Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/441,012

BEARING AREA HEATING FIXTURE AND METHOD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 14, 2024
Priority
Mar 28, 2023 — provisional 63/492,779
Examiner
ANDERSON II, STEVEN S
Art Unit
3762
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Government of the United States, as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
66%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 66% — above average
66%
Career Allowance Rate
447 granted / 677 resolved
-4.0% vs TC avg
Strong +35% interview lift
Without
With
+35.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
705
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
49.5%
+9.5% vs TC avg
§102
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
§112
31.7%
-8.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 677 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . DETAILED ACTION Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-2 in the reply filed on 7/6/26 is acknowledged. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR20140098977 to Lee et al. (Lee). Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a. a first component comprising a first cover that is sized and configured for covering one open end of an article (36. Figure 1); and b. a second component comprising a second cover that is sized and configured for covering another open end of an article (24, Figure 1), wherein at least one of said first component and said second component has a mechanism joined thereto for joining said first and second components together around the article in a spaced apart relationship (34 and 32, Figure 1), and one of said first component and said second component comprises at least one port for transferring heat into the interior space of an article (openings shown in 36, Figure 1). Allowable Subject Matter Claim 2 is allowed. U.S. PGPUB 20230143686 teaches a similar orientation but does not teach a member and connection between the first component and the second component. U.S. Patent 4223873 to Battles teaches a similar orientation but does not teach a member and connection between the first component and the second component. Lee teaches a similar orientation but there does not appear to be a reasonable combination to teach the tubular members in combination with this piece of prior art. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These are discussed in the allowable subject matter section. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN S ANDERSON II whose telephone number is (571)272-2055. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5. 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, Michael Hoang can be reached at 574-272-6460. 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. /STEVEN S ANDERSON II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 14, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12741259
AN ELECTRICALLY HEATED APPARATUS
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12735340
PROCESS FOR THERMOPROCESSING A CHARGE
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12729880
LEAK DETECTION SYSTEMS FOR A FLUID HEATING DEVICE
3y 3m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12722454
Air Vent Assembly with Fixed Vanes and Narrow Profile
3y 4m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12723597
BLOWER ASSEMBLY SYSTEMS AND METHODS
2y 6m to grant Granted Sep 01, 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
66%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+35.4%)
3y 0m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 677 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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