Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/532,820

WIRE HOLDING DEVICE, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Dec 07, 2023
Examiner
ALHAWAMDEH, NADER J
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sterling Innovations, LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 0m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allow Rate
569 granted / 620 resolved
+23.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
644
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
39.5%
-0.5% vs TC avg
§102
52.0%
+12.0% vs TC avg
§112
2.6%
-37.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 620 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1, 4-5, 7-9, 12-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung Long Shan (US. 6,406,323 B2). In Regards to Claim 1: Chung teaches a wire holding device (90) comprising: a bottom (92) and a top (94) each at least partially connected by a vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), which defines a body (92/94) configured to hold one or more wires (140/142/144); wherein the top (94) comprises one or more panels which define an opening (See Reproduced Drawing 1) for accessing the body (92/94); and wherein the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises a retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) configured to hold the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place. Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 4: All claim limitations are discussed with respect to Claim 1, Chung does not teach wherein cylindrical body comprises a fluid configured to lubricate the wires. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) However, it would have been obvious to one have ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have wire lubricated in fluid, since it has been held to be with the general skill of worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. To provide have more ease in movement. In Regards to Claim 5: Chung teaches the device of claim 1, wherein the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) to hold the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place. In Regards to Claim 7: Chung teaches the device of claim 1, wherein the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises a second wire retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) positioned on the opposite side of body (92/94) and comprising one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) to hold the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place. Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 8: Chung teaches a wire holding system (Fig. 11) comprising: a body (92/94) consisting of a top (94), a bottom (92) and a vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), wherein the top (94) and the bottom (92) are at least partially connected by the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), the body (92/94) configured to hold one or more wires (140/142/144); and a retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) positioned on a first side of the body (92/94); wherein the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) is configured to secure the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place inside of the body (92/94). Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 9: Chung teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the top (94) of the body (92/94) comprises one or more panels which define an opening (See Reproduced Drawing 1) for accessing the body (92/94). Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 12: All claim limitations are discussed with respect to Claim 8, Chung does not teach wherein cylindrical body comprises a fluid configured to lubricate the wires. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) However, it would have been obvious to one have ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have wire lubricated in fluid, since it has been held to be with the general skill of worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. To provide have more ease in movement. In Regards to Claim 13: Chung teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) to hold the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place. In Regards to Claim 14: Chung teaches the system of claim 13, wherein the teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) are thicker than the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), and wherein the teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) are configured for the one or more wires (140/142/144) to be woven between each of the teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1). In Regards to Claim 15: Chung teaches the system of claim 8, wherein the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises a second wire retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) positioned on the opposite side of the body (92/94) and comprising one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) to hold the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place. Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 16: Chung teaches A method of holding and removing one or more wires (140/142/144) in a wire holding device (90) comprising: providing the wire holding device (90); the wire holding device (90) comprising a body (92/94) consisting of a top (94), a bottom (92) and a vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), wherein the top (94) and the bottom (92) are at least partially connected by the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1), and a retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) positioned on a first side of the body (92/94); inserting a first wire (140) into the body (92/94) of the wire holding device (90); wherein the top (94) comprises one or more panels which define an opening (See Reproduced Drawing 1) for accessing the body (92/94); and placing the first wire (140) into the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1); wherein the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) is configured to secure the one or more wires (140/142/144) in place inside of the body (92/94). Chung does not teach a cylindrical body. However, it would be have been obvious to modify Chung by having the cylindrical body with different type of configuration which is one of numerous configurations a person of ordinary skill in the art would find obvious for the purpose of providing one or more structure shaped to fit together when the top and bottom is fit. A change in shape is generally recognizing as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) In Regards to Claim 17: Chung teaches the method of claim 16 further comprising: removing the first wire (140) from the wire holding device (90) by pulling the first wire (140) away from the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1). In Regards to Claim 19: Chung teaches the method of claim 16, further comprising: weaving the first wire (140) between one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) to partially secure the first wire (140) in place. In Regards to Claim 20: Chung teaches the method of claim 19, wherein the one or more teeth (See Reproduced Drawing 1) of the retention tab (See Reproduced Drawing 1) are thicker than the vertical wall (See Reproduced Drawing 1). PNG media_image1.png 381 754 media_image1.png Greyscale Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-3, 6, 10-11 and 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitation as substantially described in claims 2-3, 6, 10-11 and 18, these limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claims 2-3, 6, 10-11 and 18, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST. 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, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. 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. /NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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Prosecution Timeline

Dec 07, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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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
92%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+10.1%)
2y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 620 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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