Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/484,471

METHOD FOR WELDING METAL-CONTAINING, BENT BAR-TYPE CONDUCTORS, WITH INTENSITY REDISTRIBUTION IN AN INITIAL PHASE AND AN END PHASE

Non-Final OA §112§Other
Filed
Oct 11, 2023
Priority
Apr 16, 2021 — DE 10 2021 109 622.7 +1 more
Examiner
LEE JR, WOODY A
Art Unit
3761
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Trumpf SE + Co. KG
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
570 granted / 675 resolved
+14.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+13.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
719
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
44.2%
+4.2% vs TC avg
§102
21.7%
-18.3% vs TC avg
§112
29.0%
-11.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 675 resolved cases

Office Action

§112 §Other
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 § 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 1-15 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 and 2-15 by dependency “bar-type” is unclear as it there is no definition for how close to a “bar” a conductor must be to be a “bar-type”? “partially overlapping fashion” is unclear as how much and how much two things be overlapping to be in an “overlapping FASHION”. “at least substantially over time” is indefinite. How long must something run to be “at least substantially over time”? Regarding claim 2 “at least substantially over time” is indefinite. How long must something run to be “at least substantially over time”? Regarding claim 6 “At least substantially constant over time” is indefinite. How long must something run and how constant must it be to be “at least substantially constant over time”? Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-15 would be allowable if rewritten in such a way so as to overcome the rejection under 35 USC §112b. US 2021/04020518 is the closest prior art, but fails to teach the specific laser intensities and averaging as required in the initial/main/end phases. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WOODY A LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-1051. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 0800-1630. 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, Edward "Ned" Landrum can be reached at 571-272-5567. 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. /WOODY A LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 11, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12765716
COOKWARE DETECTION CIRCUIT USING HALF-BRIDGE DRIVE HEATING, HEATING DEVICE, COOKWARE DETECTION METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
3y 3m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12751577
BARBECUE STRUCTURE
3y 1m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12752363
WELDING INFORMATION PROVIDING APPARATUS
3y 5m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12752376
LASER BLANKING DEVICE
2y 11m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12741338
SCANNING RADIAL LASER PROCESSING WITH BI-CONICAL REFLECTION
3y 11m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+13.2%)
3y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 675 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

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

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month