Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/359,326

ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS, MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jul 26, 2023
Priority
Jul 27, 2022 — JP 2022-119658
Examiner
CWERN, JONATHAN
Art Unit
3797
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Canon Inc.
OA Round
4 (Final)
51%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 51% of resolved cases
51%
Career Allowance Rate
415 granted / 818 resolved
-19.3% vs TC avg
Strong +34% interview lift
Without
With
+34.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 12m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
862
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.3%
-35.7% vs TC avg
§103
50.1%
+10.1% vs TC avg
§102
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
§112
27.8%
-12.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 818 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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. In claims 1, 7, and 8, the limitation “not display an operation button corresponding to a measurement item not corresponding to the selected one Doppler mode on a touch screen” is not mentioned in the specification and is considered new matter. 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 1-17 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. In claims 1, 7, and 8, the limitation “not display an operation button corresponding to a measurement item not corresponding to the selected one Doppler mode on a touch screen” renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear what is meant by the phrase “not display an operation button” and “not corresponding”. The limitation is not mentioned in the specification. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) 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. 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 JONATHAN CWERN whose telephone number is (571)270-1560. 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, Christopher Koharski can be reached at (571) 272-7230. 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. /JONATHAN CWERN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Jan 17, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 17, 2025
Response Filed
Jul 23, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 23, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 03, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 02, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 15, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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ADJUSTABLE HEADPIECE WITH ANATOMICAL MARKERS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
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Patent 12702382
MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT
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Patent 12672845
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING TOTAL BLOOD VOLUME WITH ULTRASOUND
3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12661067
ROBOTIC ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NASAL/ORAL/RECTAL ENTERIC TUBE
5y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12653494
TRANSLATING ENSEMBLE ULTRASONIC IMAGING AND ASSOCIATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
5y 3m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
51%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+34.4%)
3y 12m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 818 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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