Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/443,448

Probabilistic State Tracking Using Unbalanced Probabilistic Filter

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 16, 2024
Examiner
LIU, HARRY K
Art Unit
3645
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
91%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 7m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 91% — above average
91%
Career Allow Rate
1186 granted / 1303 resolved
+39.0% vs TC avg
Minimal +5% lift
Without
With
+5.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1328
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.3%
-32.7% vs TC avg
§103
31.4%
-8.6% vs TC avg
§102
36.6%
-3.4% vs TC avg
§112
18.7%
-21.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1303 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 . 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Heikkilae (US-20240085453-A1). Regarding claim 1 and 18, Heikkilae discloses a system (see Fig. 8, paragraph 0046) and a method (method for evaluating sensor data, Abstract) using a probabilistic filter for tracking a state of a device under control, comprising: at least one processor (processor 413, Fig. 9); and at least one memory (The processing unit is configured to receive raw sensor data and/or processed sensor data via the input, subsequently carry out the method according to the present invention with the aid of the processor, paragraph 0009)(processing the method implies algorithm /instructions are saved on a memory) having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to execute the probabilistic filter over a sequence of control steps (see Fig.1 and Fig. 8)(boundary condition step 315, paragraph 0046-0047) to track a change in the state of the device caused by the control steps, wherein for each of the control steps, the probabilistic filter uses a prediction model (see 310 sensor orientation estimation as the prediction model which subjects to noise as known in the art) subject to prediction noise to estimate a current state of the device and uses a measurement model subject to measurement noise (measurement error is also known as noise) to update the estimate of the current state of the device based on measurements of the state of the device, wherein for at least some of the control steps, the probabilistic filter executes measurement model more times than the prediction model (the input of data stream from 310/311 vs streams from rotation sensor/acceleration sensor 301/302 goes through update stages 304/305 plus wind noise, see Fig. 2 and paragraph0053, indicates more measurement times are performed vs prediction model) ; and output data indicative of the tracked state of the device (The corrected measured data are subsequently output, Abstract)(correct speed, position and orientation, step 316 in Fig. 8). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-17 and 19-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY K LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-1338. The examiner can normally be reached on every M-F 10 AM to 6:30 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, please leave a voice message with application serial number and nature of call, a response within 24 hours can be expected during regular business days. Also, the Examiner’s supervisor Hodge, Robert W. can be reached at (571) 272-6496. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-270-2338. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /HARRY K LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645 Tel: (571) 270-1338 Fax: (571) 270-2338 Email: harry.liu@uspto.gov
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 16, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 11, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

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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
91%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+5.0%)
2y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1303 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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