Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/441,142

ENHANCEMENT IN CONFIGURED GRANT TRANSMISSION

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Feb 14, 2024
Priority
Feb 16, 2023 — provisional 63/446,257
Examiner
HOANG, THAI D
Art Unit
2463
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
568 granted / 656 resolved
+28.6% vs TC avg
Minimal -2% lift
Without
With
+-2.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
673
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.7%
-35.3% vs TC avg
§103
34.9%
-5.1% vs TC avg
§102
30.1%
-9.9% vs TC avg
§112
18.2%
-21.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 656 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 . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 8 and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. 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 1-4, 6, 8-11, 13, and 15-19 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 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: Type 1 CG configuration. Furthermore, claim 1 recites “…based on the CG configuration message configuring a Type 2 CG configuration, receive a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission comprising a downlink control information (DCI) configuring a plurality of PUSCH transmissions within the CG period…” It is unclear what is meant by configuring a Type 2 CG configuration. Thus, the claim should be included Type 1 CG configuration, and defined Type 2 CG configuration. Claims 8 and 15 are rejected for the same reasons because they recite similar limitations. All claims depend on rejected claims 1, 8 and 15 are rejected. Conclusion 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 THAI D HOANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3184. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30 am-18:30pm. 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, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. 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 an-d 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. THAI HOANG D. Primary Examiner Art Unit 2463 /THAI DINH HOANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 14, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 17, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 29, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12706729
ASSOCIATION OF SUBBAND FULL DUPLEX CONFIGURATIONS AND BANDWIDTH PARTS
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12676725
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Patent 12671645
OPTIMAL AP CONNECTION METHOD AND SYSTEM USING REINFORCEMENT LEARNING TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND LATENCY OF IoT DEVICES
2y 4m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12641649
RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL COLLISION DURING TIMING ADJUSTMENT ACQUISITION FOR LAYER 1 OR LAYER 2 TRIGGERED MOBILITY
3y 1m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12641439
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RADIO RESOURCE PARTITIONING AND ADMISSION CONTROL FOR A RADIO ACCESS NETWORK BASED ON PER-USER EQUIPMENT FACTORS
2y 4m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (-2.0%)
2y 11m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 656 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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