Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/469,508

PROCESSING METHOD FOR REALIZING CONVENIENT WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTATION BASED ON CONTAINER SHIP COMBINED SUPPORTS WATER BLOCKING COVER

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 18, 2023
Examiner
HAYES, JOVON E
Art Unit
3615
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Zhejiang International Maritime College
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 11m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allow Rate
759 granted / 894 resolved
+32.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
915
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
38.0%
-2.0% vs TC avg
§102
31.3%
-8.7% vs TC avg
§112
21.1%
-18.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 894 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION This is a first action on the merits of application 18469508. Claims 1-7 are pending. Applicant has not provided an IDS. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claims 1-7 are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors. Claim 1, The term “type” and “strong” and “convenient” in claim 1 a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “type” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Saying “line type” renders the claim indefinite. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the half ship" and “the frame” in 1). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. “the openings” in 2) ; “the strong magnet” in 3) Examiner notes the claims are worded poorly and confusing, applicant should revise all claims. As best understood the process are method claims and should be written as such, however the process was not found in the art. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOVON E HAYES whose telephone number is (571)272-3115. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-6pm M-F. 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, Samuel Morano can be reached at 571-272-6684. 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. /JOVON E HAYES/Examiner, Art Unit 3615 /S. Joseph Morano/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 18, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12589837
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Patent 12589842
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Patent 12583571
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Patent 12583560
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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 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
85%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+8.4%)
1y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 894 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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