Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/553,283

NONDESTRUCTIVE INSPECTING DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 29, 2023
Examiner
YUN, JURIE
Art Unit
2884
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Riken
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 5m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allow Rate
624 granted / 715 resolved
+19.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
732
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.7%
-37.3% vs TC avg
§103
34.0%
-6.0% vs TC avg
§102
25.7%
-14.3% vs TC avg
§112
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 715 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claims 3-8 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. Each of claims 3 and 6 depends on claim 1. Claim 1 recites (last line) “a predetermined threshold”. Line 12 of claim 3 recites “a predetermined threshold”. Lines 10-11 of claim 6 recite “a predetermined threshold”. It is not clear, in each case, if this is the same predetermined threshold as recited in claim 1 or a different threshold. Claims 4-5 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on claim 3. Claims 7-8 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on claim 6. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-2 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Prior art fails to disclose a non-destructive inspection apparatus comprising: a first shutter configured to open and close the first opening of the first case; a first dose detector configured to detect a radioactive dose outside the first case; a second dose detector configured to detect a radioactive dose inside the first case; and a controller configured to prohibit opening of the first shutter, when the radioactive dose detected by at least one of the first dose detector or the second dose detector exceeds a predetermined threshold , as claimed in claim 1. Claim 2 is allowed by virtue of its dependency on claim 1. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT JURIE YUN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-2497 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 10:30 am - 7:30 pm . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT David J Makiya can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571 272-2273 . 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. /JURIE YUN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884 September 3, 2025
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 29, 2023
Application Filed
Aug 29, 2025
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Sep 03, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601697
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING THE PRESENCE OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12597580
X-RAY GENERATING APPARATUS AND IMAGING DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12582842
TREATMENT ADAPTATION IN RADIOTHERAPY BASED ON INTRA-FRACTION DOSING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12582840
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RADIATION TREATMENT PLANNING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12578490
RECALIBRATION OF A RADIATION DETECTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+10.8%)
2y 5m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 715 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow 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