Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/578,561

MAGNETIZATION DEVICE FOR AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND METHOD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 11, 2024
Examiner
IPPOLITO, NICOLE MARIE
Art Unit
2881
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 2m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allow Rate
1485 granted / 1714 resolved
+18.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+9.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
1729
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
30.8%
-9.2% vs TC avg
§102
31.4%
-8.6% vs TC avg
§112
15.6%
-24.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1714 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 . 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 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stanislav et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 20180269031, from hereinafter “Stanislav”). In regards to claim 1, Stanislav teaches a magnetization device comprising a coil, a yoke carrying the coil, a sample holder for holding a sample and two poles of the yoke adjoining the sample holder wherein a gap is present in the yoke between each pole and the coil (FIGS. 1-2, sample holder 8, two coils and a yoke 6, paragraphs 0026-0030, with paragraph 0026 discussing the gap). In regards to claim 18, Stanislav teaches an electron microscope comprising the limitations of claim 1 (see, i.e., FIGS. 1-2 and abstract). Allowable Subject Matter Claim 20 is allowed. Claims 2-17 and 19 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: In regards to claim 20, although the closest prior art cited above does teach some of the limitations of the claim, this reference fails to teach an optical microscope. Stanislav only teaches an electron microscope. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICOLE M IPPOLITO whose telephone number is (571)270-7449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:00am-4:00pm Mountain Time. 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, Robert H Kim can be reached at 571-272-2293. 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. /NICOLE M IPPOLITO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 11, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (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
87%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+9.5%)
2y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1714 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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