Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/257,214

CRIMPING DRUM FOR A PRESSING TOOL AND PRESSING TOOL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 13, 2023
Examiner
KIM, PAUL D
Art Unit
3729
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. Kg
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allow Rate
1346 granted / 1537 resolved
+17.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+6.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
52 currently pending
Career history
1589
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
35.2%
-4.8% vs TC avg
§102
29.4%
-10.6% vs TC avg
§112
30.9%
-9.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1537 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Objections Claims 15-28 are objected to because of the following informalities: Re. claim 15: The phrase “comprising a housing having a movement axis and a die part arranged thereon, the die part having a nest to accommodate a wire ferrule of a strip, wherein the die part is resiliently mounted in a die receptacle of the housing” as recited in lines 2-4 appears to be –comprising: a housing having a movement axis; and a die part arranged thereon, the die part having a nest to accommodate a wire ferrule of a strip, wherein the die part is resiliently mounted in a die receptacle of the housing--. Re. claim 18: The phrase “wherein at least one spring element is arranged” as recited in lines 1-2 appears to be –further comprising at least one spring element arranged--. Re. claim 19: The phrase “wherein at least one spring element is” as recited in line 1 appears to be –the at least one spring element is--. Re. claim 20: The phrase “wherein at least one spring element is” as recited in line 1 appears to be –the at least one spring element is--. Re. claim 21: The phrase “wherein at least one spring element includes” as recited in line 1 appears to be –the at least one spring element includes--. Re. claim 22: The phrase “which the spring element is placed” as recited in lines 2-3 appears to be –which the at least one spring element is placed--. Re. claim 27: The phrase “comprising two handles which are movable relative to one another, a crimping station with a crimping drum and a crimping stamp, a depot for storing a strip of interconnected wire ferrules” as recited in lines 1-4 appears to be –comprising: two handles which are movable relative to one another; a crimping station with a crimping drum and a crimping stamp; and a depot for storing a strip of interconnected wire ferrules--. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 15, 17 and 26-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Korsmeier et al. (US PAT. 12,142,886). Korsmeier et al. teach a crimping drum (1, Fig. 1) for a pressing tool for processing strips of interconnected wire ferrules, comprising: a housing (5, Fig. 1) having a movement axis (8); and a die part arranged thereon, the die part having a nest (10, Fig. 1) to accommodate a wire ferrule (2, Fig. 1) of a strip as shown in Fig. 2, wherein the die part is resiliently mounted in a die receptacle of the housing as shown in Figs. 2-4 (see also col. 8, line 39 to col. 10, line 8). Re. claim 17: The die part is resiliently mounted parallel to the movement axis as shown in Fig. 2. Re. claim 26: The movement axis is a rotation axis as shown in Figs. 1-3. Re. claim 27: Korsmeier et al. also teach a pressing tool (27, Fig. 8) comprising: two handles (28, Fig. 8) which are movable relative to one another; a crimping station with a crimping drum (1, Figs. 1 and 8) and a crimping stamp (not shown); and a depot for storing a strip of interconnected wire ferrules (see also col. 1, lines 37-42 and col. 11, line 59 to col. 11, line 23). Re. claim 28: The two handles are movable relative to one another for operating the pressing tool as shown in Figs. 8-10. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 16 and 18-25 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The Prior Art The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cramer et al. (PGPub 2016/0104994 A1), Poma et al. (PGPub 2013/0029523 A1), Strickland (US PAT. 4,006,502), and Edwards, Sr. et al. (US PAT. 3,800,584) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to a pressing tool including a crimping drum. Conclusion 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

Jun 13, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603212
METHOD OF MAKING A SHIELDED INDUCTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12597553
MANUFACTURING METHOD OF SURFACE-MOUNT INDUCTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597550
Optimized Electromagnetic Inductor Component Design and Methods Including Improved Conductivity Composite Conductor Material
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12588944
METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A TIP ELECTRODE OF AN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY CATHETER
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12588178
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
88%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+6.6%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1537 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow 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