Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/460,573

Electronic pressure control device supplied to a railway brake caliper

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 03, 2023
Priority
Sep 06, 2022 — FR 2208885
Examiner
IRVIN, THOMAS W
Art Unit
3616
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Alstom Holdings
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allowance Rate
924 granted / 1196 resolved
+25.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+14.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
1220
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
64.0%
+24.0% vs TC avg
§102
28.0%
-12.0% vs TC avg
§112
6.6%
-33.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1196 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in France on 06 September 2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the FR2208885 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claims 1-5 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wood et al. (US, 5,735,579). In Re claim 1, Wood et al. disclose an electronic device (see universal unit 100; local controller 230; and Solenoid driver 250 in fig. 3) for a pneumatic brake system of a railway rolling stock (col. 1, lines 15-17) including an upper pressure increasing solenoid valve (420) and a lower pressure reducing solenoid valve (430), configured to: compare a first signal representative of the pressure measured at the brake (feedback pressure) with a second signal representative of a reference pressure (control pressure) (see col. 11, lines 35+); and controlling the opening of: the upper pressure increasing solenoid valve when the value of the first signal is lower than the valve of the second signal (see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+); and the opening of the lower pressure reducing solenoid valve when the value of the first signal is higher than the valve of the second signal see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+), wherein in the presence of an emergency signal (block 1, fig. 4A) the second signal is representative of a reference (control) pressure required for emergency braking see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+), and in the absence of an emergency signal (normal service braking) the second signal is representative of a reference (control) pressure required for service braking (see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+). In Re claim 2, Wood et al. disclose a control pressure transducer (BCCT); brake pressure transducer (BCT); and a controller (230). The crake control system inherently and necessarily includes memory for storing values and control logic. In Re claim 3, see integrated unit shown in fig. 3. In Re claim 4, see col. 19, lines 45+. In Re claim 5, see Abstract and cols. 3 line 55 – col 4, line 33. In Re claim 7, see col. 5 lines 54 – col. 6, line 60. In Re claim 8, see controller (230); upper pressure increasing solenoid valve (420); and a lower pressure reducing solenoid valve (430). In Re claim 9, see relay valve (VLRV 601). In Re claim 10, see col. 1, lines 15-17. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 6 is 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 The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS W IRVIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3095. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. 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, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. 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. /THOMAS W IRVIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 03, 2023
Application Filed
May 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12674500
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3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12669162
A SHOCK ABSORBER/DAMPER DEVICE WITH A SOLENOID OPERATED VALVE ELEMENT AND A MAGNETIC FLUX-BYPASS NOSE FOR INFLUENCING MAGNETIC FORCES DURING SWITCHING OPERATIONS
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Patent 12669159
FLOATING CALIPER BRAKE WITH AN ADJUSTMENT DEVICE
2y 7m to grant Granted Jun 30, 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
77%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+14.9%)
2y 10m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1196 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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