Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 26, 2026
Application No. 18/414,382

CHANNEL ANNOUNCEMENT IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 16, 2024
Priority
Feb 24, 2023 — provisional 63/448,161
Examiner
ROBERTS, BRIAN S
Art Unit
2466
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
635 granted / 746 resolved
+27.1% vs TC avg
Minimal +3% lift
Without
With
+3.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
754
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.9%
-36.1% vs TC avg
§103
51.2%
+11.2% vs TC avg
§102
10.5%
-29.5% vs TC avg
§112
27.6%
-12.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 746 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION 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 . Claims 21-40 have been examined. 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 21-40 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. In reference to claim 21 The language “wherein a channel field, of the one or more channel fields, indicates a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class, and wherein an operating class field, of the one or more operating class fields, indicates an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame” in lines 14-17 renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear what is meant by “a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class” and “an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame”. The language renders the metes and bounds of the claim unclear and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In reference to claim 27 The language “wherein a channel field, of the one or more channel fields, indicates a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class, and wherein an operating class field, of the one or more operating class fields, indicates an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame” in lines 14-17 renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear what is meant by “a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class” and “an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame”. The language renders the metes and bounds of the claim unclear and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In reference to claim 34 The language “wherein a channel field, of the one or more channel fields, indicates a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class, and wherein an operating class field, of the one or more operating class fields, indicates an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame” in lines 13-16 renders the claim indefinite. It is unclear what is meant by “a channel number that is interpreted in a context of an indicated operating class” and “an operating class value that is interpreted in a context of a country specified in the beacon frame”. The language renders the metes and bounds of the claim unclear and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In reference to claims 22-26, 28-33, 35-40 Dependent claims 22-26, 28-33, and 35-40 are rejected because they depend upon a rejected parent claim. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of the current rejection. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are: US 2014/0211703 paragraph [0182] The Channel Usage Elements field 1340 may include zero or more Channel Usage elements. A channel Usage element may implement channel usage response information of the AP. Channel Usage elements that can be included in the Channel Usage Element field 1340 can be implemented as shown in FIG. 12. However, the Channel Entry field of the Channel Usage Element field 1340 may include one or more operating class and channel pairs, by which a channel set permitted to be used and/or an additionally recommended channel set, from the channel set requested by the STA, can be signaled to the STA. 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 BRIAN S ROBERTS whose telephone number is (571)272-3095. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 9am to 5pm. 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, Faruk Hamza can be reached at (571) 272-7969. 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 S. ROBERTS Primary Examiner Art Unit 2466 /BRIAN S ROBERTS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 16, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 27, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 30, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 22, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 12, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jun 12, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jun 22, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+3.2%)
2y 8m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 746 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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