Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/246,733

BEHAVIOR CONTROL METHOD AND SPINNING POSITION CONTROL METHOD FOR BAGWORMS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 27, 2023
Examiner
TRUONG, KATELYN T
Art Unit
3647
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Kowa Company Ltd.
OA Round
5 (Non-Final)
56%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 56% of resolved cases
56%
Career Allow Rate
161 granted / 287 resolved
+4.1% vs TC avg
Strong +38% interview lift
Without
With
+38.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
319
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
47.3%
+7.3% vs TC avg
§102
19.7%
-20.3% vs TC avg
§112
27.9%
-12.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 287 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/27/2026 has been entered. Application Status Claims 1, 3-5, 7-12, 19-21 are pending and have been examined in this application, Claims 1, 3, 5, 7, 12 are amended, claims 4, 8-11 are previously presented. Claims 2, 6, 13-18 are cancelled. Claims 19-21 are new. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement As of the date of this action, an information disclosure statement (IDS) has been filed on 11/07/2024 and reviewed by the Examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 19, 21 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 19 and 21 each recite “a switching means for dynamically switching between radiating a behavior control light having a wavelength of 345 nm to 465 nm and a spinning position control light having a wavelength of 490 nm to 710 nm to the bagworm from any direction”, however this limitation does not appear to be disclosed or described in the disclosure. Specifically, a specific switching means for dynamically switching between the two lights is not disclosed. Though the specification discloses that the behavior control light and the spinning position control light may be switched, there is not specific switching means for dynamically switching between the two lights. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1, 3-5, 7-12, 20 are allowed. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 9-11, filed 02/27/2026, with respect to claims 1, 5, 12 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 102, 103 rejections of claims 1, 3-5, 7-12 has been withdrawn. The affidavit under 37 CFR 1.132 filed 02/27/2026 is sufficient to overcome the rejection of claims 1, 3-5, 7-12 based upon the rejection combination of Kitabatake and Yoshioka. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATELYN T TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-0023. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8-6. 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, KIMBERLY BERONA can be reached on (571) 272-6909. 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. /KATELYN T TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3647
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 27, 2023
Application Filed
Aug 07, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jan 13, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 29, 2025
Final Rejection — §112
May 05, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
May 09, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
May 15, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Aug 19, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 27, 2025
Final Rejection — §112
Feb 27, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 20, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12575516
IN-GROUND AEROPONIC PLANTER AND SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
56%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+38.2%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 287 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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