Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/392,301

LOAD LOCK ARRANGEMENTS, ASSOCIATED TEMPERATURE CONTROL ASSEMBLIES, AND SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEMS INCLUDING LOAD LOCK ARRANGEMENTS AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL ASSEMBLIES

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 21, 2023
Priority
Dec 23, 2022 — provisional 63/476,985
Examiner
JENNISON, BRIAN W
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
ASM IP Holding B.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allowance Rate
1054 granted / 1465 resolved
+3.9% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
55 currently pending
Career history
1497
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.7%
-36.3% vs TC avg
§103
50.1%
+10.1% vs TC avg
§102
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
§112
21.1%
-18.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1465 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 . 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 12-14 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 12 recites the limitation "a lock load arrangement" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 13 and 14 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 12. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-11, 15-20 are allowed. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN W JENNISON whose telephone number is (571)270-5930. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9-5. 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, Ibrahime Abraham can be reached at 571-270-5569. 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. /BRIAN W JENNISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 9/4/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 21, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12733768
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3y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12715059
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4y 2m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12714113
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3y 6m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
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
72%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+22.0%)
3y 6m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1465 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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