Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/397,546

ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROVIDING WALKIE-TALKIE SERVICE USING SHORT-RANGE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 27, 2023
Examiner
MARCELO, MELVIN C
Art Unit
2463
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
667 granted / 777 resolved
+27.8% vs TC avg
Minimal -7% lift
Without
With
+-7.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
792
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.6%
-32.4% vs TC avg
§103
33.1%
-6.9% vs TC avg
§102
25.9%
-14.1% vs TC avg
§112
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 777 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 and 25 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, lines 1-2, recites “a first intellectual property (IP) and a second IP.” However, this phrase is not clearly defined in the specification. The specification describes a plurality of internet protocols (IPs) for performing a walkie-talkie operation in paragraph 0006, while paragraphs 0109 and 0112 describes “the first IP 422b may be a DSP and the second IP 423b may be an NPU.” It is not clear what is meant by “intellectual property” in the claim. Further, it is not clear what is meant by “internet protocols” since a digital signal process (DSP) and a neural processing unit (NPU) are considered particular circuits rather than particular internet protocols. Claim 13, lines 1-2, recite “the first IP” and “the second IP.” Claim 14 depends on claim 12. Claim 25, line 4, recites “a plurality of intellectual properties (IPs).” Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-11 and 15-19 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Ronnholm publication (‘Push-to-Talk over Bluetooth’) teaches using group addresses to communication over a plurality of Bluetooth devices (page 5, section C. Group formation and Addressing). Chen et al. (US 2022/0078584 A1) teach a walkie-talkie communication mode over a single Bluetooth device (Figure 1). The prior art of record fails to anticipate or make obvious the feature of “perform a walkie-talkie operation with a walkie-talkie group, the walkie-talkie group including a plurality of Bluetooth devices, wherein the walkie-talkie circuit comprises: a walkie-talkie control circuit configured to generate setting information related to the walkie-talkie operation; and a walkie-talkie processing circuit configured to: based on the setting information, set values of parameters of a plurality of operations for the walkie-talkie operation, and based on processing first walkie-talkie data received from the walkie- talkie group through the plurality of operations, generate second walkie-talkie data” (claim 1) and “performing a walkie- talkie operation with a walkie-talkie group including a plurality of Bluetooth devices, the operation method comprising: collecting a plurality of pieces of information related to the walkie-talkie operation; generating setting information based on the plurality of pieces of information; based on the setting information, setting values of parameters of a plurality of operations for the walkie-talkie operation; based on processing first walkie-talkie data received from the walkie-talkie group through the plurality of operations, generating second walkie-talkie data; and transmitting the second walkie-talkie data to the walkie-talkie group” (claim 18). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELVIN C MARCELO whose telephone number is (571)272-3125. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:00. 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, Asad Nawaz can be reached at 571-272-3988. 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. MELVIN C. MARCELO Primary Examiner Art Unit 2463 /MELVIN C MARCELO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463 January 10, 2026
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Prosecution Timeline

Dec 27, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Feb 11, 2026
Interview Requested
Feb 16, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 16, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary

Precedent Cases

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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
86%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (-7.4%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 777 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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