Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 17, 2026
Application No. 18/678,871

HOLSTER

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 30, 2024
Priority
May 31, 2023 — provisional 63/505,336 +1 more
Examiner
SKURDAL, COREY NELSON
Art Unit
3734
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Mission First Tactical LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
62%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
73%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 62% of resolved cases
62%
Career Allowance Rate
748 granted / 1212 resolved
-8.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
1238
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
41.3%
+1.3% vs TC avg
§102
33.8%
-6.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.1%
-21.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1212 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION Election/Restrictions Claims 1-6 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/22/26. 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. Claim(s) 7-9, 11, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by French (US 7,461,765). Regarding claim 7, French discloses a holster 10, comprising: an outer wall system defining a holster cavity configured to receive a firearm, wherein the outer wall system spans between a forward end and an open aft end, wherein the open aft end is configured for the firearm to pass therethrough (Figure 1 and 5); and a safety system coupled to the outer wall system, the safety system comprising: a primary safety device 20 comprising a firearm retention flange 80 spanning in a first direction and a user actuation flange 100 spanning in a second direction, wherein the primary safety device is configured to move between (a) a closed position in which the firearm retention flange blocks at least a portion of the open aft end of the holster cavity to retain the firearm in the holster cavity and (b) an open position to permit the firearm to pass through the open aft end of the holster cavity (see Figures 1 and 2). Regarding claim 8, the primary safety device is configured move between the closed position and the open position in response to a force being applied to the user actuation flange – col. 5 lines 45-67. Regarding claim 9, see safety base 66 to which the firearm retention flange and the user actuation flange are coupled, wherein the safety base is coupled to the outer wall system at a pivot point 88 about which the primary safety device is configured to pivot between the closed position and the open position. Regarding claims 11 and 18, see col. 2 lines 36-39. Regarding claim 20, flange 80 can be considered a “extended retention flange” to the degree claimed wherein it has one end attached to a first side panel of the outer wall system and wherein a distal end is configured to couple to a second side panel of the outer wall system when in the closed position – see Figure 6. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 10, 12-17, and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, it would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COREY NELSON SKURDAL whose telephone number is (571)272-9588. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-4pm 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, Nathan Newhouse can be reached at 571-272-4544. 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. /COREY N SKURDAL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 30, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 31, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12734975
MULTI-USE STORAGE UNIT OR MODULE THAT IS ATTACHABLE TO THE REAR DOOR OF A VEHICLE
2y 1m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12733730
BACKPACK
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12723840
THUMB-ACTUATED LOCKING HOLSTER SYSTEM
2y 12m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12698049
Multi-angle Adjustable Bicycle Side Deck
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12690662
SHOULDER TRANSFER WEIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM AND FACE SHIELD
3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
62%
Grant Probability
73%
With Interview (+11.6%)
2y 5m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1212 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month