Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/499,303

SPECTACLE LENS REPLACEMENT STRUCTURE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 01, 2023
Examiner
COLLINS, DARRYL J
Art Unit
2872
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Prohero Group Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allow Rate
1237 granted / 1390 resolved
+21.0% vs TC avg
Minimal +5% lift
Without
With
+4.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1420
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
37.5%
-2.5% vs TC avg
§102
34.5%
-5.5% vs TC avg
§112
15.2%
-24.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1390 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 1, 2023 has been considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 8, after “pivot” and before “portion”, “connecting” should be inserted to properly establish antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required. 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. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al (U.S. Patent Number 6,533,412). With regard to independent claim 1, although Wang et al teaches a spectacle lens replacement structure (Figure 1 and column 1, lines 38-41), comprising: a frame (Figure 1, element 20), which has an inlay groove provided thereof (Figure 2, element 27), wherein an opening of the inlay groove faces downward, wherein due to the arrangement of the inlay groove, the frame has a front side wall and a rear side wall formed corresponding to the inlay groove (see annotated Figure 2 below), wherein the frame has a pivot connecting portion provided on the front side wall and protruding toward the rear side wall (Figure 6, element 22), a pivot ball body formed at the end of the pivot portion (Figure 6, element 60), a long opening provided on the rear side wall and passing through the thickness of the rear side wall (Figure 7, element 30), and at least a part of the long opening corresponds to the pivot connecting portion (Figures 6 and 7); a switch (Figures 6 and 7, element 52), arranged in the long opening, wherein the switch has two opposite ends, and an insertion piece extending toward the front side wall at the other end thereof (Figures 6 and 7, element 56), allowing the switch to pivot around the pivot ball body as the axis; and a lens (Figure 1, element 40), wherein the upper edge of which is correspondingly embedded in the inlay groove of the frame (column 3, lines 1-2), wherein the lens has a closed lock hole (Figure 1, element 42) and a concave groove (Figure 1, element 44) that is recessed downward from the upper edge of the lens respectively in the corresponding to the insertion piece and the pivot connecting portion, wherein when the upper edge of the lens is inserted into the inlay groove (column 3, lines 6-10), the concave groove allows the pivot connecting portion and the clamping portion holding the pivot connecting portion to enter, and when the end of the switch equipped with the insertion piece is pressed toward the front side wall, the insertion piece will be inserted into the lock hole to fix the lens on the frame (Figures 6 and 7, wherein element 56 is inserted into aperture 30 to secure the lens (40) on the frame (20)), Wang et al fails to teach such a spectacle lens wherein the long opening is connected with the inlay groove and wherein the switch has a clamping portion provided at one end thereof, wherein the clamping portion has two clamping claws arranged thereof, wherein the two clamping claws correspondingly clamp the pivot ball body at the end of the pivot connecting portion. Wang et al does teach a hinge and screw assembly (Figures 6 and 7, elements 58 and 60) such that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the instant invention to modify the spectacle lens replacement structure, as taught by Wang et al, with a ball and claw assembly, to pivotally connect the switch to the frame. PNG media_image1.png 1142 1031 media_image1.png Greyscale With regard to dependent claim 2, Wang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such a spectacle lens replacement structure, wherein a protruding limiting protrusion is provided on the bottom surface of the insertion piece (Figures 6 and 7, element 54), when the insertion piece is inserted into the lock hole, the limiting protrusion will be adjacent to the front surface of the rear side wall (column 3, lines 36-60). With regard to dependent claim 3, Wang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to dependent claim 2, and further teaches such a spectacle lens replacement structure, wherein the switch has a pressing force-applying part that protrudes backward and is provided at one end corresponding to the clamping portion, when the switch is accommodated in the long opening, the pressing force-applying part will relatively protrude from the rear surface of the rear side wall (column 3, lines 51-60 and Figures 6 and 7, element 54). With regard to dependent claim 4, Wang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such a spectacle lens replacement structure, wherein the switch has a pressing force-applying part that protrudes backward and is provided at one end corresponding to the clamping portion, when the switch is accommodated in the long opening, the pressing force-applying part will relatively protrude from the rear surface of the rear side wall (column 3, lines 51-60 and Figures 6 and 7, element 54). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chiou (U.S. Patent Number 7,219,993), Chen (U.S. Patent Number 7,481,529), Belbey et al (U.S. Patent Number 8,469,510), Huang (U.S. Patent Number 8,777,403), Li (U.S. Patent Number 9,207,463), Huang (U.S. Patent Number 10,012,847) and Tung (U.S. Patent Number 11,644,686) all teach spectacle lens replacement structures. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARRYL J COLLINS whose telephone number is (571) 272-2325. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 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, Ricky L Mack can be reached at 571-272-2333. 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. /DARRYL J COLLINS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 08 October 2025
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 01, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Undulating Metal Layer and Optical Construction Including Same
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12596237
OPTICAL LENS ASSEMBLY AND PHOTOGRAPHING MODULE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12582515
Methods And Devices For Refractive Corrections Of Presbyopia
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12585141
AN OPTICAL LENS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 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
89%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+4.9%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1390 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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