Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/502,403

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PROCESS FOR MESSAGE TRANSMISSIONS TO CONNECTABLE PROCESSING TERMINALS FOR POINT-OF-SALE DEVICES

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 06, 2023
Examiner
CHAMPAGNE, LUNA
Art Unit
3627
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
PayPal Inc.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
46%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
81%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 46% of resolved cases
46%
Career Allowance Rate
272 granted / 593 resolved
-6.1% vs TC avg
Strong +35% interview lift
Without
With
+34.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 11m
Avg Prosecution
36 currently pending
Career history
632
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§103
87.9%
+47.9% vs TC avg
§102
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
§112
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 593 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/12/26 has been entered. Claims 1-20 are presented for examination. 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, 4, 6 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. The claims appear to use a system within a system by interchanging the POS device and the system comprising the POS device. The system of claim 1 recites a POS device connected to a payment terminal device, further refers to the connection between the system and the payment terminal device, and the system accessing the database. As per the specification, the POS device is included in (part of) the system (see e.g. [0029]). It is unclear if the steps in claim 1 are between the POS device and the payment terminal device or between the system and the payment terminal device. Appropriate action is required. Claim 4 recites “generating the context ID for the transaction based on at least one of the request or the payment terminal device” It is unclear if (or how) the context ID is generated based on the payment terminal device since a type of payment terminal is not claimed. Claim 6 recites “establishing the bidirectional connection between the system and the payment terminal device; Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUNA CHAMPAGNE whose telephone number is (571)272-7177. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00. 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, Florian Zeender can be reached at 571 272-6790. 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. /LUNA CHAMPAGNE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627 June 12, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 6 earlier events
Nov 12, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 20, 2025
Interview Requested
Jan 14, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jan 14, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 12, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 04, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 11, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VERIFYING MANUFACTURING WORKFLOWS
4y 7m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12664513
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2y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12651232
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1y 10m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026
Patent 12639663
INTEGRATED REVIEW, INVENTORY, AND COMMUNICATION AUTOMATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS
2y 5m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12632838
Digital Data Object System
3y 7m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
46%
Grant Probability
81%
With Interview (+34.7%)
3y 11m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 593 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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