Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/544,673

SERVER AND RISER CABLE HOLDER

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Dec 19, 2023
Examiner
PAUMEN, GARY F
Art Unit
2834
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Wiwynn Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 10m
To Grant
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allow Rate
1706 granted / 1930 resolved
+20.4% vs TC avg
Minimal -2% lift
Without
With
+-1.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
56 currently pending
Career history
1986
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
66.3%
+26.3% vs TC avg
§102
19.0%
-21.0% vs TC avg
§112
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1930 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in the penultimate paragraph, -- be – should be inserted after both instances of “configured to”. Appropriate correction is required. Drawing Objections The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the EXACT structure allowing an expansion card to be inserted into the riser cable (claim 1) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. 35 USC 112 Rejections Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. The EXACT structure allowing an expansion card to be inserted into the riser cable (claim 1) is not disclosed. 35 USC 102 Rejections 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) 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shen et al 8535077. Regarding claim 14, Shen et al (front page) discloses a riser cable holder, configured to support a riser cable, the riser cable holder comprising: a main body 13, configured to support the riser cable; a first holder 3; and a second holder 5, wherein the first holder and the second holder are respectively connected to different positions of the main body, the first holder and the second holder are in asymmetric arrangement relative to the main body, and the first holder and the second holder are configured to be detachably engaged with the riser cable. Note that the riser cable is not positively recited and thus Shen et al is deemed to disclose the positively recited structure. Regarding claim 15, Shen et al discloses the first holder includes a mount portion 32, an extension portion 3 and a holding portion 34, the mount portion and the holding portion are respectively connected to two opposite ends of the extension portion, the mount portion is pivotably disposed on the main body, and the holding portion is configured to be detachably engaged with the riser cable. Regarding claim 16, Shen et al discloses the first holder 3 further comprises a pushing portion 33, the pushing portion and the holding portion 34 protrude from the extension portion 3 along a same direction, the pushing portion is spaced apart from the holding portion and is located closer to the mount portion than the holding portion, and the holding portion and the pushing portion are configured to respectively in contact with two opposite sides of the riser cable. Regarding claim 17, Shen et al discloses the main body 13 has a first blocking portion and a second blocking portion (both unnumbered) spaced apart from each other, the first blocking portion and the second blocking portion respectively correspond to the extension portion 3 and the pushing portion 33 for limiting a pivotable range of the first holder. Claims Defining Over Prior Art Claims 1-13 are allowed. Claims 18-20 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches an expansion card, inserted into the riser cable; nor the extension portion has two second contact ribs located opposite to each other, and the two second contact ribs are configured to be respectively in contact with the two first contact ribs; nor a length that the second engagement block protrudes from the second connection arm is smaller than a length that the first engagement block protrudes from the first connection arm; nor the engagement component is configured to be disposed on the circuit board, and the engagement component is configured to be engaged with the engagement recess; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th. 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, Christopher Koehler can be reached at 571-272-3560. 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. /GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 19, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603450
CABLE CONNECTOR SYSTEMS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12597742
ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT AND POWER CORD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597735
LOCK MECHANISM AND CONNECTOR SET
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597736
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY HAVING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597723
CONTACT ASSEMBLY HAVING CABLE CONTACTS AND CONNECTOR CONTACTS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 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
88%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (-1.7%)
1y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1930 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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