Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 06, 2026
Application No. 18/671,896

Sauna With Multi-Sensory Transducers

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
May 22, 2024
Priority
May 22, 2023 — provisional 63/468,052
Examiner
ROZANSKI, MICHAEL T
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Immersion LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
69%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 69% — above average
69%
Career Allowance Rate
631 granted / 914 resolved
+9.0% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+28.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
952
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
§103
36.9%
-3.1% vs TC avg
§102
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
§112
25.3%
-14.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 914 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. Claims 1-11 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102 (a)2) as being anticipated by O’Keeffe et al (US 11,690,782 -cited by applicant). Re claim 1: O’Keeffe discloses a system for inducing a parasympathetic state in an individual wherein the system is comprised of: a) a portable sauna (figure 3, col 4 lines 37-54; see the sauna 100 which can be portable); b) multi-sensory transducers (col 8 lines 35-49; see monitoring device 152 with multiple sensors); c) an operating system (col 7 lines 37-58; see control panel 128); and d) a power system (col 15 lines 6-14; see the electrical systems). Re claim 2: The sauna is comprised of an enclosure for housing at least one individual (figure 3; see the sauna enclosure). Re claims 3, 4: The system is further comprised of an electrical cabinet having an ARC server and a sensor system, wherein the sensor system is comprised of at least an in-sauna controller, a presence sensor, a temperature sensor and a door sensor. (figure 4, col 7 lines 37-65; col 8 lines 50-60; col 15 lines 6-14; see the electrical pathways and network that constitute an ARC server and see the sensor components of a sensor system such as the in-sauna control panel). Re claim 5: The sauna further includes a plurality of sensors capable of measuring heart rate, EEG data, respiration, cortisol levels, heat shock proteins and heavy metals (col 9 lines 6-25; see the EEG sensing, for example). Re claim 6: The power system is further comprised of a power system converter and a microphone (col 12 lines 31-43; wherein the electrical systems that provide power to the microphone inherently have a converter component that converts the electrical signal). Re claims 7-10: The multi-sensory transducers include a heating system comprised of a heating controller, a full spectrum heater and infrared panels, a sound system comprised of an audio amplifier, speakers, and a subwoofer, and a lighting system comprised of an LED controller and 16-bit LED bulbs (col 4 lines 7-20, col 6 lines 16-17, col 8 lines 7-34, col 17 line 35 – col 8 line 9, col 20 lines 3-16; see the IR and full spectrum heaters of different types with associated controllers, see the speakers (Examiner takes Official Notice that the sound systems with amps and subwoofers is conventional), see LEDs 810, 812, 814 which are capable of allowing 16-bit levels). Re claim 11: The system is connected to a network for transmittal of data to and from the system (figure 4; see network 406). Re claim 13: The sauna is further comprised of a floor that can ameliorate electric and magnetic fields (figure 3; see the floor that ameliorates electric and magnetic fields). Re claims 14, 15: The enclosure further includes a chair having a reclining mechanism and at least one bench (col 4 lines 37-54, figure 2; see the seating structure 136 the is a bench and has a back reclining features). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over O’Keeffe et al (US 11,690,782 -cited by applicant), as applied to claim 7, in view of Loebs (US Pub 2014/0314062 -cited by applicant). Re claim 12: O’Keeffe discloses all features except that the lighting system is further comprised of one or more ultraviolet lamps for disinfecting the interior of the enclosure. However, Loebs teaches of a system with a ultraviolet lamp for disinfecting [0112; see the UV disinfection lamp]. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan to modify O’Keeffe, to incorporate a UV lamp as taught by Loebs, as such is well known to provide disinfection and would improve cleanliness. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL T ROZANSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-1648. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00-4:00. 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, Christopher Koharski can be reached at 571-272-7230. 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. /MICHAEL T ROZANSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 22, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 22, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Jul 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §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
69%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+28.6%)
3y 3m (~1y 0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 914 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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