Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/328,214

METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DIRECT TRANSMISSION OF DATA BETWEEN NETWORK-CONNECTED DEVICES

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 02, 2023
Examiner
COULTER, KENNETH R
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Intel Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
734 granted / 847 resolved
+26.7% vs TC avg
Minimal -5% lift
Without
With
+-4.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
859
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
19.4%
-20.6% vs TC avg
§103
17.8%
-22.2% vs TC avg
§102
40.0%
+0.0% vs TC avg
§112
10.1%
-29.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 847 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 . Examiner finds no 35 USC 101 rejections in the current claim language. Examiner finds no credible double patenting rejections in the current claim language. After a thorough review, Examiner finds no antecedent basis objections in the current claim language. 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 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. Claims 1 – 16 and 23 – 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yang et al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2025/0231770). 1. An apparatus comprising: interface circuitry; instructions; and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the instructions to: cause the interface circuitry to identify a neural network (NN) to a first device of a first combination of devices corresponding to a first network topology (Abstract; paragraph 50; paragraph 58); cause the first device to process first data with a first portion of the NN (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58); and cause a second device of a second combination of devices to process second data with a second portion of the NN, the second combination of devices corresponding to a second network topology (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58). 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first combination of devices is different from the second combination of devices (paragraph 69). 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are to, in response to completion of the first device processing the first data with the first portion of the NN, cause a determination that the first combination of devices is different from the second combination of devices (paragraph 69). 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are to cause a determination that the first network topology is different from the second network topology (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58). 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the devices, of the first combination of devices that correspond to the first network topology, have first compute capabilities, and the devices, of the second combination of devices that correspond to the second network topology, have second compute capabilities (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58; paragraph 43). 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first network topology has a first compute capability based on the first compute capabilities of the first combination of devices, and the second network topology has a second compute capability based on the second compute capabilities of the second combination of devices (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58; paragraph 43). 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are to cause the second device of the second combination of devices to process the second data with the second portion of the NN based on a capability associated with a service level agreement (SLA) (paragraphs 43, 50, 58). 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the SLA includes at least one of a latency requirement or an accuracy requirement (paragraphs 43, 195). 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions are to cause the first device to execute a data reduction function on partially-processed data from the first portion of the NN, the data reduction function to generate reduced data (paragraph 202) 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions are to execute the data reduction function on the partially-processed data prior to transmitting the reduced data to the second device (paragraph 202). 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface circuitry is to transmit the NN to the first device (Abstract; paragraphs 50, 58). 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface circuitry is to cause the first device to retrieve the NN, where the NN is stored in a datacenter (Abstract; Fig. 1). Regarding claims 13 – 16 and 23 – 26, the rejection of claims 1 – 12 under 35 USC 102 (see above) applies. For future email communications (including interview agendas), Applicant should file the appropriate PTO form (PTO/SB/439) or file an air interview request. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH R COULTER whose telephone number is (571) 272-3879. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9am-5pm (EST). 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, Oscar Louie can be reached at M-H, 7:30am-2:30pm (EST) (571-270-1684). 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. /KENNETH R COULTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2445 /KRC/
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 02, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 22, 2023
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 12, 2023
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (-4.7%)
3y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 847 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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