Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/560,155

Drive Assembly

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 10, 2023
Priority
May 17, 2021 — DE 10 2021 204 956.7 +3 more
Examiner
HURLEY, KEVIN
Art Unit
3611
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Robert Bosch GmbH
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
976 granted / 1135 resolved
+34.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
1145
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§102
49.1%
+9.1% vs TC avg
§112
26.7%
-13.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1135 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 . Drawings The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 61, 62, 66 in Fig. 8. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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. Specification The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). The following terms and phrases used in the claims fail to find clear support or antecedent basis in the description so that the meaning of the terms in the claims may be ascertainable by reference to the description. Thus it unclear what elements in the specification the claims are referring to: the “fixed bearing assembly” in claim 3, and “floating bearing assembly” in claim 6 Either the description should be amended to match the claim terminology or the claims should be amended to match the description terminology. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-8, 10, 12, 19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang TW M607783U Wang discloses a drive assembly of a vehicle which is operated by of muscle power and/or motor power, the drive assembly comprising: a drive unit; 30 and an L-shaped frame interface 20 including a base 22, a lateral wall 23, and an open face 221 lying opposite the base, wherein the drive unit is mountable over the open face, and is detachably secured to the base; wherein the base is arranged on an output side of the drive unit and is substantially orthogonal to a bottom bracket axle of the drive unit, and the lateral wall is arranged substantially perpendicular to the base; further comprising a fixed bearing assembly 42 configured to releasably secure the drive unit to the base; wherein the base is screwed to at least one threaded bolt 223; wherein in a fully secured screwed, state, at least one holding region of the drive unit between a holding element 40 and the base is stressed by tension or pressure; further comprising a floating bearing assembly 31 configured to secure the holding element to one front face of the lateral wall and the drive unit; wherein the holding element is an elastically deformable plate shaped element of sheet metal, and a lid abutting a front face of the lateral wall; wherein the lid is a resilient lid and clamps the drive unit between a contact area of the lid and the base in compression; wherein the lateral wall circumferentially completely surrounds the base. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 9, 11, and 13-18 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kevin Hurley whose telephone number is (571)272-6646. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9 am-5:30 pm Kevin.Hurley@USPTO.GOV. 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, Valentin Neacsu can be reached at 571-272-6265. 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. /KEVIN HURLEY/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3611 January 8, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 10, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 3m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12629972
BALL-TYPE COUPLING ARRANGEMENT FOR AN AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR
2y 10m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12630000
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2y 4m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12630240
CRAWLER TYPE VEHICLE CONFIGURED FOR TRAVELING ALONG A STRUCTURE, METHOD OF HANGING/SUSPENDING THE VEHICLE FOR CARRYING OUT A CRAWLER-LIKE TRAVELING MOTION ALONG THE STRUCTURE, AND USE OF AT LEAST ONE CRAWLER TYPE DRIVE UNIT FOR ACTIVE TRAVELING MOTION
1y 7m to grant Granted May 19, 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
86%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+11.3%)
2y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1135 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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