Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/367,005

PARKING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS AND PARKING ASSISTANCE METHOD

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 12, 2023
Examiner
UNDERBAKKE, JACOB DANIEL
Art Unit
3662
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
49%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
3y 4m
To Grant
72%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 49% of resolved cases
49%
Career Allow Rate
40 granted / 81 resolved
-2.6% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
104
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
19.9%
-20.1% vs TC avg
§103
50.6%
+10.6% vs TC avg
§102
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
§112
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 81 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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’s Note Examiner has cited particular paragraphs/columns and line numbers or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicants’ definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/23/2026 has been entered. Response to Amendment The amendment filed 2/23/2025 has been entered. Claims 1-14 and 126-20 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome each and every rejection under U.S.Cc.103 previously set forth in the Office Action mailed 11/21/2025. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 10-12, filed 2/23/2026, with respect to then rejections under U.S.C 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The prior art rejection of all claims have been withdrawn. 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, 8, and 19 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. The claims recite “wherein the first object is located at a same position during the training traveling and during the automatic parking control” which is not present in the specification. The applicant’s specification does not state that the object in in the same position during training traveling and during the automatic parking control, claiming such is not supported by the specification which is silent to the object’s remaining in the same position or being in different position between training and automatic travel- the stipulation that the object is located at a same position during the training traveling and during the automatic parking control is not present. Claims 2-7, 9-14, 16-18, and 20 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 for depending from independent claims which fail to comply with the written description requirement. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB D UNDERBAKKE whose telephone number is (571)272-6657. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00. 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, Jelani Smith can be reached at 571-270-3969. 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. /JACOB DANIEL UNDERBAKKE/Examiner, Art Unit 3662 /MAHMOUD S ISMAIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 12, 2023
Application Filed
May 30, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jul 31, 2025
Interview Requested
Aug 19, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Aug 19, 2025
Examiner Interview Summary
Sep 03, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 18, 2025
Final Rejection — §112
Dec 24, 2025
Interview Requested
Jan 20, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jan 20, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 21, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 23, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 10, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 19, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12579898
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING AUTOMATED FLIGHT FOLLOWING OPTIONS AND UPGRADING LEGACY FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12550807
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PREDICTIVE GROUND ENGAGING MACHINE CONTROL
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Patent 12538868
MACHINE CONTROL USING REAL-TIME MODEL
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Patent 12509120
UNMANNED VEHICLE AND DELIVERY SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 30, 2025
Patent 12494068
FREE SPACE DETECTION AND PARK-ABLE FREE SPACE DETECTION FOR OCCUPANCY GRIDS USING SENSOR MEASUREMENTS
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 09, 2025
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
49%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (+22.2%)
3y 4m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 81 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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