Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/527,361

CARTRIDGE HOLDER ADAPTED FOR A CARTRIDGE BODY AND A PLUNGER OF A CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY AND RELATED INJECTION SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 03, 2023
Examiner
SCHMIDT, EMILY LOUISE
Art Unit
3783
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Altek Biotechnlogy Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
59%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 5m
To Grant
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 59% of resolved cases
59%
Career Allow Rate
581 granted / 992 resolved
-11.4% vs TC avg
Strong +36% interview lift
Without
With
+36.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
77 currently pending
Career history
1069
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
48.9%
+8.9% vs TC avg
§102
25.8%
-14.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.7%
-21.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 992 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. 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) 1 -20 is/are r ejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Teach (US 2018/0133402 A1) . With regard to claim s 1 and 4 , Teach discloses a cartridge holder adapted for a cartridge body and a plunger of a cartridge assembly (Fig. 3 body 44 plunger 47) , the cartridge holder comprising: a holding component (Fig. 2 member 12) configured to accommodate the cartridge assembly; a first cooperating component mounted on the holding component and immovable relative to the holding component (Fig. 2 member 27, [0033]) ; a second cooperating component movable relative to the first cooperating component and configured to be driven to rotate to disengage from the first cooperating component (Figs. 5-8 comprising components of member 64 and 69, [0042] 69 rotates to release 64) ; and a resilient component disposed between the first cooperating component and the second cooperating component and configured to drive the second cooperating component to push the plunger to slide relative to the cartridge body along a first direction after the second cooperating component is driven to rotate to disengage from the first cooperating component (Figs. 14 and 15, spring 62 within 69 and 27 drives 64 which results in the plunger sliding relative to the cartridge for dispensing) . With regard to claim 2, the first end is at insertion portion 92 which allows insertion of the inserting components needle 48 (Fig. 2C). The second end is in the area just below 28 adjacent 27 (Figs. 2 and 2C). With regard to claim 3, see Fig. 14, 64 and 69 are between 27 and the first end area. With regard to claim 5, see Figs. 6B and 9, inclined surfaces 73 are butted by members 85 to rotate. With regard to claim s 6-8, the slot is taken as access opening 19 through which the interior of the device is exposed. The guiding portion is latch 36 and the exposing portion is door 32 (Figs. 1 and 2B). With regard to claim 9, alternatively the holder is taken as 82 and first cooperating component is taken as portions 84 with engaging structures 85 (Fig. 10). The second engaging structure is formed by members 73 (Fig. 6B). With regard to claim 10, the first and second locking structures are formed by the surface that are adhered or welded together ([0033]). With regard to claim s 11 and 14, Teach discloses a n injection system comprising: an injector body comprising an abutting component (Fig. 10 member 80) ; and a cartridge device detachably mounted on the injector body, the cartridge device comprising: a cartridge body and a plunger slidable relative to the cartridge body (Fig. 3 body 44 plunger 47) ; and a cartridge holder for holding the cartridge assembly, the cartridge holder comprising : a holding component (Fig. 2 member 12) configured to accommodate the cartridge assembly; a first cooperating component mounted on the holding component and immovable relative to the holding component (Fig. 2 member 27, [0033]) ; a second cooperating component movable relative to the first cooperating component and configured to be driven to rotate to disengage from the first cooperating component by the abutting component when the cartridge device slides relative to the injector body along a first direction (Figs. 5-8 comprising components of member 64 and 69, [0042] 69 rotates to release 64 via abutting with 80 ) ; and a resilient component disposed between the first cooperating component and the second cooperating component and configured to drive the second cooperating component to push the plunger to slide relative to the cartridge body along the first direction after the second cooperating component is driven to rotate to disengage from the first cooperating component by the abutting component (Figs. 14 and 15, spring 62 within 69 and 27 drives 64 which results in the plunger sliding relative to the cartridge for dispensing) . With regard to claim 12, the first end is at insertion portion 92 which allows insertion of the inserting components needle 48 (Fig. 2C). The second end is in the area just below 28 adjacent 27 (Figs. 2 and 2C). With regard to claim 13, see Fig. 14, 64 and 69 are between 27 and the first end area. With regard to claim 15, see Figs. 6B and 9, inclined surfaces 73 are butted by members 85 to rotate. With regard to claim s 16-18, the slot is taken as access opening 19 through which the interior of the device is exposed. The guiding portion is latch 36 and the exposing portion is door 32 (Figs. 1 and 2B). With regard to claim 1 9, alternatively the holder is taken as 64 and first cooperating component is taken as portions 68 with engaging structures as the surfaces of 68 which int era ct with 69 (Fig s . 5-8 ). The second engaging structure is formed by members the interior walls of 69 which engage surfaces of 68 until rotation aligns 68 with holes 78 (Fig s. 5-8 , [0038], [0042] ). Under this interpretation member 69 alone is considered as the second cooperating component. With regard to claim 20, the first and second locking structures are formed by the surface that are adhered or welded together ([0033]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT EMILY L SCHMIDT whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-3648 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday through Thursday 7:00 AM to 4:30 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Kevin Sirmons can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-4965 . 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. /EMILY L SCHMIDT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 03, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 20, 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
59%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+36.0%)
3y 5m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 992 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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