Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/555,282

WIRE COATING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Oct 13, 2023
Examiner
SULTANA, NAHIDA
Art Unit
1743
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
1014 granted / 1298 resolved
+13.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
36 currently pending
Career history
1334
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
47.1%
+7.1% vs TC avg
§102
23.4%
-16.6% vs TC avg
§112
21.2%
-18.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1298 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 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 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness. Claim(s) 1-5, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 (KR 10-2015-0139238 A, as provided by the Applicant’s IDS) in view of D2 (KR 10-1068505 B1, as provided by the Applicant’s IDS). Regarding claim 1, D1 teaches a wire coating system comprising a coating tank (10) in which a fluorine resin coating liquid to coat a surface of a wire (6) is filled; and feeding guide roll (32) for guiding the wire (6) to pass into the coating tank (10) so that a fluorine resin coating is formed on the wire (6) (see [0013], claims 1-2; also see Fig. 1). However, D1 fails to teach wire process setting portion which is provided to be movable to the inside and outside of a coating portion. However, this different feature could be readily derived from the feeding guide roll (32) of D1, for guiding wire (6) to pass into the coating tank (10) so that a fluorine resin coating is formed on the wire (6) (see [0013], claim 2, and Fig. 1) and the guide (300) of D2 pivotably coupled to the top surface of a plating bath (140) so as to guide a wire ([0020]; Fig. 4). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time of the Applicant’s invention to modify the wire coating apparatus as taught by D1 with further incorporating a feeding guide, that is moveable in and out of coating tank, as shown by D2, for the benefit of efficiently coating a wire then supplying for further processing. Claim 2 – 5 and 10 can be derived from the feeding guide (32) of D1, for guiding a wire (6) to pass into the coating tank (10) so that a fluoride resin coating is formed on the wire (6) (see [0013], claim 2, and Fig. 1) and the features of D2 wherein an end part of the guide (300) is formed in a shape split into three branches at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and guides the wire by forming three guide ports (310,320,330) (see [0021], Fig. 4). The additional feature of claims 3-5 could be derived through design changes to the feature of D2 wherein an end part of the guide (300) is formed in a shape split into three branches of an angle proximately 45 degree and guides the wire by forming three guide ports (310, 320, and 330) (see paragraph [0021]; Fig 4). Additional feature of claim 10 pertaining to can be derived through design changes to the feature of D1 wherein the wire (6) is made of copper (see [0003],[0005], and Fig 1). Claim(s) 6-7 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 (KR 10-2015-0139238 A, as provided by the Applicant’s IDS) in view of D2 (KR 10-1068505 B1, as provided by the Applicant’s IDS) in further view of D3 (KR 10-0724656 B1, as provided by the Applicant’s IDS). Regarding claim 6 and 12-13, pertaining to a wire loading unit which is installed outside the coating unit, and winds the wire on the wire setting unit in such away that the wire does not come in contact with each other in a length direction… can be derived from the features discloses by D3 wherein a casing (83) for cooling a coated wire (81) comprises therein front and rear capstan (84, 85) around which the coated wire (81) is wound, and the coated wire (81) is wound in a manner of not being in contact with each other in a longitudinal direction (see [0039], Figs, 9a-9b, and 10). Regarding claim 7, pertaining to wherein the wire loading unit comprises: a wire supply roll on which a predetermined amount of the wire is wound; rotating part which rotates the wire process setting unit to transfer the wire from the wire supply roll to the wire process setting unit in a processing state… could be derived from the features taught by D3 of an unwinding unit (2) having a supply reel of a core wire (1) and front and rear capstans (84,84) which are in the casing (83) and around which the coated wire (81) is wound (see [0025][0039], Figs 1. 9a, 9b, and 10) and the features of D3 of a guide roller transferring device (30) for changing the position of a wire (10) to be wound around a wire bobbin (20) to a longitudinal direction and a second guide roller (48) having a tractive force by a tension spring (43) so as to give tension to the wire (10) (see [0028],[0051], Fig. 5 and 6 and 10). Claim(s) 11 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 (KR 10-2015-0139238 A) in view of D2 (KR 10-1068505 B1) in further view of D5 (JP 06-021135). Regarding claim 11 and 14-16 could be derived from the feature of D5 wherein a thin metal wire (1) on which an insulating metal oxide film (2) is formed is used in a wire bonding processes ([0012],[0013], and Fig. 1) and wherein an insulating metal oxide film (20) is formed in a desired thickness by performing aluminite treatment of an aluminum wire though anodizing (see paragraph [0014] and Fig. 1). It is noted that additional features of claims 14-16 could be derived though design changes to the feature of D5 wherein an insulating metal oxide film (2) is formed in a desired thickness by performing aluminite treatment of an aluminum wire though anodizing (see [0014], Fig. 1). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 8-9 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. Claims 8-9 are dependent upon claim 7, and it is noted that the above prior arts D1-D3, fails to teach wherein the wire unwinding part is a moving bearing which changes the position of the wire wound on the wire process setting part while moving in the length direction of the wire process setting unit; wherein the wire unwinding part comprises: a bearing which transfers the wire from a fixed position to the wire process setting unit; and a setting unit moving means which changes the winding position of the wire while moving the wire process setting unit relative to the bearing. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 2, 307, 925; US 7, 866, 590 B2; 5,866,195 A. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAHIDA SULTANA whose telephone number is (571)270-1925. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday (8:30 AM -5:00 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, Galen Hauth can be reached at 571-270-5516. 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. NAHIDA SULTANA Primary Examiner Art Unit 1743 /NAHIDA SULTANA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
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Prosecution Timeline

Oct 13, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 08, 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
78%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+8.5%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1298 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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