Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/281,635

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SERVICE CONTINUITY

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 12, 2023
Priority
May 18, 2021 — CN PCT/CN2021/094377 +1 more
Examiner
KASRAIAN, ALLAHYAR
Art Unit
2642
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allowance Rate
477 granted / 645 resolved
+12.0% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+20.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
665
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.7%
-35.3% vs TC avg
§103
48.0%
+8.0% vs TC avg
§102
17.6%
-22.4% vs TC avg
§112
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 645 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/25/2026 has been entered. Remarks The present Office Action is based upon the Applicant’s amendment filed on 06/25/2026. Claims 1-3, 5-7, 10-12, 14-16, 18-20, 22, 32 and 34 are now pending in the present application. 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 10-12, 14-16, 18-20, 22 and 34 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. Claim 10 recites the limitation "the ACR request" in line 7 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim(s) 11, 12, 14-16, 18-20 and 22 is/are also rejected by the virtue of it/their dependency on claim 10. Claim 34 recites the limitation "the ACR request" in line 10 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d): (d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph: Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. Claims 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. The limitation “wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is set in the ACR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for service continuity planning, or wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is omitted in the ACR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for normal service continuity” is included in independent claims 1. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 9 and 32 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claim 1, the prior arts of the record fail to suggest, disclose or teach individually or in combination to render obvious the limitation(s) “wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is set in the ACR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for service continuity planning, or wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is omitted in the CR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for normal service continuity”, in combination with other limitations of the claim. Regarding claim 32, the prior arts of the record fail to suggest, disclose or teach individually or in combination to render obvious the limitation(s) “wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is set in the ACR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for service continuity planning, or wherein when the information element indicating the type of service continuity is omitted in the ACR request message, the ACR request message indicates that the ACR is triggered for normal service continuity”, in combination with other limitations of the claim. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALLAHYAR KASRAIA N whose telephone number is (571)270-1772. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 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, RAFAEL PEREZ-GUTIERREZ can be reached at (571)272-7915. 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. /ALLAHYAR KASRAIA N/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 12, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 24, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 29, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 26, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 26, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 25, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 29, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
74%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+20.8%)
3y 2m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 645 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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