Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/447,714

MEDICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, A NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM, AND ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 10, 2023
Priority
Aug 10, 2022 — JP 2022-128095
Examiner
BRUTUS, JOEL F
Art Unit
3797
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Canon Inc.
OA Round
5 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
946 granted / 1303 resolved
+2.6% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+17.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
1344
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.5%
-32.5% vs TC avg
§103
51.7%
+11.7% vs TC avg
§102
13.7%
-26.3% vs TC avg
§112
20.4%
-19.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1303 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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/23/2026 has been entered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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. Claims 1-4, 6-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Regarding the independent claims 1, 10-11, the following: “application software used for a stress echocardiography examination has not been activated, and having no attribute information concerning at least one of a stress state of the subject and a slice of the ultrasonic image at a time of collection” is not describe in the specification. Claims 2, 4-9 are rejected for the same reasons. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOEL F BRUTUS whose telephone number is (571)270-3847. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Sat, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. 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, Anne Kozak can be reached at 571-270-0552. 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. /JOEL F BRUTUS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 4 earlier events
Oct 20, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Oct 29, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Nov 06, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 06, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 24, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 23, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12702328
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2y 0m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12697470
MRI Compatible Interventional Wireguide
1y 9m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12678126
SAFETY ALERT BASED ON 4D INTRACARDIAC ECHO (ICE) CATHETER TRACKING
1y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12661499
SENSORS FOR CATHETER PUMPS
1y 11m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+17.9%)
3y 5m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1303 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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