Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/560,222

MICROSCOPE AND OBSERVATION METHOD

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Nov 10, 2023
Examiner
RAEVIS, ROBERT R
Art Unit
2855
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Osaka University
OA Round
2 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
1543 granted / 1857 resolved
+15.1% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
73 currently pending
Career history
1930
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.7%
-38.3% vs TC avg
§103
41.2%
+1.2% vs TC avg
§102
5.9%
-34.1% vs TC avg
§112
37.2%
-2.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1857 resolved cases

Office Action

§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 . Claims 5,6 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. As to claims 5,6, the pressurizing means corresponds to Figure 8, which is not the apparatus of claim 1 (as the holder in Figure 8 is a mere block 401 which is a different embodiment from Figures 1,2). Applicant is advised that should claim 5 be found allowable, claim 6 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m). The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the (amended) abstract needs to be on a single page. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b). THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT R RAEVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-2204. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon to Fri from 8am to 4pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina DeHerrera, can be reached at telephone number 303-297-4237. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center to authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to the USPTO patent electronic filing system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice. /ROBERT R RAEVIS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 10, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 31, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Jan 30, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 06, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Patent 12590862
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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.6%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1857 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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