Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/511,803

ELECTRODYNAMIC WHEEL MAGLEV VEHICLE WITH A PASSIVE U-GUIDEWAY

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 16, 2023
Examiner
MCCARRY JR, ROBERT J
Art Unit
3615
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Portland State University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allow Rate
1236 granted / 1508 resolved
+30.0% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
42 currently pending
Career history
1550
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
34.3%
-5.7% vs TC avg
§102
43.0%
+3.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.3%
-25.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1508 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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim (s) 1- 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duan in view of Deng. Duan discloses an electrodynamic wheeled (EDW) vehicle comprised of a vehicle mount configured to transport a load, in the form of the vehicle frame 5 . A plurality of motors 3 mechanically coupled with the vehicle mount , as shown in figures 1 and 2 and at least one battery mechanically coupled with the vehicle mount . The battery is not shown but is explained in the description as: “ the vehicle-mounted variable-frequency power supply is powered by a vehicle-mounted battery ” configured to provide power to the plurality of motors . A plurality of wheels 1 are coupled with the vehicle mount 5 , wherein each of the plurality of wheels includes a magnet , depicted as the squares on the exterior of the wheel and a rotor , in the form of the axle connecting the motor to the wheels by way of a shaft joint 2 and configured to be rotated by a corresponding one of the plurality of motors . The vehicle is projected along a guideway that includes sheet coated with an aluminum alloy. Duan discloses the wheeled vehicle as described above. However, Duan does not show the vehicle to traverse a U-shaped guideway. Deng discloses a magnetic wheeled driving device set in a U-shaped guideway. The guideway is formed of two L shaped portions with a lower floor and two side walls as shown in figure 3. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied a U-shaped guideway, like that of Deng, to the vehicle of Duan, with the expected result of providing side walls with more security and stability for the vehicle. Duan discloses the wheeled vehicle as described above. However, Duan does not show the vehicle to include brushless direct current motors. However, Duan does state that the motors may be an “ asynchronous motor, synchronous motor or any other motor capable of adjusting speed ”. It is well known in the art that brushless DC motors may adjust speed and therefore it would have been an obvious functional equivalent to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied a brushless DC motor to a vehicle like that of Duan with the expected result of providing motor options to the vehicle. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT Robert J McCarry Jr. whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-6683 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday 7:00-3:00 . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT S. Joseph Morano can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-6684 . 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. /Robert J McCarry Jr/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615 RJM March 18, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 16, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12595628
TRACK RAIL FASTENER STRUCTURED FOR DISPLACEMENT RESTRAINT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12594972
RAILWAY VEHICLE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12590421
GAPLESS RAILWAY DIAMOND: A NEW TYPE OF RAILWAY TRACK COMPONENT PROVIDING UNBROKEN RUNNING SURFACES ACROSS THE FLANGEWAYS OF AN INTERSECTING RAILWAY LINE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12589657
WHEEL-TRACK MAGNETIC SUSPENSION VEHICLE SYSTEM AND APPLICATION THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12583490
YOKE ASSEMBLY FOR A COUPLER SYSTEM
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
82%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+16.5%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1508 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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