Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/230,430

CONNECTOR GROUNDING STRUCTURE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Aug 04, 2023
Priority
Aug 17, 2022 — JP 2022-130241
Examiner
FIGUEROA, FELIX O
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Yokogawa Electric Corporation
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
72%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allowance Rate
537 granted / 927 resolved
-10.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
39 currently pending
Career history
980
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
56.9%
+16.9% vs TC avg
§102
34.1%
-5.9% vs TC avg
§112
7.0%
-33.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 927 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 . Election/Restrictions Newly submitted claims 1-4, 6, and 8-9 are directed to an invention that is independent or distinct from the invention originally claimed for the following reasons: The new amendment is directed to a combination of an antenna structure. The amendment changes the scope of the claims to a device that is different from the originally claim connector. Since applicant has received an action on the merits for the originally presented invention, this invention has been constructively elected by original presentation for prosecution on the merits. Accordingly, claims 1-4, 6, and 8-9 are withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention. See 37 CFR 1.142(b) and MPEP § 821.03. To preserve a right to petition, the reply to this action must distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the restriction requirement. Otherwise, the election shall be treated as a final election without traverse. Traversal must be timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are subsequently added, applicant must indicate which of the subsequently added claims are readable upon the elected invention. Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing the inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other invention. The amendment filed on 7/6/2026 effectively cancelling all claims drawn to the elected invention and presenting only claims drawn to a non-elected invention is non-responsive (MPEP § 821.03). Since the above-mentioned amendment appears to be a bona fide attempt to reply, applicant is given a shortened statutory period of TWO (2) MONTHS from the mailing date of this notice within which to supply the omission or correction in order to avoid abandonment. EXTENSIONS OF THIS TIME PERIOD UNDER 37 CFR 1.136(a) ARE AVAILABLE but in no case can any extension carry the date for reply to this letter beyond the maximum period of SIX MONTHS set by statute (35 U.S.C. 133). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FELIX O FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-2003. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm. 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, Renee Luebke can be reached at (571)727-2009. 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. /FELIX O FIGUEROA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 04, 2023
Application Filed
Jul 23, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 23, 2025
Response Filed
Dec 09, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Mar 09, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 17, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 06, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12712318
CONNECTOR SYSTEM HAVING KEYED MATING
3y 7m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
Patent 12712316
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING A CAM SLIDE CONTACT LIFTER
3y 2m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
Patent 12706420
CONNECTOR INCLUDING A DISENGAGEMENT FEATURE
2y 0m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12695227
CONNECTOR
3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12690149
CARD HOLDER APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
3y 1m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
58%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (+14.5%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 927 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month