Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/492,640

RANGE FINDING APPARATUS AND MEASUREMENT APPARATUS

Non-Final OA

Filed

Oct 23, 2023

Priority

Apr 26, 2021 — JP 2021-074412 +1 more

Examiner

HULKA, JAMES R

Art Unit

3645

Tech Center

3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce

Assignee

Canon Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +11.6% interview lift. Interview lift (+11.6%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 976 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

HULKA, JAMES R View full profile →

Grants 76% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

746 granted / 976 resolved

+24.4% vs TC avg

Moderate +12% lift

Without

With

+11.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 1m

Avg Prosecution

30 currently pending

Career history

1009

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

2.2%

-37.8% vs TC avg

§103

87.5%

+47.5% vs TC avg

§102

4.8%

-35.2% vs TC avg

§112

3.2%

-36.8% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 976 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 23, 2023

Application Filed

Apr 22, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/759,953

Patent 12677498

SENSOR DEVICE AND DISTANCE MEASUREMENT DEVICE

3y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/336,072

Patent 12674873

OBJECT RECOGNITION DEVICE, OBJECT RECOGNITION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY PROGRAM RECORDING MEDIUM

3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

17/840,523

Patent 12669606

HIGH PRECISION PHOTONIC DISTANCE METER CIRCUIT AND DISTANCE MEASURING METHOD

4y 0m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/307,288

Patent 12669607

TECHNIQUES FOR RAPID SOA MODULATION

3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/790,081

Patent 12663523

LIGHT RECEIVING DEVICE, DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE, AND LIGHT RECEIVING CIRCUIT

3y 12m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

76%

Grant Probability

88%

With Interview (+11.6%)

3y 1m (~5m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 976 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.