Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/520,173

RECORDING DEVICE FRAME AND RECORDING DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 27, 2023
Examiner
LEGESSE, HENOK D
Art Unit
2853
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Seiko Epson Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
920 granted / 1066 resolved
+18.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+1.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
1085
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
40.5%
+0.5% vs TC avg
§102
33.2%
-6.8% vs TC avg
§112
14.8%
-25.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1066 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/27/2023 is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale , or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim s 1- 5, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) as being anticipated by Takagishi (JP 2005345856) . Regarding claim 1, Takagishi teaches a recording device frame (figs.1-6,9) comprising: a top surface member (15 figs.3,5,9) formed from a plate-shaped material; a bottom surface member (5 figs.3,5,9) formed from a plate-shaped material and disposed in parallel to the top surface member (15) ; and a reinforcing member (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9) disposed between the top surface member and the bottom surface member, wherein . the reinforcing member ( 14,9,10, 1 1,12 ,2,6 , and/or 24 figs.3,5,9) is formed from a plate-shaped material and includes a main body portion (main body portion of 14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 ) having a flat plate shape and intersecting the top surface member (15) and the bottom surface member (5) , and the main body portion (main body portion of 14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24) includes a first end surface in contact with the bottom surface member (5) , and a second end surface in contact with the top surface member ( 15)( figs.3,5,9) . Regarding claim 2 , Takagishi further teaches wherein a plurality of the reinforcing members (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9) are disposed between the top surface member (15) and the bottom surface member (5) . Regarding claim 3 , Takagishi further teaches wherein the plurality of reinforcing members (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9 ) include a first member, a second member, and a third member, including the main body portion disposed in a posture along a first direction parallel to the top surface member (15) and the bottom surface member (5) , the first member and the second member are disposed in a row along the first direction at an interval shorter than a length of the main body portion along the first direction (for instance the plurality of 14 in figs.3) , and the third member ( for instance 9,10, and/or 11,12 figs.3,5,9) is disposed at a position separated from the first member and the second member ( the plurality of 14) in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and overlaps the first member and the second member when viewed from the second direction (fig.3) . Regarding claim 4 , Takagishi further teaches wherein the plurality of reinforcing members (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9 ) are formed from plate-shaped materials cut into a same shape. Regarding claim 5 , Takagishi further teaches wherein the plurality of reinforcing members (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9 ) include a fourth member (for instance 14 and/or 2) disposed along a peripheral edge of the recording device frame, and a fifth member (for instance 9 and/or 10 ) disposed further to an inner side of the recording device frame than the fourth member, and the fourth member (for instance 14 and/or 2) and the fifth member (for instance 9 and/or 10) are subjected to different bending processes (note that manufacturing method step limitation in this case “bending processes” in such structure claim is not given patentable weight) . Regarding claim 9, Takagishi further teaches wherein one of the top surface member (15 figs.3,5,9) and the bottom surface member (5) is formed with a through hole used to join the other of the top surface member and the bottom surface member to the reinforcing member (paragraphs 0007,0008,0022,0024,0030). Regarding claim 10, Takagishi further teaches a recording device (figs.1-6,9 paragraphs 0001-0004,0009) comprising: a frame (figs.1-6,9); and a recording unit (image forming apparatus inherently includes recording unit, figs 1-9) supported by the frame and configured to perform recording on a medium, wherein the frame (figs.1-6,9) includes a top surface member (15 figs.3,5,9) formed from a plate-shaped material, a bottom surface member (5 figs.3,5,9) formed from a plate-shaped material and disposed in parallel to the top surface member, and a reinforcing member (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9) disposed between the top surface member and the bottom surface member, the reinforcing member (14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24 figs.3,5,9) is formed from a plate-shaped material and includes a main body portion (main body portion of 14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24) having a flat plate shape and intersecting the top surface member (15) and the bottom surface member (5), and the main body portion (main body portion of 14,9,10,11,12,2,6, and/or 24) includes a first end surface in contact with the bottom surface member (5), and a second end surface in contact with the top surface member ( 15)( figs.3,5,9). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6-8 are 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT HENOK D LEGESSE whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-1615 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT General Schedule 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, IFP . 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 Douglas Rodriguez can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)431-0716 . 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. /HENOK D LEGESSE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 27, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12594780
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR APPLYING A POSITIVE PRESSURE WITHIN A DYE SUBLIMATION MACHINE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12594757
LIQUID EJECTION DEVICE AND DEFECTIVE NOZZLE DETERMINATION METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12589602
PRINTING APPARATUS INCLUDING PROCESSING MEMBER FOR PROCESSING A PRINT MEDIUM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12583246
PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING PRINTED IMAGES HAVING GLOSSINESS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12583242
PRINT MEDIA TENSION
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+1.9%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1066 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month