Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/415,566

CASE WITH THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 17, 2024
Examiner
CHANDLER, KAITY V
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allowance Rate
400 granted / 630 resolved
+3.5% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
650
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
53.9%
+13.9% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
19.6%
-20.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 630 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 . 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 9-14 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 9 recites contradicting limitations as follows: in line 4, the claim recites: “the outer housing comprises a thermally insulative material”; whereas in lines 5-6, the claim recites: “the outer housing comprises a thermally conductive material”. Claims 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: Claim 9 fails to clearly recite where the clip is positioned relative to the interior or the exterior of the instantly claimed case. Claim 9 is unclear in regards to whether the clip is also formed by the heat sink in addition to being formed by a portion of the heat pipe. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-8 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art of record fails to teach or make obvious the instantly claimed case for a battery device, the case comprising: an outer housing forming an opening at a first end of the case and forming a cavity extending from the opening and within the outer housing toward a second end of the case; and an elastic layer within the outer housing and extending along inner walls of the outer housing; in combination with a clip extending from the first end of the case, away from the outer housing, and toward the second end of the case, and in combination with the clip forming a heat sink with multiple fins on an outer surface of the clip. Claims 15-20 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art of record fails to teach or make obvious the instantly claimed case for a portable electronic device and a battery device, the case comprising: an outer housing forming an opening at a first end of the case and forming a cavity extending from the opening and within the outer housing toward a second end of the case, wherein the outer housing comprises a thermally insulative material; a heat pipe extending within the outer housing, wherein the outer housing comprises a thermally conductive material; in combination with a clip extending from the first end of the case, away from the outer housing, and toward the second end of the case; and in combination with a fan configured to direct air across an outer surface of the clip. Relevant art has been cited in the attached PTO-892. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITY V CHANDLER whose telephone number is (571)272-8520. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-6:00PM. 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, BASIA RIDLEY can be reached at 571-272-1453. 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. /KAITY V CHANDLER/ 7/28/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 17, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 22, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Jul 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12706334
THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR A TRACTION BATTERY OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE, ELECTRIC VEHICLE, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
3y 8m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12700640
BATTERY MODULE, AND BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE COMPRISING SAME
3y 8m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12695141
BATTERY AND BATTERY MODULE
2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12676360
BATTERY THERMAL MANAGEMENT
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12671128
BATTERY MODULE, AND BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE COMPRISING SAME
3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 30, 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
64%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+23.6%)
3y 4m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 630 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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