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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on March 17th, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed January 20th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-4, and 6-9 remain pending in the application. Claims 3 and 7-8 remain withdrawn from consideration as being drawn to nonelected Species 2-4. The amendments to the claims have overcome each and every 112(d) rejection previously cited in the Final rejection mailed December 04th, 2025. However, the amendment has raised other issues detailed below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pg. 6-10 (as numbered by the Applicant) of the Remarks, filed January 20th, 2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1 and 9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Sloan et al. (US Patent No. 10,240,832) and Maruyama (US Patent No. 9,683,763).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 4, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Semura (US 20210270500), hereinafter Semura in view of Sloan et al. (US Patent No. 10,240,832), hereinafter Sloan and Maruyama (US Patent No. 9,683,763), hereinafter Maruyama.
Regarding claim 1, Semura discloses an oil-lubricated cryocooler compressor that compresses a refrigerant gas of a cryocooler (Fig. 1, compressor unit 102, compressor main body 110, cryocooler 106, cold head 104; Pg. 1, paragraph 13, The compressor unit 102 is configured to collect a refrigerant gas of the cryocooler 106 from the cold head 104, to pressurize the collected refrigerant gas, and to supply the refrigerant gas to the cold head 104 again; Pg. 2, paragraph 19, The oil line 112 includes an oil circulation line 112a and an oil return line 112b. The oil circulation line 112a is configured such that an oil flowing out from the compressor main body 110 flows into the compressor main body 110 again through the oil cooling unit 130b), the cryocooler compressor comprising:
a liquid-cooled heat exchanger that cools the refrigerant gas and/or an oil through heat exchange with a coolant (Fig. 1, liquid cooled heat exchanger 130; Pg. 2, paragraph 25, The liquid-cooled heat exchanger 130 is built in the compressor unit 102 as a main cooling device for the compressor unit 102. The liquid-cooled heat exchanger 130 is configured to cool a refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor main body 110 and an oil lubricating the compressor main body 110 through heat exchange with a cooling liquid or a cooling fluid. Typically, the cooling liquid is cooling water such as tap water and industrial water); and
a cooling controller (Fig. 1, controller 40) that is configured to;
acquire a supply temperature of the coolant supplied to the liquid-cooled heat exchanger and to control a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger (Fig. 1, sensor 34, backup chiller 20, first valves 28, third valve 32; Pg. 4, paragraph 50, sensor 34 that measures the temperature of a cooling liquid. The sensor 34 is disposed on the supply line 12; Pg. 4, paragraph 51, A controller 40 that activates the backup chiller 20 is provided in the backup chiller 20. The controller 40 is configured to receive, from at least one sensor, a sensor signal indicating measurement results by the sensor, and to activate the backup chiller 20 based on the measurement results. The controller 40 is configured to control components of the backup chiller 20, such as the turning on and off of the circulation pump 22 and the opening and closing of the first valves 28; Pg. 5, paragraph 58, In addition, in order to activate the backup chiller 20, the controller 40 may use the sensor 34 disposed outside the compressor unit 102. As described above, the sensor 34 may measure the temperature of a cooling liquid, and the controller 40 may activate the backup chiller 20 based on the temperature of the cooling liquid, which is measured by the sensor 34);
compare the acquired supply temperature of the coolant with a temperature threshold value (Pg. 5, paragraph 58, In addition, in order to activate the backup chiller 20, the controller 40 may use the sensor 34 disposed outside the compressor unit 102. As described above, the sensor 34 may measure the temperature of a cooling liquid, and the controller 40 may activate the backup chiller 20 based on the temperature of the cooling liquid, which is measured by the sensor 34).
However, Semura does not disclose further comprising:
an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil, and
the cooling controller configured to;
limit a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger and operate the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison.
Sloan teaches further comprising:
an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil (Fig. 1, air cooled after cooler 6, fan 27; Col. 3, lines 31-32, Fan 27 drives air through after-cooler 6 in a counter-flow heat transfer relation with the helium and oil), and
the cooling controller (Fig. 1, control circuit 52, sensor 30) configured to;
operate the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when an acquired temperature of the refrigerant gas and/or the oil exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison (Col. 3, lines 41-47, Another option is to sense the temperature of the helium and/or oil leaving water cooled after-cooler 5 and have a control circuit 52 that turns fan 27 on when the temperature exceeds a defined temperature and turns fan 27 off when the temperature drops below the defined temperature. Such a temperature sensor might be mounted as shown for sensor 30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cryocooler compressor of Semura of claim 1 to include an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil and further reprogram the controller of Semura as modified to operate the air-cooled heat exchanger an acquired temperature of the refrigerant gas and/or the oil exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison as taught by Sloan. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide redundancy between water cooling and air cooling if there is a blockage in the water or air supply by having air and water cooled after-coolers in series or parallel (Solan, Abstract).
Further, Semura as modified does not disclose the cooling controller configured to limit a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison.
Maruyama teaches the cooling controller configured to control flow through the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison (Fig. 3, first valve 46, second valve 48, control unit 58, measuring unit 60; Col. 5, lines 50-53 and 57-67, The measuring unit 60 measures the flow rate and temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the cooling water outlet port 10d and reports the measurements to the control unit 58… The control unit 58 generates control signals for controlling the on and off of the first valve 46, the second valve 48, the third valve 54, and the fourth valve 56 and sends the control signals to the respective valves. The control unit 58 controls the valves such that the first valve 46 and the second valve 48 are opened and the third valve 54 and the fourth valve 56 are closed in the normal mode. The control unit 58 controls the valves such that the third valve 54 and the fourth valve 56 are opened and the first valve 46 and the second valve 48 are closed in the reverse cleaning mode; Col. 6, lines 9-15, During the operation of the compressor 10, the control unit 58 switches the operation mode between the normal mode and the reverse cleaning mode based on the measurement of the flow rate or temperature of the cooling water measured by the measuring unit 60 or on the measurements of both; Col. 8, lines The operation mode according to the embodiment is described as being switched based on the flow rate measured by the measuring unit 60, but the manner of switching is non-limiting. For example, the operation mode may be switched based on the temperature measured by the measuring unit 60 in addition to or in place of the flow rate. In case a layer of scale is stuck to the pipe wall of the cooling water piping, the flow rate may not drop seriously but the efficiency of heat exchange may drop radically. Reduction in heat exchange efficiency shows up in the form of an increase in the temperature of the discharged cooling water. Accordingly, the scale is removed efficiently by monitoring the temperature of discharged cooling water and switching the operation mode accordingly).
Maruyama as modified fails to teach the cooling controller configured to limit a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison, however Maruyama teaches that it is a known method in the art of oil-lubricated cryocooler compressor temperature control to include the cooling controller configured to control flow through the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison. This is strong evidence that modifying Maruyama as modified as claimed would produce predictable results (i.e. improved temperature control based on real time sensor data). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reprogram the controller of Maruyama as modified by Maruyama and arrive at the claimed invention since all claimed elements were known in the art and one having ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no changes in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded the predictable result of improved temperature control based on real time sensor data.
Further, the combined teachings of Semura as modified show it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reprogram the controller of Semura as modified to limit a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger and operate the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison as Solan teaches cooling fan control of the air-cooled heat exchanger based on system temperatures and Maruyama further teaches control of flow to the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger based on coolant supply temperature, the combination providing the predictable results of improved temperature control based on real time sensor data.
Regarding claim 4, Semura as modified discloses the cryocooler compressor according to claim 2 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 2 above), wherein the cooling controller comprises:
a bypass valve that is connected in parallel with the liquid-cooled heat exchanger (Semura, Fig. 1, first valves 28, third valve 32), and
a valve controller that is configured to open the bypass valve or to increase an opening degree of the bypass valve when the supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value (Semura, Pg. 4, paragraph 51, A controller 40 that activates the backup chiller 20 is provided in the backup chiller 20. The controller 40 is configured to receive, from at least one sensor, a sensor signal indicating measurement results by the sensor, and to activate the backup chiller 20 based on the measurement results. The controller 40 is configured to control components of the backup chiller 20, such as the turning on and off of the circulation pump 22 and the opening and closing of the first valves 28; Pg. 5, paragraph 58, In addition, in order to activate the backup chiller 20, the controller 40 may use the sensor 34 disposed outside the compressor unit 102. As described above, the sensor 34 may measure the temperature of a cooling liquid, and the controller 40 may activate the backup chiller 20 based on the temperature of the cooling liquid, which is measured by the sensor 34; Pg. 5-6, paragraph 63, In order to confirm the operation of the backup chiller 20, the controller 40 may activate the backup chiller 20, close the second valves 30, and disconnect the main chiller 70 from the compressor unit 102. At the same time, the controller 40 may open the third valve 32. The operation of the backup chiller 20 can be confirmed by disconnecting the main chiller 70 from the compressor unit 102, without obstructing the flow of a cooling liquid in the main chiller 70. In a case where operation failure has occurred in the backup chiller 20, the backup chiller 20 can be repaired or replaced independently while continuing cooling by the main chiller 70 (that is, while the compressor unit 102 and the cryocooler 106 continue operating). This leads to the reliability improvement of the compressor system 100).
Regarding claim 9, Semura discloses an operation method of an oil-lubricated cryocooler compressor that compresses a refrigerant gas of a cryocooler, the cryocooler compressor including a liquid-cooled heat exchanger that cools the refrigerant gas and/or an oil through heat exchange with a coolant (Fig. 1, compressor unit 102, compressor main body 110, cryocooler 106, cold head 104, liquid cooled heat exchanger 130; Pg. 1, paragraph 13, The compressor unit 102 is configured to collect a refrigerant gas of the cryocooler 106 from the cold head 104, to pressurize the collected refrigerant gas, and to supply the refrigerant gas to the cold head 104 again; Pg. 2, paragraph 19, The oil line 112 includes an oil circulation line 112a and an oil return line 112b. The oil circulation line 112a is configured such that an oil flowing out from the compressor main body 110 flows into the compressor main body 110 again through the oil cooling unit 130b; Pg. 2, paragraph 25, The liquid-cooled heat exchanger 130 is built in the compressor unit 102 as a main cooling device for the compressor unit 102. The liquid-cooled heat exchanger 130 is configured to cool a refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor main body 110 and an oil lubricating the compressor main body 110 through heat exchange with a cooling liquid or a cooling fluid. Typically, the cooling liquid is cooling water such as tap water and industrial water), the method comprising:
acquiring a supply temperature of the coolant supplied to the liquid-cooled heat exchanger (Pg. 4, paragraph 50, sensor 34 that measures the temperature of a cooling liquid. The sensor 34 is disposed on the supply line 12); and
comparing the acquired supply temperature of the coolant with a temperature threshold value (Pg. 5, paragraph 58, In addition, in order to activate the backup chiller 20, the controller 40 may use the sensor 34 disposed outside the compressor unit 102. As described above, the sensor 34 may measure the temperature of a cooling liquid, and the controller 40 may activate the backup chiller 20 based on the temperature of the cooling liquid, which is measured by the sensor 34); and
However, Semura does not disclose including an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil, and
the method comprising:
operating the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when an acquired temperature of the refrigerant gas and/or the oil exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison
Sloan teaches further comprising:
an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil (Fig. 1, air cooled after cooler 6, fan 27; Col. 3, lines 31-32, Fan 27 drives air through after-cooler 6 in a counter-flow heat transfer relation with the helium and oil), and
the method comprising:
operating the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when an acquired temperature of the refrigerant gas and/or the oil exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison (Fig. 1, control circuit 52, sensor 30; Col. 3, lines 41-47, Another option is to sense the temperature of the helium and/or oil leaving water cooled after-cooler 5 and have a control circuit 52 that turns fan 27 on when the temperature exceeds a defined temperature and turns fan 27 off when the temperature drops below the defined temperature. Such a temperature sensor might be mounted as shown for sensor 30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cryocooler compressor of Semura of claim 9 to include an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan that cools the refrigerant gas and/or the oil and to further modify the method of Semura as modified to include the step or limitation of operating the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when an acquired temperature of the refrigerant gas and/or the oil exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison as taught by Sloan. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide redundancy between water cooling and air cooling if there is a blockage in the water or air supply by having air and water cooled after-coolers in series or parallel (Solan, Abstract).
Further, Semura as modified does not disclose the method comprising:
limiting a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison.
Maruyama teaches the method comprising:
controlling flow through the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison (Fig. 3, first valve 46, second valve 48, control unit 58, measuring unit 60; Col. 5, lines 50-53 and 57-67, The measuring unit 60 measures the flow rate and temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the cooling water outlet port 10d and reports the measurements to the control unit 58… The control unit 58 generates control signals for controlling the on and off of the first valve 46, the second valve 48, the third valve 54, and the fourth valve 56 and sends the control signals to the respective valves. The control unit 58 controls the valves such that the first valve 46 and the second valve 48 are opened and the third valve 54 and the fourth valve 56 are closed in the normal mode. The control unit 58 controls the valves such that the third valve 54 and the fourth valve 56 are opened and the first valve 46 and the second valve 48 are closed in the reverse cleaning mode; Col. 6, lines 9-15, During the operation of the compressor 10, the control unit 58 switches the operation mode between the normal mode and the reverse cleaning mode based on the measurement of the flow rate or temperature of the cooling water measured by the measuring unit 60 or on the measurements of both; Col. 8, lines The operation mode according to the embodiment is described as being switched based on the flow rate measured by the measuring unit 60, but the manner of switching is non-limiting. For example, the operation mode may be switched based on the temperature measured by the measuring unit 60 in addition to or in place of the flow rate. In case a layer of scale is stuck to the pipe wall of the cooling water piping, the flow rate may not drop seriously but the efficiency of heat exchange may drop radically. Reduction in heat exchange efficiency shows up in the form of an increase in the temperature of the discharged cooling water. Accordingly, the scale is removed efficiently by monitoring the temperature of discharged cooling water and switching the operation mode accordingly).
Maruyama as modified fails to teach the method comprising limiting a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison, however Maruyama teaches that it is a known method in the art of oil-lubricated cryocooler compressor temperature control to include the method comprising controlling flow through the liquid-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison. This is strong evidence that modifying Maruyama as modified as claimed would produce predictable results (i.e. improved temperature control based on real time sensor data). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reprogram the controller of Maruyama as modified by Maruyama and arrive at the claimed invention since all claimed elements were known in the art and one having ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no changes in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded the predictable result of improved temperature control based on real time sensor data.
Further, the combined teachings of Semura as modified show it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Semura as modified to include the step or limitation of limiting a flow rate of the coolant of the liquid-cooled heat exchanger and operating the cooling fan of the air-cooled heat exchanger when the acquired supply temperature of the coolant exceeds the temperature threshold value based on the comparison as Solan teaches cooling fan control of the air-cooled heat exchanger based on system temperatures and Maruyama further teaches control of flow to the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger based on coolant supply temperature, the combination providing the predictable results of improved temperature control based on real time sensor data.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Semura as modified by Solan and Maruyama as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Morimoto (US Patent No. 10,801,767), hereinafter Morimoto.
Regarding claim 6, Semura discloses the cryocooler compressor according to claim 5 (see the rejection of claim 5 above).
However, Semura does not disclose wherein the cooling controller is configured to acquire an ambient temperature and fan control based on the acquired ambient temperature.
Morimoto teaches wherein the cooling controller is configured to acquire an ambient temperature and fan control based on the acquired ambient temperature (Fig. 1, outside air temperature sensor 9, outdoor fan 7, fan driving unit 8; Col. 5, lines 4-7, The fan rotation speed control unit 24 is configured to vary the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 7 based on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 9).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reprogram the controller of the cryocooler compressor of Semura as modified to acquire an ambient temperature and fan control based on the acquired ambient temperature as taught by Morimoto. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide increased control of system operations based on real-time sensor data to improve overall system efficiencies.
Further, Semura as modified does not disclose wherein the cooling controller is configured to stop the air-cooled heat exchanger based on the acquired ambient temperature.
Solan teaches wherein the cooling controller is configured to stop the air-cooled heat exchanger based on sensor data and further suggest only using the air-cooled heat exchanger in the winter which implies control of the air-cooled heat exchanger based on ambient temperature (Fig. 1, fan 27, air-cooled after-cooler 6, sensor 30; Col. 3, lines 33-47, Applications for this system are typically indoors where chilled water at temperatures between 10° C. and 30° C. is available and water cooled after-cooler 6 is the primary cooler. Helium and oil typically leave after-cooler 5 near room temperature so fan 27 can be allowed to run continuously without transferring a significant amount of heat either to or from the air. Having the fan run continuously provides redundancy in the event that the water circuit is blocked without having to take any action. Another option is to sense the temperature of the helium and/or oil leaving water cooled after-cooler 5 and have a control circuit 52 that turns fan 27 on when the temperature exceeds a defined temperature and turns fan 27 off when the temperature drops below the defined temperature. Such a temperature sensor might be mounted as shown for sensor 30; Col. 4, lines 10-19, The preference for having the water cooled after-cooler as the primary cooler is typical but there may be circumstances when the air cooled after-cooler is the primary cooler and the water cooled after-cooler is used as a backup. It is also possible that the air cooled after-cooler is used in the winter to help heat the building and the water cooled after-cooler is used in the summer to minimize the load on the air conditioner. Some MRI magnets are kept cold during transport by running the refrigerator using the air cooled compressor because electrical power is available but not cooling water. Further, it has been held in considering the disclosure of a reference, it is proper to take into account not only specific teachings of the reference but also the inferences which one skilled in the art would reasonably be expected to draw therefrom (MPEP 2144.01)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reprogram the controller of Semura as modified to stop the air-cooled heat exchanger based on the acquired ambient temperature as taught by Solan. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide a more accurate indication of system operating parameters based on real-time sensor data to improve overall system efficiencies.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Seitz et al. (US 20170176055) discloses a similar oil-lubricated cryocooler compressor with both a liquid-cooled heat exchanger and an air-cooled heat exchanger comprising a cooling fan and further discloses the use of a variety of temperature sensors, including a sensor for coolant supply temperature, for use in determining system operations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEVON T MOORE whose telephone number is 571-272-6555. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7:30-5.
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, Frantz Jules can be reached at 571-272-6681. 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.
/DEVON MOORE/Examiner, Art Unit 3763 April 21st, 2026
Prosecution Insights