Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/592,643

VEHICLE

Non-Final OA §102§Other
Filed
Mar 01, 2024
Priority
Mar 03, 2023 — provisional 63/488,368
Examiner
RESTIFO, JEFFREY J
Art Unit
3613
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Polaris Industries Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
838 granted / 1057 resolved
+27.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
1072
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
68.4%
+28.4% vs TC avg
§102
17.1%
-22.9% vs TC avg
§112
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1057 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §Other
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on 5/4/26 is acknowledged. 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. Claim(s) 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Matsuura (US 6,622,806 B1). With respect to claim 1, Matsuura discloses a vehicle comprising a plurality of ground engaging members or wheels 14, 16, a frame 12 supported by said wheels, an operator area on said frame with a seat 56, a body assembly defined by body panels, wherein a first body panel 20 with an aperture 140, a second panel 39, and a fluid passageway or duct 102 for airflow from the aperture behind the second panel, as shown in figures 4 and 5. PNG media_image1.png 572 450 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 457 542 media_image2.png Greyscale With respect to claim 2, a panel 124 above a chamber 120 are below said first panel 20, as shown in figure 5. With respect to claim 3, said panel has in inlet portion 140, and an outlet portion 112, said outlet feeding said duct 102, as shown in figure 5. With respect to claim 4, an angled wall 128 is located between said inlet 140 and said outlet 102, as shown in figure 5. With respect to claim 5, a fan 98 is located in the passageway, as shown in figure 5. With respect to claim 6, said passageway 102 extends laterally from said seat 56, as shown in figure 3. PNG media_image3.png 465 421 media_image3.png Greyscale With respect to claim 7, said aperture 140 is higher than said passageway 102, as shown in figure 5. With respect to claim 8, said aperture 140 faces forward, as shown in figure 5. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY J RESTIFO whose telephone number is (571)272-6697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-8pm. 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, J. Allen Shriver can be reached at (303) 297-4337. 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. JEFFREY J. RESTIFO Primary Examiner Art Unit 3613 /JEFFREY J RESTIFO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 01, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12679439
SKI ATTACHMENT
3y 2m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679326
METHOD FOR DETECTING A MOTOR VEHICLE OVERWEIGHT STATE, AND METHOD FOR MANAGING THE CHARGE OF A TRACTION BATTERY
2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679435
HANDCART CAPABLE OF BEING LATERALLY OPENED
10m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12673662
Method For Changing From Electrical Operation To Hybrid Operation In A Vehicle Hybrid Drive And Vehicle Hybrid Drive
2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12649506
Shopping Trolley
2y 3m to grant Granted Jun 09, 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
79%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+10.5%)
2y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1057 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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