Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 15, 2026
Application No. 18/633,262

TOY THAT CAN TRAVEL AND CAN GENERATE SUCTION

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Apr 11, 2024
Examiner
HYLINSKI, ALYSSA MARIE
Art Unit
3711
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Spin Master Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
47%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
77%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 47% of resolved cases
47%
Career Allowance Rate
502 granted / 1075 resolved
-23.3% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+30.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
39 currently pending
Career history
1117
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.7%
-38.3% vs TC avg
§103
49.2%
+9.2% vs TC avg
§102
16.5%
-23.5% vs TC avg
§112
28.3%
-11.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1075 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 Objections Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 15 after “suction-generating toy” a comma should be included and in line 16 the phrase “ a first portion of the drive motor is on a first side of the longitudinal axis and” should be omitted since it is redundant. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 1 discloses that “the first auxiliary wheel is shaped to inhibit propelling the suction-generating toy on the surface” but the specification and figures as originally filed while showing that the first auxiliary wheel is sized and configured to prohibit the auxiliary wheel from engaging with the surface while the toy is propelled, fails to provide support for the auxiliary wheel inhibiting the propelling of the toy as now claimed since it is configured to not contact the surface and as such have no effect on propulsion as opposed to actively preventing the propulsion of the toy on the surface. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See 10226712, 8562387, 20010027078, 0128357 and 1270542. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALYSSA HYLINSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-2684. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:30 - 6:00. 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, Eugene Kim can be reached at 571-272-4463. 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. /A.M.H/Examiner, Art Unit 3711 /EUGENE L KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3711
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 11, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 11, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 29, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12697558
LAUNCHING APPARATUS FOR TOY VEHICLES
2y 2m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12660875
Balloon Garland Assembly And Balloon Assemblies Therefor
1y 8m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12658070
SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING MEAL MENU DESIGNING
5y 7m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12629602
TOY
2y 5m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12623158
ELECTRIC SQUISHY MAKER
1y 0m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
47%
Grant Probability
77%
With Interview (+30.5%)
2y 11m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1075 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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