Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/528,988

ASSEMBLY

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Dec 05, 2023
Priority
Dec 16, 2022 — DE 10 2022 133 611.5
Examiner
RAEVIS, ROBERT R
Art Unit
2855
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Endress+Hauser
OA Round
2 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1574 granted / 1892 resolved
+15.2% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
52 currently pending
Career history
1935
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
§103
44.6%
+4.6% vs TC avg
§102
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§112
40.3%
+0.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1892 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 . Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 1 calls for “a substantially hollow, cylindrical housing” and “a head plate”, each of which proudly presents itself in a indented line; but claim 6 removes the separate nature of such elements by expressing that one is not only a “part”, but also an integral part of the other. In addition to merely eliminating separateness, the term “integral” seems to remove some portion of actual matter/material Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. As to claim 1, the prior art does not teach the combination of the last 4 lines of claim 1 in combination with remaining claim limitations. Paragraph 14 of the Publication describes the benefit of the combination of claim 1. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT R RAEVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-2204. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina DeHerrera, can be reached at telephone number 303-297-4237. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center to authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to the USPTO patent electronic filing system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice. /ROBERT R RAEVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 05, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 23, 2026
Response Filed
May 06, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING AEROSOLIZED VIRAL PARTICLES
3y 4m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12638370
SAMPLE CONTAINER AND DYNAMIC MECHANICAL ANALYZER USING THE SAME
3y 0m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12637649
Sampling System And Sampling Method
2y 11m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12638325
METHOD FOR CHECKING A VIBRONIC MEASURING SYSTEM
3y 1m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12638364
METHODS AND DEVICES FOR COLLECTING INTER-LIFT LEACH SOLUTIONS
3y 0m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.7%)
2y 7m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1892 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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