Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/665,529

CONNECTOR AND CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 15, 2024
Priority
Dec 27, 2023 — CN 202311823993.8
Examiner
TA, THO DAC
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Bellwether Electronic (Kunshan) Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
1346 granted / 1555 resolved
+26.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+15.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 8m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
1565
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
51.2%
+11.2% vs TC avg
§102
28.0%
-12.0% vs TC avg
§112
12.3%
-27.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1555 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 112928550 A. In regard to claim 1, CN 112928550 A discloses a connector, comprising: an insulating body 212 including at least one terminal slot (see annotated drawing below) and at least one connection opening (see annotated drawing below), wherein the at least one connection opening is arranged on a docking end (see annotated drawing below) of the insulating body 212, the at least one terminal slot is arranged in the insulating body 212, and the at least one terminal slot is in spatial communication with the at least one connection opening; at least one connection terminal assembly including two conductive components 22, wherein the two conductive components 22 are disposed in the at least one terminal slot; and at least two cables 5, wherein the at least two cables 5 are electrically connected to the two conductive components 22, respectively, and the at least two cables 5 are staggeringly arranged with each other (see figures 1-3, 7-10). [AltContent: textbox (docking end)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (connection opening)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (terminal slot)][AltContent: connector] PNG media_image1.png 850 702 media_image1.png Greyscale Allowable Subject Matter Claims 9 and 10 are allowed. Claims 2-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: In regard to claim 2, the prior art fails to provide, teach or suggest an end of the first cable is connected to a part of the first conductive component that is adjacent to an upper edge of the first conductive component, and an end of the second cable is connected to a part of the second conductive component that is adjacent to a lower edge of the second conductive component. In regard to claim 3, the prior art fails to provide, teach or suggest a distance between the contacting portions of the two conductive components is less than a distance between the connecting portions of the two conductive components. In regard to claim 5, the prior art fails to provide, teach or suggest a part of the elastic engaged arm of one of the two conductive components is arranged in the at least one first engaged hole, and a part of the elastic engaged arm of another one of the two conductive components is arranged in the at least one second engaged hole. In regard to claim 6, the prior art fails to provide, teach or suggest in each of the two conductive components, the transition sheet is an L-shaped structure, one end of the transition sheet is connected to the conductive sheet, and another end of the transition sheet is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the at least two cables. In regard to claim 9, the prior art fails to provide, teach or suggest a tail end of each of the elastic arms has a protrusion and a notch, and each of the protrusions of any one of the elastic arms faces toward the notch of another one of the elastic arms. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO D. TA whose telephone number is (571)272-2014. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4:30PM EST. 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, Christopher M Koehler can be reached at (571) 272-3560. 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. Tdt 6/25/2026 /THO D TA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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Prosecution Timeline

May 15, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12683325
CONNECTOR RETAINER CAP ASSEMBLY
3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683303
CONDUCTOR TERMINAL
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683327
CONNECTOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683322
Peripheral Seal with Sloped Ribs
2y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12676433
CONNECTOR
2y 6m to grant Granted Jul 07, 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
87%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.0%)
1y 8m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1555 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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