Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/350,408

COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Jul 11, 2023
Priority
Jan 12, 2021 — provisional 63/136,472 +1 more
Examiner
CHOWDHURY, HARUN UR R
Art Unit
2473
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Kyocera Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
460 granted / 604 resolved
+18.2% vs TC avg
Strong +25% interview lift
Without
With
+24.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
36 currently pending
Career history
647
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.3%
-35.7% vs TC avg
§103
49.8%
+9.8% vs TC avg
§102
21.3%
-18.7% vs TC avg
§112
19.5%
-20.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 604 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Status of Claims 2. Claims 1 and 14-15 are pending wherein claims 1, 14, and 15 are in independent form. 3. Claim 1 has been amended. 4. Claims 2-13 have been cancelled. Claims 14-15 have been added newly. Response to Arguments 5. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 14-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 6. 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)(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. 7. Claims 1, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hong (US 20210127293, hereinafter referred to as Hong). Re claim 1, Hong teaches a communication control method used in a cellular communication system (Fig. 9, Fig. 14), the method comprising: (i) performing, by a donor node (IAB donor node) comprising a relay node as a subordinate (IAB node/child IAB node, Fig. 9-13), configuration to configure the relay node (IAB node configuration information/condition information received from the donor node) to transmit a flow control feedback message to a parent node of the relay node (transmitting buffer status information based on a configured triggering condition), the flow control feedback message indicating that the relay node is congested (buffer status information indicating congestion at the IAB node), the configuration indicating whether the relay node transmits the flow control feedback message (buffer status information) for each of backhaul RLC channels of the relay node or for each of routing IDs of the relay node (buffer status information corresponding to each of the backhaul RLC channels) (Fig. 14-15, Par 0148-0153, Par 0155-0158, Par 0163, Par 0221-0222, Par 0226, Par 0228-0238); and (ii) transmitting, by the relay node (IAB node/child IAB node), the flow control feedback message (buffer status information) to the parent node in accordance with the configuration (transmitting buffer status information based on IAB node configuration information/condition information) (Fig. 14-15, Par 0155-0158, Par 0160-0163, Par 0241-0262, Par 0266-0275). Claim 14 recites a relay node performing the steps recited in claim 1 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1. Hong further teaches that the relay node comprises a receiver and a transmitter (Fig. 16, Par 0320-0321). Claim 15 recites a system performing the steps recited in claim 1 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARUN UR R CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM. 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, Kwang B Yao can be reached at 5712723182. 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. /HARUN CHOWDHURY/ Examiner, Art Unit 2473
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 11, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
May 14, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
May 14, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jun 01, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 10, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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PHASE TRACKING REFERENCE SIGNALS AND DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNALS FOR JOINT CHANNEL ESTIMATION
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Patent 12732862
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Patent 12732935
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3y 2m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12719612
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3y 2m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12707452
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3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 11, 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
76%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+24.9%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 604 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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