Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 06, 2026
Application No. 18/529,155

FLOATING SOLAR PLANT, AS WELL AS A METHOD FOR MAINTAINING SUCH A SOLAR PLANT

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Dec 05, 2023
Priority
Dec 09, 2022 — FR 2213124
Examiner
VENNE, DANIEL V
Art Unit
3615
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Ciel Et Terre International
OA Round
2 (Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
1184 granted / 1661 resolved
+19.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+15.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
1692
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
31.6%
-8.4% vs TC avg
§102
17.3%
-22.7% vs TC avg
§112
44.6%
+4.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1661 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . An amendment after Non-Final Rejection was filed by applicant on 05/20/2026. Claims 1, 4-6, 8, 11, 14 and 15 are amended. Claims 1-15 are remaining in the application. Claim Objections Claims 4 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: In claim 4, on line 8, “panels” should be replaced with -photovoltaic panels-. In claim 10, on line 4, it appears that “solar” should be -photovoltaic-. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 6. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): 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. 7. Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor, regards as the invention. 8. The claimed features “the first rail and the second rail” (should be -the at least one first rail and one second rail- ), “the panels” (claim 8 and dependent claims), “the circulation” (claim 11), “said extension” (claim 9), “the row” (claim 13), “the network” (claim 14), “the inverter device” (claim 14) and “the carriage” (claim 1 and dependent claims) lack sufficient antecedent basis where recited in the claims (independent claim 1 and subsequent dependent claims). Allowable Subject Matter As best understood by the examiner, claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. As best understood by the examiner, claims 2-15 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Response to Arguments Applicant’s remarks/arguments with respect to claim(s) have been fully considered but are essentially moot due to applicant’s amended claims and the resulting new and/or modified grounds of rejection presented in this Final Office Action. Conclusion 12. 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. 13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL V VENNE whose telephone number is (571) 272-7947. The examiner can normally be reached between M-F, 7am-3:30pm Flex. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Samuel J. Morano can be reached on (571) 272-6684. 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 the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). 14. If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Daniel V Venne/ Senior Examiner, Art Unit 3615 06/02/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 05, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 20, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 04, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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MODULAR INFLATABLE ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
3y 1m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Patent 12679513
FIN STABILIZER
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
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FLOATING BODY WITHOUT SEPARATE CONNECTION DEVICE AND CONNECTION METHOD THEREOF
3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 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
71%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+15.0%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1661 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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