Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/662,731

SPLICING METHOD OF MATHEMATICAL TEACHING TOOL

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
May 13, 2024
Examiner
FRISBY, KESHA
Art Unit
3715
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Tsang-Hsi Chung
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 7m
To Grant
76%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allow Rate
397 granted / 755 resolved
-17.4% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
781
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
23.1%
-16.9% vs TC avg
§103
34.0%
-6.0% vs TC avg
§102
24.6%
-15.4% vs TC avg
§112
14.4%
-25.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 755 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities: These claims should not have S1, S2, S3 & S4. The dependent claims need to refer back to “providing”, “splicing”, “forming” and “filling” respectfully. Appropriate correction is required. 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) 1, 2 & 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li Jianhua (CN203075632U). Referring to claim 1, Li Jianhua discloses comprising: S1: providing a first carrier plate (I), a second carrier plate (II), and a third carrier plate (III); wherein a first inner cavity is formed in an inner side of the first carrier plate (Fig. 3: section 1); a second inner cavity is formed in an inner side of the second carrier plate (Fig. 3: section 2); a third inner cavity is formed in an inner side of the third carrier plate (Fig. 2 : third block/square); S2. splicing: connecting the first carrier plate to the second carrier plate in a fixed connection manner, connecting the third carrier plate to the first carrier plate in a detachable connection manner (Seen in all figures as to how they are connected); S3. forming a right-angled triangle arca: a lower right corner of the first carrier plate is connected to an upper right corner of the second carrier plate, an end of one side of the third carrier plate is connected to an upper right corner of the first carrier plate, and the other end of the third carrier plate is connected to the upper right corner of the second carrier plate, a space formed between the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate is the right-angled triangle area (One side of each of the square grooves is connected end to end with one side of the other two square grooves to form the right triangle); S4. filling an area: a plurality sets of splicing plates are placed at inner sides of the first inner cavity and the second inner cavity, the splicing plates formed at the inner sides of the first inner cavity and the second inner cavity fill an inner side of the third inner cavity (Fig. 3: each block has empty space to place content/items). Referring to claim 2, Li Jianhua discloses wherein in step S2, performing a right-angle verification on a spliced carrier plate (One side of each of the square grooves is connected end to end with one side of the other two square grooves to form the right triangle): wherein a first verification groove is formed at the first carrier plate close to a side surface of a right-angled part of the right-angled triangle area; a second verification groove is formed at the second carrier plate close to an upper end face of the right-angled part of the right-angled triangle area (2); a verification groove is formed by an interconnection between the first verification groove and the second verification groove, and a verification piece is provided on an inner side of the verification groove (Embodiment 1). Referring to claim 6, Li Jianhua discloses wherein in step S1, the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate are all squares, and upper end faces of the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate are all provided with a prompt sign on two sides (Fig. 1). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim(s) 3-5, 7 & 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li Jianhua. Referring to claims 3 & 4 & 5, Li Jianhua discloses wherein in step S2 is connected ((One side of each of the square grooves is connected end to end with one side of the other two square grooves to form the right triangle). Li Jianhua does not disclose a fixed connection the fixed connection comprises a woodworking adhesive bonding or hinge lock. At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have any connection because Applicant has not disclosed that a woodworking adhesive bonding or hinge lock provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem. One of ordinary skill in the art, furthermore, would have expected Li Jianhua’s system, and applicant's invention, to perform equally well with either any connect taught by Li Jianhua or the claimed woodworking adhesive bonding or hinge because all ways would perform the same function of allowing the pieces to connect. Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to modify Li Jianhua to obtain the invention as specified in claim 3 because such a modification would have been considered a mere design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over the prior art of Li Jianhua.Referring to claims 7 & 8, Li Jianhua discloses wherein in step S1 is square (Fig. 1). Li Jianhua does not disclose the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate are all regular triangle or semi-circular. At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have any shape because Applicant has not disclosed that the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate are all regular triangle or semi-circular provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem. One of ordinary skill in the art, furthermore, would have expected Li Jianhua’s system, and applicant's invention, to perform equally well with either any shape taught by Li Jianhua or the claimed the first carrier plate, the second carrier plate, and the third carrier plate are all regular triangle or semi-circular because all ways would perform the same function of allowing the pieces to splice and perform the function and/or hold items. Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to modify Li Jianhua to obtain the invention as specified in claims 7 & 8 because such a modification would have been considered a mere design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over the prior art of Li Jianhua. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KESHA FRISBY whose telephone number is (571)272-8774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 730AM-4PM. 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, Xuan Thai can be reached at 571-272-7147. 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. /KESHA FRISBY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 13, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

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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
53%
Grant Probability
76%
With Interview (+23.7%)
3y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 755 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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