Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/228,198

GENERATION AND EXECUTION OF MELTING PATHS IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Jul 31, 2023
Examiner
BACHNER, ROBERT G
Art Unit
2898
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Arcam AB
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
764 granted / 872 resolved
+19.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
883
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.6%
-36.4% vs TC avg
§103
58.5%
+18.5% vs TC avg
§102
16.7%
-23.3% vs TC avg
§112
14.3%
-25.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 872 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
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 § 101 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows: Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 USC 101. The claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claims are directed to data manipulation without a practical application. Claims 1, 8 and 20 recite data manipulation with generic computer components. The end of the data manipulation steps are to issue a command, meaning issue a new data manipulation result. Applicants should amend these claims to include a practical application. Claims 2-7 and 9-19 merely add details regarding the data manipulation and do not include a practical application. As such all pending claims are properly rejected under 35 USC 101. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT G BACHNER whose telephone number is (571)270-3888. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 10-6 EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Leonard Chang can be reached at (571) 270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ROBERT G BACHNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 31, 2023
Application Filed
Aug 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101
Sep 29, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Sep 29, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12751247
WAFER ALIGNMENT ASSEMBLY OF THE SOLDER REFLOW SYSTEM
4y 1m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12746150
Thermal Pad with Enhanced Heat Transfer Characteristics
4y 3m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12750922
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROLONGING SERVICE LIFE OF CERAMIC ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT UNDER DIRECT-CURRENT POWER SUPPLY CONDITION
3y 5m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12745325
TRANSPARENT HEATER
2y 12m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12741334
METHOD FOR FASTENING A ROLLER HEAD TO A WELDING ARM FOR A RESISTANCE SEAM WELDING MACHINE
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 22, 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
88%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+7.8%)
2y 4m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 872 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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