Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/604,900

SIGNAL CONTROL DEVICE, COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL CIRCUIT, AND SIGNAL CONTROL METHOD

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 14, 2024
Examiner
MAGLOIRE, VLADIMIR
Art Unit
3648
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 9m
To Grant
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allow Rate
253 granted / 372 resolved
+16.0% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+22.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 9m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
384
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.5%
-34.5% vs TC avg
§103
49.9%
+9.9% vs TC avg
§102
27.5%
-12.5% vs TC avg
§112
13.0%
-27.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 372 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 . 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 1-12 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. Regarding Claim 1, 11 and 12, it is unclear to what each of claims 1, 11 and 12 are directed to, initially the claim is directed towards a signal controller working in a communication apparatus, however the remainder of the claim is directed towards the communication apparatus and then back to the signal controller. Appropriate correction is required. Regarding claims 1, 11, 12, the term “discontinuously divide” is unclear. Based on the applicant’s specification the data is delay and sent when no blockage occurs, therefore the data is kept intact and not divided. Further, if the data is divided, what parts is it divided into? Regarding claims 1, 11, and 12, discloses a transceiver without a function to compensate for periodic wave interference. However further in the claim it states that the signal controlled receives a control signal from the transceiver. Based on the applicant’s spec, this control signal is part of the process of mitigating the interference from the helicopter blades, therefore the transceiver has a function that compensates for periodic wave interference. Claims 6-10 recited “a flow controller”, however a flow controller is already stated in parent claim 1. It is unclear if this is a different flow controller or the same flow controller. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 5 recites a path switching circuitry, however a path switching circuitry is already stated in parent claim 1. It is unclear if this is a different path switching circuitry or the same path switching circuitry. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 6-10 recited “a passing interval”, however a passing interval is already stated in parent claim 1. It is unclear if this is a different passing interval or the passing interval. Appropriate correction is required. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE whose telephone number is (571)270-5144. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5 PM M-F. 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, Joseph Thomas can be reached at (571) 272-8004. 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. /VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 14, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601835
RADAR DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12574888
REQUEST PROCEDURE FOR POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNALS FOR WIRELESS NETWORKS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12538238
POWER EFFICIENT RADAR OPERATION FOR MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE COMPLIANCE AND UPLINK POWER REDUCTION REPORTING
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026
Patent 12516556
VEHICLE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE WITH RADAR MODULE AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 06, 2026
Patent 12510626
GROUND PENETRATING RADAR APPARATUS AND METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 30, 2025
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
68%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+22.6%)
3y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 372 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month