Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/386,207

PROSTHETIC HEART VALVE DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 01, 2023
Examiner
HU, ANN M
Art Unit
3774
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Laguna Tech LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 10m
To Grant
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allow Rate
631 granted / 932 resolved
-2.3% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+20.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 10m
Avg Prosecution
55 currently pending
Career history
987
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§103
43.8%
+3.8% vs TC avg
§102
30.5%
-9.5% vs TC avg
§112
17.9%
-22.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 932 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 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 23-36 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 23 lines 10-13 recite “the body has a first diameter at a circumferential line location where the tips of the clipping arms are located, and the tips of the clipping arms extend away from define a circumferential line with a second diameter, with the second diameter being greater than the first diameter.” The metes and bounds of the claims cannot be properly determined as it is unclear what features this language is intending to recite. Appropriate correction and/or clarification is required. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ann Hu whose telephone number is (571) 272-6652. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (9:00 am-5:30 pm EST). If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, please contact the examiner’s supervisor, Jerrah Edwards, at (408) 918-7557. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ANN HU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3774
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 01, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12551339
EXPANDABLE IMPLANTABLE CONDUIT
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Patent 12533249
ACUTE AND CHRONIC DEVICES FOR MODIFYING FLOW IN BODY LUMENS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026
Patent 12521241
TRANSCATHETER VALVE PROSTHESIS HAVING AN EXTERNAL SKIRT FOR SEALING AND PREVENTING PARAVALVULAR LEAKAGE
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 13, 2026
Patent 12514701
Low Profile Expandable Heart Valve
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 06, 2026
Patent 12502273
PERIVALVULAR SEALING FOR TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 23, 2025
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
68%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+20.9%)
3y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 932 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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