Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/520,380

METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DETECTING INTENSITY OF LIGHT WITH TRANSLUCENT DETECTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 27, 2023
Examiner
FARDANESH, MARJAN
Art Unit
3791
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Cercacor Laboratories Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 6m
To Grant
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allow Rate
613 granted / 846 resolved
+2.5% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
874
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
8.8%
-31.2% vs TC avg
§103
29.6%
-10.4% vs TC avg
§102
28.7%
-11.3% vs TC avg
§112
21.8%
-18.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 846 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 . Election/Restrictions Claims 2-8,21 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02/13/2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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) 9-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wojtczuk et al. (USPN 2016/00881552). Regarding claim 9, a detector for measuring incident light emitted by a light source, the detector comprising: a first anti-reflective coating; a second anti-reflective coating; and a photodiode positioned between the first anti-reflective coating and second anti- reflective coating, wherein at least a portion of the photodiode is translucent. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 10, the photodiode is 1-15 nm thick. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 11, a detecting region configured to detect incident light. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 12, a translucent region configured to allow passage of incident light through the detector. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 13, the detecting region is different from the translucent region. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 14, the detecting region overlaps with the translucent region. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 15, a wafer positioned between the photodiode and the second anti-reflective coating. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 16, the wafer is 1-10 pm thick. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 17, the wafer is ana N-type Indium Phosphide (N-InP) wafer. See figure 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 18, an optical measurement device comprising a light source (figure 1, emitter 104) and the detector of claim 9 configured to detect incident light emitted from the light source, wherein the detector is positioned in a light path of the light source. See figures 1 and 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 19, the optical measurement device is configured to measure a physiological parameter, and the detector is configured to measure incident light emitted from the light source prior to reaching a measurement site of a patient. See figures 1 and 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Regarding claim 20, the optical measurement device comprises a second detector configured to detect attenuated light, the attenuated light having been attenuated by the measurement site. See figures 1 and 3, ([0039]-[0044]) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARJAN FARDANESH whose telephone number is (571)270-5508. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-17:00. 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, Jacqueline Cheng can be reached at (571)272-5596. 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. /MARJAN FARDANESH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 27, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
72%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+18.5%)
3y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 846 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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