Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/617,623

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 26, 2024
Priority
Mar 28, 2023 — CN 202310318190.0
Examiner
WONG, ERIC K
Art Unit
2874
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Lemon Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
788 granted / 940 resolved
+15.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
37 currently pending
Career history
976
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
52.8%
+12.8% vs TC avg
§102
38.4%
-1.6% vs TC avg
§112
3.6%
-36.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 940 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION Claims 1-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/21/2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2022/0128817 to Singh et al. Singh discloses in the abstract and figures 38-39, an optical waveguide comprising a substrate (3851) and a grating layer (3853), the grating layer disposed on the substrate (figure 38B) and comprises a plurality of skewed tooth gratings (3853), slant angles being equal (figure 38B) and the heights being equal (figure 38B); and a refractive index greater than 2 (the grating pattern material is between 1.45 and 3.5; paragraph 21 and a material is placed on the diffractive features having an index greater than 2.1; paragraph 1199). As to claim 13, a tilt angle of 30 degrees is disclosed in paragraph 91. A constant height is disclosed in paragraphs 1088-1089 in a range the same as claimed (paragraph 833 discloses 5nm-500nm). As to claim 14, titanium dioxide is disclosed (paragraph 188). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2025/0355254 (figures 10-11). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Eric K Wong whose telephone number is (571)272-2363. The examiner can normally be reached M-Tu, Th-F 8A-6P. 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, Thomas Hollweg can be reached at 571-270-1739. 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. ERIC K. WONG Primary Examiner Art Unit 2874 /Eric Wong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 26, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12748261
WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURE WITH APERTURE ARRAY
3y 11m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12748339
OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR GENERATION OF BROADBAND RADIATION
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12733792
MINIMALLY INVASIVE OPTICAL FORWARD VIEWING PROBE
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12730275
OPTICAL COMMUNICATION BUNDLE AND ASSOCIATED OPTICAL CABLE
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12724208
DUST CAP FOR FIBER OPTIC CONNECTORS
4y 1m to grant Granted Sep 01, 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
84%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+7.6%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 940 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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