Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/261,476

OPTIMIZED RADIO LINK FAILURE RECOVERY FOR CELLS REPORTED IN MEASUREMENT REPORT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 13, 2023
Priority
Apr 01, 2021 — nonprovisional of PCTCN2021084875
Examiner
TOWFIGHI, AFSHAWN M
Art Unit
2469
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
859 granted / 978 resolved
+29.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+8.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
986
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
6.5%
-33.5% vs TC avg
§103
42.2%
+2.2% vs TC avg
§102
32.6%
-7.4% vs TC avg
§112
10.4%
-29.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 978 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 7/10/26 has been entered. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/10/26 is being considered by the examiner. 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, 15, 22, 29 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. Claims 1, 15, 22 and 29 recite “prioritizing…and includes prioritizing candidate cells which are included in a preferred cell database corresponding to a preferred feature supported by the UE over candidate cells not included in the preferred cell database”. It is unclear if the preferred feature supported by the UE corresponds to the preferred cell database or all candidate cells. In other words, it is unclear if the candidate cells in the preferred candidate cell database are all (solely) in the database because they contain the preferred feature supported by the UE, or if the candidate cells in the preferred cell database correspond individually to a supported feature. Appropriate clarification is required. Claims 2-3 and 6-11, 13, 14, 16-18, 20, 21, 23-25, 27-28, 31-34 are dependent and likewise rejected. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-3 and 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-29, 31-34 contain allowable subject matter and would be allowable if the 112(b) rejections above were overcome. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shi et al (Pub No: 2021/0377916) [0079] [0097] Deenoo et al (Pub No: 2022/0038985) [0106]. Da Silva et al (Pub No: 2020/0021336) [0043] Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AFSHAWN M TOWFIGHI whose telephone number is (571)270-7296. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM -5:00 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, Ian N Moore can be reached at 571-272-3085. 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. /AFSHAWN M TOWFIGHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 2 earlier events
Dec 18, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 08, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Feb 25, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 27, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 08, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 10, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 18, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12706713
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING SOUNDING PROCEDURE IN WIRELESS LAN SYSTEM
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12701620
WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12696062
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTED COEXISTENCE AND SOFT MITIGATION THROUGH A VEHICLE NETWORK FOR IN-VEHICLE MODULES
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12683662
COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12684595
TECHNIQUES FOR RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGY COEXISTENCE IN SIDELINK CHANNELS
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
88%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+8.8%)
2y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 978 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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