Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/255,217

COMPONENT CONFIRMATION DEVICE AND COMPONENT CONFIRMATION METHOD

Final Rejection §102§112
Filed
May 31, 2023
Priority
Dec 02, 2020 — nonprovisional of PCTJP2020044838
Examiner
KIM, PAUL D
Art Unit
3729
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Fuji Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
1367 granted / 1559 resolved
+17.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+6.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
64 currently pending
Career history
1613
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
37.6%
-2.4% vs TC avg
§102
26.9%
-13.1% vs TC avg
§112
32.4%
-7.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1559 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 . This response to the response to the amendment filed on 4/28/2026. Claim Objections Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities: Re. claim 1: The phrase “a moving section is configured to move target equipment” as recited in line 10 appears to be --a moving section is configured to move a target equipment--. Re. claim 8: The phrase “a moving step that moves target equipment” as recited in line 9 appears to be --a moving step that moves a target equipment--. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1, 2 and 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Re. claim 1: The phrase “the target component” as recited in line 13 lacks antecedent basis. The phrase “the setting component” as recited in line 16 lacks antecedent basis. Re. claim 2: The phrase “the pick-and-place cycles” as recited in line 3 lacks antecedent basis. Re. claim 5: The phrase “the pick-and-place cycles” as recited in line 3 lacks antecedent basis. Re. claim 8: The phrase “the target component” as recited in line 12 lacks antecedent basis. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 2 and 4-8 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see Remark, filed 4/28/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-8 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph and under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection of claims 1, 2 and 4-8 is made in view of under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 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, Thomas Hong can be reached at 571-272-0993. 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. /PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 31, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112
Apr 28, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 14, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12707616
TAPE LOADING DEVICE
3y 11m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12700782
Positioning Device and Method for Positioning Wire Ends in the Manufacture of an Electrical Machine
3y 6m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12700624
DISASSEMBLY MECHANISM, DISASSEMBLY SYSTEM FOR POWER BATTERY PACK WITH DISASSEMBLY MECHANISM AND DISASSEMBLY METHOD OF POWER BATTERY PACK
3y 1m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12700780
METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STATOR
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12700539
VERTICALLY-STACKED INTERDIGITATED METAL-INSULATOR-METAL CAPACITOR FOR SUB-20 NM PITCH
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 04, 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
88%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+6.7%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1559 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