Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/428,298

LASER EMITTER AND OPTICAL RANGING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jan 31, 2024

Priority

Aug 31, 2021 — JP 2021-140688 +1 more

Examiner

HELLNER, MARK

Art Unit

Tech Center

Assignee

Denso Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +8.5% interview lift. Interview lift (+8.5%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1505 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

HELLNER, MARK View full profile →

Grants 90% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

1361 granted / 1505 resolved

+30.4% vs TC avg

Moderate +8% lift

Without

With

+8.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 8m

Avg Prosecution

22 currently pending

Career history

1523

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

1.6%

-38.4% vs TC avg

§103

61.8%

+21.8% vs TC avg

§102

15.6%

-24.4% vs TC avg

§112

12.4%

-27.6% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1505 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 31, 2024

Application Filed

May 29, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/983,185

Patent 12681152

DUAL-POLARIZED LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING RECEIVING END BASED ON OPTICAL CHIP

3y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/662,060

Patent 12681154

Techniques for Combining Optical Beams into Shared Spatial Mode

2y 2m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/642,365

Patent 12669589

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING DISTANCES TO A SCENE

4y 3m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/937,311

Patent 12669611

CONTINUOUS WAVE TIME OF FLIGHT SYSTEM

3y 9m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/775,928

Patent 12663515

THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITION FOR LIDAR SENSOR SYSTEM WITH IMPROVED ABSORPTION PROPERTIES

4y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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

90%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+8.5%)

2y 8m (~2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1505 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.