Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/593,393

Systems and Methods for Tracking a State of a Device with Continuous-Time Latent Dynamics Learning

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 01, 2024
Examiner
NEURAUTER JR, GEORGE C
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
346 granted / 453 resolved
+16.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
473
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.5%
-29.5% vs TC avg
§103
35.2%
-4.8% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 453 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 . 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. Claims 1-13 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. Claims 1-13 recite “the AI system including a neural network having an autoencoder architecture adapted for dynamic transformation of time series input data from an input state space indicative of the state of the device into an output state space indicative of a state trajectory of the device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory having instructions stored thereon that cause the at least one processor to execute the neural network, train the neural network, or both, the autoencoder architecture comprising”. It is unclear whether the limitations of “execute the neural network, train the neural network, or both” limits the structure of the claim such that they be treated as a claim limitation as the “processor” is merely part of the “AI system” itself but the “AI system” comprises the “autoencoder architecture” which performs the functionality of the claim. See MPEP § 2111.02. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 1-13 recite an AI system including a neural network having an autoencoder architecture adapted for dynamic transformation of time series input data from an input state space indicative of the state of the device into an output state space indicative of a state trajectory of the device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory having instructions stored thereon that cause the at least one processor to execute the neural network, train the neural network, or both, the autoencoder architecture comprising: multiple neural ordinary differential equation (ODE) subnetworks, each of the neural ODE subnetworks includes a neural ODE implemented as a recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture transforming unsynchronized time-series input data into time-series latent representations synchronized in time with the time-series latent representations produced by others of the multiple neural ODE subnetworks; a post ODE fusion module configured to fuse the synchronized time-series latent representations of the multiple ODE-RNN subnetworks; and a decoder configured to decode changes in the state of the device from the fused synchronized time-series latent representations to form the state trajectory of the device. Claims 14-20 similarly recite a method for tracking a state of a device with continuous-time latent dynamics, the method utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI) system including a neural network having an autoencoder architecture adapted for dynamic transformation of time series input data from an input state space indicative of the state of the device into an output state space indicative of a state trajectory of the device; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodied thereon a program executable by a processor for performing a method for tracking a state of a device with continuous-time latent dynamics, the method utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI) system including a neural network having an autoencoder architecture adapted for dynamic transformation of time series input data from an input state space indicative of the state of the device into an output state space indicative of a state trajectory of the device that comprise the steps/functionality of transforming by each subnetwork of a plurality of neural ordinary differential equation (ODE) subnetworks, unsynchronized time-series input data into time-series latent representations synchronized in time with the time-series latent representations produced by other neural ODE subnetworks; fusing the synchronized time-series latent representations of the plurality of neural ODE subnetworks; and decoding changes in the state of the device from the fused synchronized time-series latent representations to form the state trajectory of the device. These limitations, after search and consideration, are found to be distinguished from the cited prior art. The closest prior art of record is “StreamingFlow: Streaming Occupancy Forecasting with Asynchronous Multi-modal Data Streams via Neural Ordinary Differential Equation” by Yining Shi et al. which taught the use of N-ODE networks in conjunction with temporal sensor data fusion, however, it fails to teach or reasonably suggest the entirety of the claimed invention when considered as a whole. This indication of allowable subject matter is contingent upon the anticipated resolution of the remaining issues detailed in this action. In the event that any amendment made to the claims changes the scope of the indicated allowable subject matter, further reconsideration of whether the claims continue to distinguish from the prior art and/or are subject to further rejection under applicable statutes may be deemed necessary. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR § 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to G. C. Neurauter, Jr. whose telephone number is (571)272-3918. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern 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, Tonia Dollinger, can be reached at 571-272-4170. 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. /G. C. Neurauter, Jr./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2459
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 01, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (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
76%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+10.7%)
3y 0m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 453 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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