Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/631,064

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR AUGMENTED REALITY

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Apr 10, 2024
Examiner
JONES, JAMES
Art Unit
2872
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Noble M & B Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allow Rate
1175 granted / 1327 resolved
+20.5% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
7 currently pending
Career history
1334
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
18.6%
-21.4% vs TC avg
§102
60.9%
+20.9% vs TC avg
§112
9.5%
-30.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1327 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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/10/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 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. Claim 1 (and its dependents) is 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. Claim 1, states “wherein a fifth light, which is the fourth light incident on and reflected by the light guide, is incident on the first optical element, and wherein a fifth light, which is the first optical element, is reflected and incident on user's eyes” rendering the claim vague and indefinite. It’s unclear if the second mention of the “fifth light” is referencing the “fifth light” initially claimed or a different light. Furthermore, the claimed wherein the fifth light, which is the first optical element is unclear because the fifth light can’t be the first optical element. The lack of clarity renders the claim vague and indefinite. Claims 2-7 inherit the indefiniteness of claim 1 from which they depend. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 (and its dependents) would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion ONO (20230333303) is being cited herein to show a reference that discloses some similar features to that of the claimed invention. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES JONES whose telephone number is (571)270-1278. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 4:00 pm. 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, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. 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. /JAMES C. JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 10, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12596240
OPTICAL SYSTEM AND PHOTOGRAPHING DEVICE HAVING OPTICAL SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12585078
LENS BARREL AND IMAGING DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12585048
DIFFUSION PLATE OF MICRO ARRAY TYPE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12569133
OPTICAL SYSTEM AND INSPECTION APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12571940
LAMINATE HAVING MICROSTRUCTURED SUBSTRATE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE LAMINATE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 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
88%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+4.3%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1327 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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