Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/479,889

INDUCTOR COMPONENT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 03, 2023
Priority
Oct 14, 2022 — JP 2022-165735
Examiner
LIAN, MANG TIN BIK
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allowance Rate
933 granted / 1330 resolved
+10.2% vs TC avg
Strong +26% interview lift
Without
With
+26.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
68 currently pending
Career history
1401
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
91.7%
+51.7% vs TC avg
§102
6.4%
-33.6% vs TC avg
§112
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1330 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/03/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Drawings The drawings received on 10/03/2023 are acceptable. 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 1-12 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. Regarding claim 1, it’s not clear what’s intended by “in a first section including a central axis of the via wiring line” in line 10. Specifically, it’s not clear if the “first section” is of the inductor component, or if the “first section” is of the “via wiring line.” As stated in the written description of the present invention, FIG. 3A is “portion A” of FIG. 2 (e.g., para. [0011]). The central axis AX in FIGs. 2 and 3 appears to represent both the central axis for the portion A section of FIGs. 2 and the central axis of FIG. 3 as whole, and the central axis of the via wiring line 212. While the written disclosure corresponding to FIGs. 2 and 3A, among others, appears to suggest the “first section” is of the portion A of the inductor component in FIG. 2 and or the section of FIG. 3 as a whole (not the “first section…of the wiring line”), there’s no such express teaching in the specification. Furthermore, it’s impermissible to read the limitation from specification into the claim. Accordingly, “in a first section including a central axis of the via wiring line” as currently claimed is unclear. Claims 2-20 are rejected as being directly or indirectly dependent of claim 1. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form PTO-892. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700. 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, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached at 571-272-3985. 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. /MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 03, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12683063
INDUCTOR DEVICE
3y 9m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12665118
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3y 10m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12633450
INTEGRATED QUAD-CORE TRANSFORMER WITH ASYMMETRIC GAP DISTRIBUTION FOR MAGNETIC FLUX BALANCING
5y 4m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12626851
HIGH FREQUENCY INTEGRATED PLANAR MAGNETICS FOR A BIDIRECTIONAL AC TO DC CLLC RESONANT CONVERTER
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Patent 12620521
Coil and Method for Producing A Coil
4y 9m to grant Granted May 05, 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
70%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+26.4%)
2y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1330 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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