Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 04, 2026
Application No. 18/466,687

ENTROPY-CONSTRAINED UNIFORM QUANTIZATION

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Sep 13, 2023
Priority
Jul 18, 2023 — provisional 63/514,280
Examiner
DESROSIERS, EVANS
Art Unit
2491
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
VMware, Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
4m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
855 granted / 1033 resolved
+24.8% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+22.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
1053
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.0%
-30.0% vs TC avg
§103
51.5%
+11.5% vs TC avg
§102
14.7%
-25.3% vs TC avg
§112
8.4%
-31.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1033 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
CTNF 18/466,687 CTNF 86052 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Detailed Action This communication is in response to the application filed on 09/13/2023 in which Claims 1-21 are presented for examination. Drawings The applicant’s drawings submitted on 09/13/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101 07-04-01 AIA 07-04 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows: Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title. Claims 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention are directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claims 1, 8 and 15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea of a mathematical concepts formulas or calculations without significantly more. The claims fail the first prong of the 2019 Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance. The claims " A method comprising: receiving, by a computer system, a vector comprising a plurality of real value coordinates; determining, by the computer system, an interval between a minimal coordinate of the vector and a maximal coordinate of the vector; dividing, by the computer system, the interval into K bins using a fixed rule; determining, by the computer system, a set of K quantization values based on the K bins…" The dependent claims are further calculations or formulas that are directed to the quantization values. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claims do not identify how the calculations or formulas are applied to an operation of vector. The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the claims do not identify structure that collects the data, structure that performs the calculations or formulas, or structure that is affected by the input and hot the structure is changed based upon the variable. Thus, the claims do not identify how an engines operation is changed or altered based upon a specifically identified set or circumstances. Therefore, the claims fail the second prong of the 2019 Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance. The dependent claims 2-7, 9-14 and 16-21 included in the statement of rejection but not specifically addressed in the body of the rejection have inherited the deficiencies of their parent claim and have not resolved the deficiencies. Therefore, they are rejected based on the same rationale as applied to their parent claims above. 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These include . US 20130093870 A1 – Shibutani describes a fundus observation apparatus that forms a three-dimensional image of a fundus by using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and processes it. US 20230094825 A1 Zhang presents video encoding and video decoding. US 20110137645 A1 – Vary discloses communications and signal processing. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus providing data processing of low complexity for spherical vector quantization, SVQ. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EVANS DESROSIERS whose telephone number is (571)270-5438. The examiner can normally be reached Monday -Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 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, William Korzuch can be reached at (571)272-7589. 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. /EVANS DESROSIERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2491 Application/Control Number: 18/466,687 Page 2 Art Unit: 2491 Application/Control Number: 18/466,687 Page 3 Art Unit: 2491 Application/Control Number: 18/466,687 Page 4 Art Unit: 2491 Application/Control Number: 18/466,687 Page 5 Art Unit: 2491
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 13, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §101 (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
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+22.9%)
3y 0m (~4m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1033 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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