Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/661,586

Cellphone Billfold

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 11, 2024
Examiner
WEAVER, SUE A
Art Unit
3733
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
None recorded (individual inventor: Latocia Keyes)
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
62%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 62% of resolved cases
62%
Career Allowance Rate
820 granted / 1323 resolved
-8.0% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+28.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
1334
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
48.2%
+8.2% vs TC avg
§102
7.5%
-32.5% vs TC avg
§112
37.4%
-2.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1323 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use. Arrangement of the Specification As provided in 37 CFR 1.77(b), the specification of a utility application should include the following sections in order. Each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as a section heading. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading: (a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION. (b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS. (c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT. (d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. (e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM. (f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. (g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION. (1) Field of the Invention. (2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. (h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION. (i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S). (j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION. (k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS (commencing on a separate sheet). (l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (commencing on a separate sheet). (m) SEQUENCE LISTING. (See MPEP § 2422.03 and 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825). A “Sequence Listing” is required on paper if the application discloses a nucleotide or amino acid sequence as defined in 37 CFR 1.821(a) and if the required “Sequence Listing” is not submitted as an electronic document either on read-only optical disc or as a text file via the patent electronic system. 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 1-16 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.There doesn’t appear to be sufficient structure set forth in claim 1 for a billfold to be “attached” to a back side of a cell phone which has no particular attaching structure thus rendering claim 1 and its dependent claims functional and incomplete. Applicant might consider claiming “Means plus function” Claim 3 recites the limitation "sides" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references show other billfold structures. o. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUE A WEAVER whose telephone number is (571)272-4548. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6-10:30 AM EDT DT. 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, Nathan Jenness, Ph.D. can be reached at 571-270-5055 . 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. SUE A. WEAVER Primary Examiner Art Unit 3733 /SUE A WEAVER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3733
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Prosecution Timeline

May 11, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
62%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+28.0%)
2y 8m (~3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1323 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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