Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/665,832

Camera Module and Electronic Device

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 16, 2024
Priority
Nov 17, 2021 — CN 202111364956.6 +1 more
Examiner
BERARDESCA, PAUL M
Art Unit
2637
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
658 granted / 830 resolved
+17.3% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
845
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.4%
-36.6% vs TC avg
§103
42.2%
+2.2% vs TC avg
§102
24.8%
-15.2% vs TC avg
§112
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 830 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 Claims 1 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities: The first instance of the limitation “…the circuit board…” in the last paragraph of claims 1 and 11 should be changed to “…a circuit board…”. Appropriate correction is required. 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 10, 20 are 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. Claims 10 and 20 recites the limitation "the circuit board". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Specifically, claims 10 and 20 introduce “a circuit board” and then refer to “the circuit board”. However, claims 1 and 11 from which claims 10 and 20 depend respectively already recite “the circuit board”. Therefore, it is unclear if the circuit board introduced in claims 10 and 20 is different from the circuit mentioned in claims 1 and 11 or if “the circuit board” in claims 10 and 20 is referring to “a circuit board” in claims 10 and 20 or “the circuit board” in claims 1 and 11. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-9, 11-19 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claims 1 and 11, the prior art of record fails to disclose the detection component configured to detect a deviation angle of the lens relative to the photosensitive chip. Regarding claims 2-9, 12-19, they depend from one of claims 1 or 11 and are therefore allowable for the same reasons as stated above (see claims 1 or 11). Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL M BERARDESCA whose telephone number is (571)270-3579. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 10-8, Fri 10-2. 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, Sinh Tran can be reached at (571)272-7564. 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. PAUL M. BERARDESCA Examiner Art Unit 2637 /PAUL M BERARDESCA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637 7/25/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 20, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jan 16, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 22, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 22, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 16, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 20, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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1y 8m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12732697
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2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12726706
VOICE COIL MOTOR, CAMERA, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12726705
DYNAMIC IMAGE DIMENSION ADJUSTMENT
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12713131
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2y 5m to grant Granted Aug 18, 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
79%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+17.1%)
2y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 830 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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