Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/396,672

CAVITY MOLD-REPLACING STRUCTURE OF A PARALLEL CRIMPING PLIER

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Dec 26, 2023
Examiner
NEJAD, MAHDI H
Art Unit
3723
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 12m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allow Rate
442 granted / 602 resolved
+3.4% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+29.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 12m
Avg Prosecution
46 currently pending
Career history
648
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
40.8%
+0.8% vs TC avg
§102
31.5%
-8.5% vs TC avg
§112
25.4%
-14.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 602 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 Objections Claim 3 and 5-6 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 3, line 5, “the mold-replacing elastic member” should read --the mold-replacing elastic members--. Claim 5, lines 2-3, “a upper replacing component and lower replacing component” should read --an upper replacing component and a lower replacing component--. Claim 6, lines 6-7, “top of the second clamping handle” should read --the top of the second clamping handle--. Appropriate correction is required. 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 2-6 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 2 recites “the sliding grooves are disposed on both sides of the mold-replacing block”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 3 is rejected due to dependency on claim 2. Claim 4 recites “the first mold-replacing block end abuts the ends of the upper cavity module and the lower cavity module”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Because ends of the upper and lower cavity modules are not previously introduced. Therefore this limitation should read --the first mold-replacing block end abuts of the upper cavity module and the lower cavity module--. Claim 5 is rejected due to dependency on claim 4. Claim 6 is recites the limitation “the pivot member” in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is not clear if “the pivot member” is referring to “first pivot member” earlier recited in claim 1 or is different. For the purpose of this examination and based on specification and drawings they are interpreted to be the same and “the pivot member” is interpreted to be --the first pivot member--. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Holland-Moritz et al. (US 11469576 B2) hereinafter Holland. Regarding claim 1, Holland teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) a cavity mold-replacing structure of a parallel crimping plier, including: a first crimping component, having a first clamping handle (4) and a crimping portion disposed on top of the first clamping handle; wherein the crimping portion has an internal space (space inside 2, 3) and a crimping opening communicated to the internal space; a second crimping component, having a second clamping handle (5) and a first pivot member (16), one end of the second clamping handle (upper end) is pivot with the internal space of the crimping portion and top of the second clamping handle is pivot (at A) with one end of the first pivot member; a mold-pressing component, disposed in the internal space of the crimping portion and including an upper mold-pressing member (2) and a lower mold-pressing member; wherein the upper mold-pressing member is fixed at top of the crimping opening, and the lower mold-pressing member (17) is pivot with the other end of the first pivot member and movably (rotation movement) disposed below the crimping opening; and a mold-replacing component (component which 30 and 40 are part of it), having a mold-replacing block (pull rod 30) disposed in the internal space of the crimping portion (at least one end of 30 is inserted into the internal space), and the mold-replacing block can be moved (compare Figs. 6-10). PNG media_image1.png 1162 948 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 530 954 media_image2.png Greyscale Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Beetz et al. (US 5913933 A) hereinafter Beetz. Regarding claim 1, Beetz teaches (reproduced and annotated Figs. below) a cavity mold-replacing structure of a parallel crimping plier, including: a first crimping component, having a first clamping handle and a crimping portion disposed on top of the first clamping handle; wherein the crimping portion has an internal space (space between 2 and 3) and a crimping opening communicated to the internal space; a second crimping component, having a second clamping handle and a first pivot member (connection link 35), one end of the second clamping handle is pivot with the internal space of the crimping portion and top of the second clamping handle is pivot with one end of the first pivot member (at A); a mold-pressing component, disposed in the internal space of the crimping portion and including an upper mold-pressing member (20) and a lower mold-pressing member (26); wherein the upper mold-pressing member is fixed at top of the crimping opening (by bolts 18, 19), and the lower mold-pressing member is pivot (at 22) with the other end of the first pivot member and movably disposed below the crimping opening; and a mold-replacing component (bolts 18, 19, 28, 29), having a mold-replacing block (any one of the bolts 18, 19, 28, 29 can be interpreted to be the block/cylindrical block) disposed in the internal space of the crimping portion (part of the bolts are located inside the internal space by passing through it), and the mold-replacing block can be moved (bolts are removable for replacement of the dies). PNG media_image3.png 1099 1005 media_image3.png Greyscale Allowable Subject Matter Claims 7-10 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. Claims 2-6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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 MAHDI H NEJAD whose telephone number is (571)270-0464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm EST. 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, David Posigian can be reached at (313) 446-6546. 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. MAHDI H. NEJAD Examiner Art Unit 3723 /MAHDI H NEJAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 26, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

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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
73%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+29.9%)
2y 12m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 602 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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