Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/500,808

APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR LEAK DETECTION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 02, 2023
Examiner
MERCADO, ALEXANDER A
Art Unit
2855
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
69%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 69% — above average
69%
Career Allow Rate
409 granted / 593 resolved
+1.0% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+19.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
628
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.1%
-36.9% vs TC avg
§103
45.1%
+5.1% vs TC avg
§102
16.9%
-23.1% vs TC avg
§112
31.2%
-8.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 593 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 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 – 3 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. Claims 1 – 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite in that it fails to point out what is included or excluded by the claim language. This claim is an omnibus type claim. Regarding Claims 1 and 3, the claim recite “any feature”. It is unclear as to what feature the claim is referencing, thus rendering the claims indefinite. Claims 2 recites the limitation "the product". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Regarding Claims 2 and 3, the claim recites “any steps”. It is unclear as to what steps the claim is referencing, thus rendering the claim indefinite. Conclusion A proper search and determination of allowable subject matter was not possible due to the 112(b) Rejections as outlined above. Upon applicant' s amendment to overcome the rejections raised by the Examiner and upon the Examiner' s better understanding of the invention a comparison of the prior art to the claims will again be made. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER MERCADO whose telephone number is (571)270-7094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm EST. 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, Laura Martin can be reached at (571) 272-2160. 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. ALEXANDER A. MERCADO Primary Examiner Art Unit 2855 /ALEXANDER A MERCADO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 02, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 22, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601714
MODULAR WHEELED MOBILE ULTRASONIC STRUCTURE DETECTION APPARATUS AND DETECTION METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12596052
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC LEAK DETECTION
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12596048
OIL LEAKAGE DETECTION METHOD OF MIRCROPHONE CIRCUIT, MIRCROPHONE CIRCUIT, MIRCROPHONE AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12596053
AUTOMATIC SYNCHRONOUS LOADING SYSTEM FOR SPACE STRUCTURE LATTICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12566106
A MONITORING SYSTEM FOR MONITORING PARAMETERS REPRESENTATIVE OF OPERATING CONDITIONS OF AN OIL FILM BEARING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 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
69%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+19.6%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 593 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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