Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/589,960

SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 28, 2024
Priority
Mar 01, 2023 — JP 2023-031339
Examiner
GONZALEZ, LUIS A
Art Unit
3653
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Canon Inc.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
896 granted / 1056 resolved
+32.8% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
1090
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
59.8%
+19.8% vs TC avg
§102
22.4%
-17.6% vs TC avg
§112
15.0%
-25.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1056 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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/23/2026 has been entered. 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 applicant regards as his invention. Claim 10 is 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. Claim 10 recites “the control is configured to selectively execute between the blowing mode and a normal mode on a basis of a sheet type”. This limitation is indefinite because it’s unclear how the controller would determine a sheet type necessary to perform to recited function. Correction is required. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2, 6, 8, 11 and 12 are allowed. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS A GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3094. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5:30pm. 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, Michael McCullough can be reached at 571-272-7805. 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. /LUIS A GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 28, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 04, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Oct 06, 2025
Response Filed
Apr 23, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 29, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12676042
CASSETTE FOR AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE
1y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12668449
STACKER AND MACHINING PROCESSING DEVICE
1y 7m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12662340
ROTARY CARTON FEEDER
3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12654966
MEDIUM TRANSPORT DEVICE AND IMAGE READING DEVICE
1y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12643756
MEDIUM SUPPLY DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+4.4%)
2y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1056 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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