Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/605,262

CONNECTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 14, 2024
Priority
Mar 20, 2023 — JP 2023-044221
Examiner
LE, THANH TAM T
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Yazaki Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
1243 granted / 1438 resolved
+18.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1461
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
35.6%
-4.4% vs TC avg
§102
39.0%
-1.0% vs TC avg
§112
21.2%
-18.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1438 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 . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by J. K. Schaefer (3,413,593). Regarding claim 1, J. K. Schaefer, Fig. 2 shows a connector comprising: a terminal (28) including a female threaded portion at one end side of the terminal; a ring terminal (42) connected to an end of an electric wire (46), the ring terminal being placed over one end of the terminal; a heat storage material element (5) placed over the ring terminal; a bolt (1) which is screwed in the female threaded portion while being inserted through a bolt insertion hole in the heat storage material element and a bolt insertion hole in the ring terminal to fasten the terminal, the ring terminal and the heat storage material element together; and a housing (60) accommodating the terminal, the ring terminal, the heat storage material element and the bolt. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-3 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANH TAM T LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2094. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM. 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, Abdul Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. 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. /THANH TAM T LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 06/30/26 thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 14, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Sep 22, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12725980
GROUNDING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12722669
POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR GROUPS OF ELECTRICAL LOADS
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12719197
CONNECTOR WITH HOOKING PORTIONS
2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12719212
CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12715324
ELECTRIC CONTACT UNIT
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 25, 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
86%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+13.8%)
1y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1438 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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