Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/422,776

SPIKING NEURAL NETWORK CIRCUITS GENERATING SPIKE SIGNALS AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 25, 2024
Priority
Jun 22, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0080391
Examiner
HERNANDEZ, WILLIAM
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
94%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 94% — above average
94%
Career Allowance Rate
900 granted / 959 resolved
+33.8% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 7m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
969
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
12.8%
-27.2% vs TC avg
§102
36.7%
-3.3% vs TC avg
§112
36.9%
-3.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 959 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 1-8 and 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 1 recites the limitation "wherein after the capacitor is reset by the neuron circuit, and further forms a second membrane voltage based on the second current" in lines 11-12. It is not clear what is meant by this limitation, thus rendering the claim indefinite. Perhaps Applicant meant to say: wherein after the capacitor is reset by the neuron circuit, the capacitor further forms a second membrane voltage based on the second current Claim 6 recites the limitation "a first input/output inverted signal" in line 3. It is not clear if this is the same first input/output inverted signal cited in lines 4-5 of claim 2, or some other signal, thus rendering the claim indefinite. Claim 6 recites the limitation "a second input/output inverted signal" in line 4. It is not clear if this is the same second input/output inverted signal cited in lines 5-6 of claim 2, or some other signal, thus rendering the claim indefinite. Claim 14 recites the limitation "The method" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Perhaps Applicant meant for this claim to depend from claim 9. Claims 2-5, 7, and 8 are rejected for inheriting the indefiniteness of parent claim 1. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 9-13 are presently allowed. Claims 1-8 and 14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-8979. The examiner can normally be reached Mon to Fri; 10am to 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, Taelor Kim can be reached at (571) 270-7166. 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. /WILLIAM HERNANDEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 25, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12744531
METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DYNAMICALLY CORRECT LEVEL SHIFTER CIRCUITRY
2y 1m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12738775
Wireless Power Transmitter for High Fidelity Communications and High Power Transfer
1y 12m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12738934
SWITCHING DRIVERS
1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12736576
Disconnection Point Detection Method for Single-Wire Series Circuits, Single-Wire Series Circuit, and Driver Architecture
1y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12732016
System and Method for Transitioning to Backup Power Pooling
2y 1m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
94%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+4.1%)
1y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 959 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month