Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/534,686

PROXIMATE DUAL MEMS MICROPHONES, SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 10, 2023
Examiner
JEREZ LORA, WILLIAM A
Art Unit
2695
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Audarium LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allow Rate
509 granted / 607 resolved
+21.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+15.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
623
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.0%
-30.0% vs TC avg
§103
56.1%
+16.1% vs TC avg
§102
7.9%
-32.1% vs TC avg
§112
17.3%
-22.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 607 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 2 in the reply filed on 10/15/2025 is acknowledged. Claim 1-6 and 13-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species 1 and species 3, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. 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. Claim 7-12 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 7 recites the limitation "the first surface" in line 2 and “the second surface” in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 8-12 depend on claim 7. To further prosecution examiner wants to point out closest prior art and suggest applicant to contact examiner as the prior art seems to teach the claim invention. Bolognia US PG-Pub 2014/0001580 Fig. 4B and Braband US PG-Pub 2024/0040324 Fig. 12. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A JEREZ LORA whose telephone number is (571)270-5519. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7am-9am and 11am-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, Vivian Chin can be reached at 571-272-7848. 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 A JEREZ LORA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 10, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12598419
IMAGE CAPTURE APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12593172
SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS, SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12593191
ACOUSTIC CONFIGURATION BASED ON RADIO FREQUENCY SENSING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12587800
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING A MICROPHONE STATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12587783
MICROPHONE DEVICE WITH ADJUSTABLE AIMING ANGLE AND VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM AND VOICE RECOGNITION METHOD USING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 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
84%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.0%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 607 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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