Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 04, 2026
Application No. 18/385,883

ADAPTER FOR VAPORIZATION ATTACHMENTS

Non-Final OA §103§112
Filed
Oct 31, 2023
Priority
Feb 17, 2023 — provisional 63/485,668
Examiner
WOLFF, ARIELLE R
Art Unit
3785
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Kind Distribution LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
47%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
12m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 47% of resolved cases
47%
Career Allowance Rate
82 granted / 174 resolved
-22.9% vs TC avg
Strong +32% interview lift
Without
With
+32.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
46 currently pending
Career history
220
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.9%
-37.1% vs TC avg
§103
57.5%
+17.5% vs TC avg
§102
13.2%
-26.8% vs TC avg
§112
21.2%
-18.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 174 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §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. This action is in response to the filing on 10/31/2023. Since the initial filing, no claims have been added, amended or cancelled. Thus, claims 1-18 are pending in the application. 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claim s 1-18 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. Claim 1 recites the limitation " the mating end of an attachment " in line 15-16 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner suggests changing to “a mating end of an attachment” to overcome this rejection. Claim 4 recites the limitation "its minimum perimeter" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner suggests changing to “a minimum perimeter” to overcome this rejection. Dependent claims inherit the rejections of the preceding claims. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tran (US 2023/0100436) in view of Rado (US 2016/0120226) . In regards to claim 1, Tran discloses an adapter for vaporization attachments (adapter assembly 702) comprising a top surface; an upper side surface; a lower side surface; a bottom surface; an attachment interface; and a rigid insert having an upper surface, a lower surface, a plurality of through- holes, a beveled side surface, and an actuator (see Annotated Fig 8) ; wherein the attachment interface is a through-hole from the top surface to the bottom surface (Attachment Interface) (airflow pathway from loading chamber 7061 through to exhaust channel 710, paragraph 41-42 ) ; wherein the Attachment Interface has an inner diameter at the top surface; wherein the inner diameter of the Attachment Interface at the top surface is nominally equal to an outer diameter of the mating end of an attachment; and wherein the mating end of an attachment can be inserted into the Attachment Interface, creating an air-tight seal ( paragraph 40-43, see Annotated Fig 8 ) . Tran does not disclose wherein the inner surface of the Attachment Interface is coated with an elastomer . However, Rado teaches attachments which are coated with an elastomer (paragraph 56 line 14-17). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tran wherein the inner surface of the Attachment Interface is coated with an elastomer as taught by Rado as this would provide a sealing surface to ensure the airtight seal ( Rado : paragraph 56 line 14-17) . Annotated Fig 8 In regards to claim 2, Tran in view of Rado teaches the device of claim 1 and Tran further discloses wherein the adapter can be mounted to a base of a vaporizer (lugs 705 of adapter fit into locking channels 704 of combustion assembly 701, paragraph 38) . In regards to claim 3, Tran in view of Rado teaches the device of claim 2 and the combination further teaches wherein the lower side surface of the adapter is coated with an elastomer (sealing elastomeric coating, paragraph 56 line 14-17) . Allowable Subject Matter Claim s 4-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT Arielle Wolff whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-8727 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00 . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Kendra Carter can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-9034 . 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. /ARIELLE WOLFF/ Examiner, Art Unit 3785 /KENDRA D CARTER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 31, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 31, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12569388
Adjustable table and related methods
4y 3m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12564536
Detachable pneumatic therapeutic apparatus
5y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Patent 12558287
Compression Device Especially for Preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis
3y 2m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
Patent 12533480
PATIENT INTERFACE
4y 5m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026
Patent 12533219
WATERWAY CONTROL DEVICE AND ORAL IRRIGATOR HANDLE
3y 9m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
47%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (+32.3%)
3y 6m (~12m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 174 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance 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