Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/492,842

FULL MOUTH TOOTHBRUSH

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 24, 2023
Examiner
HORTON, ANDREW ALAN
Art Unit
3723
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
604 granted / 750 resolved
+10.5% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
779
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
38.9%
-1.1% vs TC avg
§102
30.0%
-10.0% vs TC avg
§112
27.8%
-12.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 750 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 . Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Line 5 recites “semi elliptical” which is a misspelling of “semi-elliptical”. Line 26 recites “connectingthe” which should be “connecting the”. Line 28 recites “brunch” which should be “brush”. Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: Line 4 recites “a plane of semi-elliptical channel” which should be “a plane of the semi-elliptical channel”. The same mistake is in line 6. Line 8 recites “semi0elliptical” which should be “semi-elliptical”. Appropriate correction is required. 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 1-20 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. Claim 1, line 12 recites “the longitudinal axis” and there is no antecedent basis for this. Claim 1, line 18 recites “the actuation mechanism” and “an actuating mechanism”. It is unclear if they are the same element because they have different names. Claim 1, line 21 recites “the first pedal” and there is no antecedent basis for this. Claim 1, line 21 recites “a first pedal” after reciting “the first pedal”. It is unclear if they are the same element. Claims 2-20 are rejected for depending on claim 1. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The best reference, Furdui-Carr (US 2015/0282910), does not include first and second pedals, and each including a push surface (One push surface is 154) having a cylindrical shape and a lever (One lever is 158) connecting the push surface to the brush assembly (See Fig. 2 of this application), as included in claim 1, lines 21-37. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW A. HORTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. 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, Monica S. Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. 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. /ANDREW A HORTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 24, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 17, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
80%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+18.0%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 750 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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