Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/470,984

WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Sep 20, 2023
Examiner
LEON MUNOZ, EDWIN A
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
3 (Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
4-5
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
1362 granted / 1540 resolved
+20.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
1554
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
27.8%
-12.2% vs TC avg
§102
47.0%
+7.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.0%
-26.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1540 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . DETAILED ACTION Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baroche (U.S. Patent No. 6,430,110). Baroche discloses an electronic device (Figs. 4-5), comprising: a frame (1, 3) including a fixed portion (1) and a rotatable portion (3); a band (2) connected to the fixed portion; a first display assembly (15) positioned on the rotatable portion and a second display assembly(11, 12, 13) positioned on the fixed portion. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 are allowed for the reason stated in the previous actions. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN A LEON whose telephone number is (571)272-2008. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm. 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, Renee S Luebke can be reached on 5712722009. 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. /EDWIN A. LEON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 2 earlier events
Jan 16, 2026
Response Filed
Jan 21, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 21, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
May 22, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 26, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Aug 31, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 18, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12748380
COMPENSATION OF RATE VARIATION IN A WATCH
3y 9m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12749850
TAMPER RESISTANT CONNECTOR SECURITY SLEEVE SYSTEM WITH TOOL-LESS TIGHTENING AND CONFIGURED TO USE A TOOL FOR LOOSENING
3y 1m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12743055
WRISTWATCH WITH A CLOCK GENERATOR ASSEMBLY
3y 11m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12736925
ELECTRONIC TIMEPIECE AND INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD
3y 10m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12738689
VIBRATION RESISTANT CONNECTOR SYSTEM WITH MATING ASSISTANCE FEATURE
3y 5m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
88%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+8.1%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1540 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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