Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/404,170

STRUCTURES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR ENERGY DISTRIBUTION

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jan 04, 2024
Priority
Jun 15, 2018 — provisional 62/685,850 +2 more
Examiner
TORRES WILLIAMS, MELANIE
Art Unit
3616
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Ogre Skin Designs LLC
OA Round
4 (Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
663 granted / 783 resolved
+32.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
813
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
39.0%
-1.0% vs TC avg
§102
41.7%
+1.7% vs TC avg
§112
15.2%
-24.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 783 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Drawings The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, wherein “the spherical element engages the third tip” as recited in claims 19 and 21 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: Applicant does not disclose wherein “the spherical element engages the third tip” as claimed in claims 19 and 21 combined with the previous limitations of claims 17 and 18 from which claims 19 and 21 depend. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 19 and 21 recite ““the spherical element engages the third tip”. It is unclear what Applicant intends to claim by the limitation. Claim 17 appears to recite limitations from the embodiments of Figures 36 and 44. Claim 18 further claims a spherical element positioned in the valley which engages at least one of first, second and third tetrahedrons and is shown in Figure 44. There is no embodiment that teaches wherein the spherical element engages the third tip as recited in claims 19 and 21 in addition to the limitations from claims 17 and 18 from which claims 19 and 21 depend. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 5-10, 13-18 and 20 are allowed. Claim 22 is 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. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed May 15, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the limitations of claims 19 and 21 are disclosed by the embodiments of figures 10A, 10B and 11A. However, claims 19 and 21 depend from claims 17 and 18 which recite additional limitations not shown in figures 10A, 10B and 11A. It appears that Applicant is combining limitations from multiple distinct embodiments. There are no embodiments that disclose all the combined limitations of claims 17-19 or 17, 18 and 21. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELANIE TORRES WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-7127. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 7:00AM-3:00PM. 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, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. 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. /MELANIE TORRES WILLIAMS/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3616 MTW September 24, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Oct 22, 2024
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 14, 2025
Response Filed
Apr 25, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Oct 22, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 07, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 15, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 15, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 29, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+11.7%)
2y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 783 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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