Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/400,424

CONNECTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 29, 2023
Examiner
LEON MUNOZ, EDWIN A
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 2m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allow Rate
1323 granted / 1497 resolved
+20.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1526
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
27.5%
-12.5% vs TC avg
§102
46.3%
+6.3% vs TC avg
§112
14.8%
-25.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1497 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . DETAILED ACTION Specification Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure. The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,”, “disclosed”, etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided. The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 Gorman (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0236011). Gorman disclose a connector comprising: a connector body (500) that includes an opening (Fig. 5B); two power terminals (700) that are disposed within the opening, and each include a through hole (form between 701); an interlock terminal (800) disposed within the opening; and two tabs (520) that are provided on a side surface of the connector body, and each include a hole (Fig. 5A) through which a bolt (305) passes to fix the connector body, wherein in a plan view of the opening, the two power terminals and the interlock terminal are disposed such that a triangle connecting a center of the interlock terminal and centers of the two through holes is an isosceles triangle (see attached figures below) with the center of the interlock terminal corresponding to an apex (see attached figures below) of a vertex angle, and the two tabs are disposed in diagonal areas (see attached figures below) among four areas divided by a bisector (see attached figures below) of the vertex angle of the isosceles triangle and a straight line (see attached figures below) extended from a base of the isosceles triangle. PNG media_image1.png 286 330 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 286 330 media_image2.png Greyscale Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art discloses connectors, similar to Applicant’s claimed invention, having terminals forming triangles and diagonal tabs with bolts. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN A LEON whose telephone number is (571)272-2008. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm. 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, Renee S Luebke can be reached on 5712722009. 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. /EDWIN A. LEON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 29, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603238
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC TIMEPIECE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12602011
TIMEPIECE COMPRISING AN EXTERNAL ELEMENT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12596334
CROWN FOR AN ELECTRONIC WATCH
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12596331
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND WATCH
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12591205
EXTERIOR MEMBER, CASE AND TIMEPIECE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 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
88%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+7.9%)
2y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1497 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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