Office Action Predictor
Last updated: April 15, 2026
Application No. 18/274,212

REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE AND COMPRESSOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 26, 2023
Examiner
DUKE, EMMANUEL E
Art Unit
3763
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allow Rate
776 granted / 1133 resolved
-1.5% vs TC avg
Strong +31% interview lift
Without
With
+31.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1160
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
51.0%
+11.0% vs TC avg
§102
27.6%
-12.4% vs TC avg
§112
17.7%
-22.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1133 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 . 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 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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 1. 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (English Translated Japanese Patent No.: 6976494 B1), hereinafter referred to as Ref ‘494. Regarding claim 1, Ref ‘494 discloses a refrigeration cycle device (100) comprising: a refrigerant (R-23); a compressor (1) that compresses the refrigerant; and a refrigerating machine oil (contains a base oil and a quinone additive) that lubricates a sliding part of the compressor, wherein the compressor comprises a rotor (17) having a neodymium magnet, the refrigerant includes trifluoroiodomethane (CF3I: R-13I1), the refrigerating machine oil includes a base oil and a quinone additive, and the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4- benzoquinone, 1 ,2-benzoquinone, 2-methyl-i1,4-benzoquinone, 2-phenyl- 1,4-benzoquinone, 2-tert-butyl- 1,4-benzoquinone, 1 ,4-naphthoquinone, 1 ,2-naphthoquinone, 2,6- naphthoquinone, 2-hydroxy- 1,4-naphthoquinone, and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶3 through Page 5, ¶9}. Regarding claim 2, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to wherein the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4-benzoquinone, 1 ,2-benzoquinone, 2-methyl-i1,4-benzoquinone, 2-phenyl- 1,4-benzoquinone, 2-tert-butyl- 1,4- benzoquinone, 1 ,4-naphthoquinone, 1,2-naphthoquinone, 2,6-naphthoquinone, and 1,4- anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶7}. Regarding claim 3, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, wherein the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,2-naphthoquinone, 2-hydroxy- 1,4-naphthoquinone, and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶7}. Regarding claim 4, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, wherein the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4-naphthoquinone, 2-hydroxy- 1,4-naphthoquinone, and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶7}. Regarding claim 5, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to claim 2, wherein the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,2-naphthoquinone, and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶7}. Regarding claim 6, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to claim 2, wherein the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4-naphthoquinone and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶7}. Regarding claim 7, Ref ‘494 discloses the refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, wherein a proportion of an amount of the quinone additive included in the refrigerating machine oil to an amount of the refrigerating machine oil is 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less {see Page 12, ¶ 12}. Regarding claim 8, Ref ‘494 discloses a compressor (1) used for a refrigeration cycle device (10), wherein the refrigeration cycle device comprises a refrigerant (R-23) that includes trifluoroiodomethane (CF3I: R-13I1), the compressor comprises a rotor (17) having a neodymium magnet, the compressor includes a refrigerating machine oil for lubricating a sliding part of the compressor, the refrigerating machine oil includes a base oil and a quinone additive, and the quinone additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,4- benzoquinone, 1,2-benzoquinone, 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 2-phenyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 2-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,2-naphthoquinone, 2,6- naphthoquinone, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, and 1,4-anthraquinone {see Page 3, ¶3 through Page 5, ¶9}. Conclusion 2. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-20210269692-A1 to OTA; Ryo. US-20200208882-A1 to OTA; Ryo US-20190233698-A1 to Yana Motta; Samuel F. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANTZ F JULES,FRANTZ F JULES whose telephone number is (571)272-6681. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Trs 8:00 AM -5:00 PM M-Trs 8:00 AM -5:00 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Frantz F Jules can be reached on 571-303-8471. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /EMMANUEL E DUKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763 02/17/2026 /FRANTZ F JULES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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Prosecution Timeline

Jul 26, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Mar 31, 2026
Response Filed

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
68%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+31.1%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1133 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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