the further monitored zone. It is just simple multiplication of the parts in order to achieve large FOV without any gaps. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of filing to modify teachings by D1 in order to achieve large FOV without any gaps Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-7845 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Mon-Fri 7am - 5 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Yuqing Xiao can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 270-3603 . 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. /HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3645
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 19, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12591059
OPTICAL RANGING DEVICE AND OPTICAL RANGING METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12591047
OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12585000
RECEIVING DEVICE FOR AN OPTICAL MEASUREMENT APPARATUS FOR CAPTURING OBJECTS, LIGHT SIGNAL REDIRECTION DEVICE, MEASUREMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A RECEIVING DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12569880
CMOS ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCERS AND RELATED APPARATUS AND METHODS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12560721
SPAD LIDAR SYSTEM WITH BINNED PIXELS
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 24, 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
78%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+16.1%)
3y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 971 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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