Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/517,258

OPHTHALMOLOGICAL PATIENT INTERFACE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A OPHTHALMOLOGICAL PATIENT INTERFACE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 22, 2023
Priority
Nov 28, 2022 — CH CH001429/2022
Examiner
FARAH, AHMED M
Art Unit
3792
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
1063 granted / 1347 resolved
+8.9% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
1365
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.9%
-36.1% vs TC avg
§103
30.8%
-9.2% vs TC avg
§102
21.1%
-18.9% vs TC avg
§112
30.0%
-10.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1347 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 . DETAILED ACTION Election/Restrictions Applicants’ election of Group I with traverse, specifically the species of claim 3, and identifies claim 1-8 as compassing the elected species in the reply filed on 18/17/2025 is acknowledged. 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. Claim 1 is 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 recites “the eye fixation portion comprises a patient specific portion” in lines 11-12. However, the specification teaches “The patient-specific portion is for example a part or a section of the coupling portion and/or the eye fixation portion or the entire coupling portion and/or the entire eye fixation portion. Further, the patient-specific portion may form the entire ophthalmological patient interface.” The scope of the recited patient-specific portion cannot be determined from the claim language or the specification and therefore renders the claim indefinite. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 3 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED M FARAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4765. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri. 9:30AM -10:30 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, Niketa Patel can be reached at 571-272-4156. 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. /AHMED M FARAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3792
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 22, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 22, 2023
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
79%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+18.9%)
3y 4m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1347 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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