Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/474,813

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CREASES AND WRINKLES FROM SHOES

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Sep 26, 2023
Examiner
YUEN, JESSICA JIPING
Art Unit
3762
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
60%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 7m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 60% of resolved cases
60%
Career Allow Rate
663 granted / 1108 resolved
-10.2% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+21.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1138
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
48.4%
+8.4% vs TC avg
§102
19.9%
-20.1% vs TC avg
§112
26.2%
-13.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1108 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim s 1-3, 7-8, 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR200445462 in view of Frank et al. (WO 2021-/023866 A1). KR200445462 discloses a device and a method for treating at least one shoe (Fig. 3c) , comprising: a heating element 43 for heating air (Fig. 3b) ; an inner shoe compartment 1a operable to receive the at least one shoe therein (Fig. 3b) ; wherein heated air is moved into the inner shoe compartment to treat the at least one shoe disposed therein (Fig. 3b, see air flow arrows). However, KR200445462 does not disclose a viewing window formed in a side of the inner shoe compartment; and a side window formed in a side housing of the device, the side window aligning with the viewing window to permit a user to view a side of the at least one shoe when the at least one shoe is placed in the inner shoe compartment . Frank et al. discloses a device 1 for treating at least one shoe (Fig. 1, device 1 is capable of being used to treat shoe) comprising a viewing window 8 formed in a side of the inner shoe compartment 3 (Fig. 4) and a side window 6 formed in a side housing 2 of the device 1 (Fig. 4) , the side window 6 aligning with the viewing window 8 to permit a user to view a side of the at least one shoe when the at least one shoe is placed in the inner shoe compartment 3 (Fig,. 1, 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device of KR200445462 to include a viewing window formed in a side of the inner shoe compartment; and a side window formed in a side housing of the device, the side window aligning with the viewing window to permit a user to view a side of the at least one shoe when the at least one shoe is placed in the inner shoe compartment as taught by Frank et al. in order to facilitate the user to inspect the shoe treating process. With regard to claims 2-3, 7-8, 14-15, KR200445462 further discloses a plurality of holes 32, 321 formed in the inner shoe compartment 1a (Fig. 3b) , the holes operable to permit the heated air generated by the heating element to enter the inner shoe compartment ; a device door 11 permitting access to the inner shoe compartment, the device door 11 having a window 111 therein permitting a user to view at least one end of the at least one shoe when the at least one shoe is placed in the inner shoe compartment (Fig. 2); at least one fan 42 operable to move the heated air into and about the inner shoe compartment (Fig. 3c); the at least one fan 42 provides a stream of the heated air to directly impact the at least one shoe in the inner shoe compartment (Fig. 3c); wherein the treatment includes removing a crease and/or a wrinkle from the at least one shoe and wherein the treatment includes removing an odor from the at least one shoe (abstract) . Claim s 4-6, 9-12, 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR200445462 in view of Frank et al. (WO 2021-/023866 A1) as above, and further in view of Grimm et al. (US 6,868,621). The device and method of KR200445462 as modified by Frank et al. as above includes all that is recited in claims 4-6, 9-12, 16-17 except for a temperature controller operable to adjust a temperature of the heated air that is in the inner shoe compartment ; a timer operable to set a run time for delivery of heated air to the inner shoe compartment ; a display operable to display operating conditions of the device. Grimm et al. discloses a device and method for treating shoes 94 comprising a temperature controller 84 operable to adjust a temperature of the heated air that is in the inner shoe compartment; a timer operable to set a run time for delivery of heated air to the inner shoe compartment (col. 1, line 56); a display (Figs. 19-20) operable to display operating conditions of the device. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device and method of KR200445462 to include a temperature controller operable to adjust a temperature of the heated air that is in the inner shoe compartment; a timer operable to set a run time for delivery of heated air to the inner shoe compartment; a display operable to display operating conditions of the device as taught by Grimm et al. in order to facilitate the user to control the shoe treating process. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT JESSICA J YUEN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-4878 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT MICHAEL G HOANG can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-6460 . 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. FILLIN "Examiner Stamp" \* MERGEFORMAT /Jessica Yuen/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3762
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 26, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12571588
ROTATING-SCREW DRYING REACTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12575358
FLOW RESISTANCE GENERATING UNIT AND SUBSTRATE TREATING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12564254
APPARATUS FOR HAIR COOLING AND DEHUMIDIFICATION
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Patent 12565733
Dryer Vent Coupling Assembly
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Patent 12565080
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE VENT TOP COVER STILL CAPABLE OF VENTILATION IN CLOSED STATE OF TOP COVER
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
60%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+21.7%)
3y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1108 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in for Full Analysis

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month