Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/524,470

A SOLID STATE SWITCH

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 30, 2023
Examiner
HERNANDEZ, WILLIAM
Art Unit
2849
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Analog Devices International Unlimited Company
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
94%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 9m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 94% — above average
94%
Career Allow Rate
883 granted / 941 resolved
+25.8% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
9 currently pending
Career history
950
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
11.9%
-28.1% vs TC avg
§102
36.8%
-3.2% vs TC avg
§112
35.2%
-4.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 941 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 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 8 and 14-16 are 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 8 recites the limitation "the isolation layer of the first MOSFET" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 8 recites the limitation "the isolation layer of the second MOSFET" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 14 recites the limitation "the first-type DMOS" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 15 recites the limitation "the first-type DMOS" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 16 recites the limitation "the substrate layer and the isolation layer of the third MOSFET" in lines 2-3 [emphasis added]. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 16 recites the limitation "the substrate layer and the isolation layer of the fourth MOSFET" in lines 4-5 [emphasis added]. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-7, 9-13, 17-20 are presently allowed. Claims 8 and 14-16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM HERNANDEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-8979. The examiner can normally be reached Mon to Fri; 10am to 6pm. 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, Menatoallah M Youssef can be reached at (571) 270-3684. 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. /WILLIAM HERNANDEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 30, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 24, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12597919
DRIVING METHOD AND DRIVING DEVICE FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, AND POWER CONVERSION APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12587186
SWITCH CONTROL DEVICE AND BATTERY PACK INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12580563
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12574028
DRIVE DEVICE FOR SEMICONDUCTOR SWITCHING ELEMENT, DRIVING METHOD THEREFOR, AND POWER CONVERSION DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12572790
CHARGE BASED SWITCHED MATRIX AND METHOD THEREFOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 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
94%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+4.0%)
1y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 941 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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