Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/446,135

RECTIFYING MECHANISM

Non-Final OA §112§Other
Filed
Aug 08, 2023
Priority
Aug 12, 2022 — JP 2022-129091
Examiner
DIGIOVANNANTONIO, DANIEL ROBERT
Art Unit
3612
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Tokai Rika Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
100%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 100% — above average
100%
Career Allowance Rate
5 granted / 5 resolved
+48.0% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
11
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
71.0%
+31.0% vs TC avg
§102
19.4%
-20.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 5 resolved cases

Office Action

§112 §Other
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. 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 Amendment 2. The Amendment filed June 06, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 2, 4-12 and 16-18 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments overcome the rejections of claims 1, 2, 4-12 and 16-18, as previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed April 1, 2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 3. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. 4. The amendment filed June 06, 2026 is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows: "wherein the pressure detection mechanism is provided in at least one of the rectifying bodies." This limitation is not supported in the specification, where in ¶0009 it states, “the pressure detection mechanism is provided at the rectifying body.” Applicant persists the previously cited prior art does not contain or teach the limitation in claim 1, while the specification of the pending application does not support this new matter. Furthermore, dependent claims 2, 6 and 8-10 are subject to the same rejection due to their dependence on a claim that lacks support in the specification. Therefore, Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action. Allowable Subject Matter 5. Claims 4-5, 7, 11-12 and 16-18 are allowed. Response to Arguments 6. Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, filed June 06, 2026 , with respect to claims 1, 2, 4-12 and 16-18 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claims 1, 2, 4-12 and 16-18 have been withdrawn. However, a new rejection was made of claims 1, 2, 6 and 8-10 in regards to new matter unsupported by the original specification. Conclusion 7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL ROBERT DIGIOVANNANTONIO whose telephone number is (571)272-4526. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. 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, Amy Weisberg can be reached at 5712705500. 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. /D.R.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3612 /AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 08, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112, §Other
Mar 05, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 01, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112, §Other
Jun 04, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 10, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12673622
MULTI-PART DOOR GARNISH HAVING CONNECTION AND PASS-THROUGH ELEMENTS
2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12600418
MOVABLE SPOILER DEVICE
2y 8m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 2 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
100%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+0.0%)
2y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 5 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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