Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/307,463

ACCESSING LARGE DATA STRUCTURES GENERATED BY SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Apr 26, 2023
Examiner
NIMOX, RAYMOND LONDALE
Art Unit
2857
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Thermo Finnigan LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allow Rate
323 granted / 461 resolved
+2.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
512
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
36.5%
-3.5% vs TC avg
§103
28.1%
-11.9% vs TC avg
§102
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
§112
11.0%
-29.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 461 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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. Claim(s) 1-20 is/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. With respect to Claim(s) 1, 13, 20, the limitation states “… transfer portions of a data structure acquired with one or more detectors of the scientific instrument to a client device, the data structure being stored in a data storage connected to the first logic via a network, the portions being identified to the first logic in a sequence of data requests received from the client device; … identify parts of the data structure based on at least one of a data-access pattern in the sequence of data requests and a buffer size for a storage device locally connected to the first logic; and third logic configured to download the parts from the data storage to the storage device, wherein the first logic is configured to switch a data transfer path for the client device from being end-connected to the data storage to being end-connected to the storage device when a requested portion of the data structure is in the parts downloaded to the storage device via the third logic.”. It is unclear what the structural difference between ‘a storage device’ and ‘a data storage’ is. If the structures are the same, Examiner advises applicant to separate the structurally similar components via amendment (e.g., a first/local data storage device, a second/external data storage device). For examination purposes, Examiner will assume the claimed invention’s claimed function is to be able to access data from external storage device(s) when requested. Examiner will also assume that the claimed ‘storage device’ and the claimed ‘data storage’ are distinct devices. Claim(s) 2-12, 14-19 is/are rejected as for being dependent on the above rejected parent claim(s). 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)(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. (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. Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by COHN ET AL. (US 20230161743 A1) (hereinafter “COHN”). With respect to Claim(s) 1, 13, 20, COHN teaches uploading and visualizing data in an analytical ecosystem and the BRI of: first logic configured to transfer portions of a data structure acquired with one or more detectors of the scientific instrument to a client device (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12), the data structure being stored in a data storage connected to the first logic via a network (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12), the portions being identified to the first logic in a sequence of data requests received from the client device (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12); second logic configured to identify parts of the data structure based on at least one of a data-access pattern in the sequence of data requests and a buffer size for a storage device locally connected to the first logic (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12); and third logic configured to download the parts from the data storage to the storage device (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12), wherein the first logic is configured to switch a data transfer path for the client device from being end-connected to the data storage to being end-connected to the storage device when a requested portion of the data structure is in the parts downloaded to the storage device via the third logic (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 2, 14, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the scientific instrument comprises at least one of a mass spectrometer and a chromatography system (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 3, 15, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the second logic is configured to identify the parts of the data structure using a predictive algorithm configured to detect the data-access pattern in a space defined by one or more attributes selected from the group of attributes consisting of: a scan order in a sequence of mass-spectrometer scans, a sequence of mass ranges, relative timing of a mass-spectrometer scan and a chromatographic peak in a corresponding chromatogram, and a chemical compound library (See, e.g., ¶ 0061, 0094, 0103, 0108, 0116-0125). With respect to Claim(s) 4, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the data structure has a size in a range between 1 GB and 100 GB (See, e.g., ¶ 0015) and includes data from pluralities of mass spectrometer scans (See, e.g., ¶ 0065) and detector channels corresponding to a single analyte injection (See, e.g., ¶ 0017). With respect to Claim(s) 5, 16, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the third logic is configured to perform a background download to download the parts (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12), the background download occurring concurrently with a transfer via the first logic of one or more of the portions of the data structure from the data storage to the client device (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 6, 17, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the first logic is configured to dynamically select a suitable data reader from a plurality of data readers based on the data transfer path (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 7, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the plurality of data readers includes: a first data reader suitable for reading from the data storage (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12); and a different second data reader suitable for reading from the storage device (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 8, 18, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the plurality of data readers is implemented as a plurality of application plugins (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 9, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the data storage is selected from the group consisting of: a web-based object storage, an enterprise data-storage platform, a micro service platform, a network-attached storage, and a storage area network (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 10, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein, in response to a subsequent data request received from the client device, the first logic is configured to: obtain an availability status for a subsequent portion of the data structure specified in the subsequent data request (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12); transfer the subsequent portion of the data structure to the client device from the storage device when the availability status is “available” (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12); and transfer the subsequent portion of the data structure to the client device from the data storage when the availability status is “not available” ((See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 11, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the first logic is configured to switch the data transfer path in response to a message from the third logic reporting a download completion event (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). With respect to Claim(s) 12, 19, COHN teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s). COHN further teaches the BRI of: wherein the data structure has a binary format suitable for recording, packaging, and transfer of experimental data acquired via multiple ones of the detectors of the scientific instrument (See, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4, 10-12). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAYMOND NIMOX whose telephone number is (469)295-9226. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thu 10am-8pm CT. 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, ANDREW SCHECHTER can be reached at (571) 272-2302. 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. RAYMOND NIMOX Primary Examiner Art Unit 2857 /RAYMOND L NIMOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 26, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601251
RIG OPERATIONS INFORMATION SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12596768
WAFER PATTERN IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12571852
BATTERY LIFE PREDICTION APPARATUS AND METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12560919
Method of Determining at least one tolerance band limit value for a technical variable under test and corresponding calculation device
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
Patent 12560657
Battery State of Health Estimation Method, Battery Management Apparatus, and Battery Management System
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 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
70%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+11.4%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 461 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