Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/544,961

MICRO THIN-FILM DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 19, 2023
Priority
Apr 16, 2020 — provisional 63/011,049 +3 more
Examiner
CULBERT, CHRISTOPHER A
Art Unit
2815
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
VueReal Inc.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
42%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 0m
Est. Remaining
49%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 42% of resolved cases
42%
Career Allowance Rate
144 granted / 341 resolved
-25.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+6.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
43 currently pending
Career history
416
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
82.1%
+42.1% vs TC avg
§102
11.3%
-28.7% vs TC avg
§112
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 341 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/14/2025 has been entered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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) 1-3, 5-8, 10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chaji et al. (US 2016/0218143 A1). Regarding claim 1, Chaji discloses a method to transfer multiple micro thin film devices, the method comprising: forming micro thin film devices (1503 and 1504 in Fig. 21) on a cartridge substrate (1501); forming a housing (2101) for each micro thin film device, holding the micro thin film devices with an anchor (2102 in Fig. 22); a side wall of the housing is covered with a first release layer (1502 in Fig. 22); and transferring the micro thin film devices to a system backplane (1506 in Fig. 25). Regarding claim 2, Chaji discloses the method of claim 1, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the micro thin film devices are bonded to a system substrate (1506 in Fig. 25) and separated from the cartridge substrate through a second release layer (1507) Regarding claim 3, Chaji discloses the method of claim 2, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the second release layer is mechanical and the bonding is electrical (the second release structure is a mechanical feature and it provides an electrical connection (i.e., bond) between the components). Regarding claim 5, Chaji discloses the method of claim 1, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein post processing is performed after the transfer (¶ 0126). Regarding claim 6, Chaji discloses the method of claim 5, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the post processing is planarization using a planarization layer (“black matrix” in ¶ 0126 which is a planarization layer (¶ 0149). Regarding claim 7, Chaji discloses the method of claim 6, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the planarization layer is a polymer (¶ 0149). Regarding claim 8, Chaji discloses the method of claim 7, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the planarization layer is black matrix (¶ 0149). Regarding claim 10, Chaji discloses the method of claim 1, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein there are more than one bank structures (structures of 2701 on either side of the micro thin film devices in Fig. 31) formed on a first electrode (3001) and inside each bank structure a different micro thin film device is formed (see Fig. 31). Regarding claim 12, Chaji discloses the method of claim 10, as discussed above. Chaji further discloses wherein the first electrode and a second electrode are patterned to provide individual control for each micro thin [film] device. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT whose telephone number is (571)272-4893. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5. 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, Joshua Benitez can be reached at (571) 270-1435. 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. /CHRISTOPHER A CULBERT/ Examiner, Art Unit 2815
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 19, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 14, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Apr 14, 2025
Response Filed
Aug 11, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §102
Oct 14, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 30, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Nov 06, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
May 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12684991
DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME, AND DISPLAY DEVICE
3y 12m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12677583
DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING SAME
4y 4m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12666855
DISPLAY PANEL AND DISPLAY PANEL PREPARATION METHOD
4y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12666757
MICRO-LED STRUCTURE AND MICRO-LED CHIP INCLUDING SAME
4y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12666665
METHOD OF 3D EPITAXIAL GROWTH FOR HIGH DENSITY 3D HORIZONTAL NANOSHEETS
4y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
42%
Grant Probability
49%
With Interview (+6.8%)
3y 7m (~1y 0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 341 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month