Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 06, 2026
Application No. 18/681,083

LOAD CHANGEOVER SWITCH FOR AN ON-LOAD TAP CHANGER AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LOAD CHANGEOVER SWITCH

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Feb 05, 2024
Priority
Aug 09, 2021 — DE 10 2021 120 622.7 +1 more
Examiner
CAROC, LHEIREN MAE ANGLO
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
OA Round
2 (Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
783 granted / 1005 resolved
+9.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1034
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
44.0%
+4.0% vs TC avg
§102
41.0%
+1.0% vs TC avg
§112
11.3%
-28.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1005 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 . Claim Objections Claim 11 is objected to because “the communication interfaces” on lines 1-2 should be changed to “the optical communication interface”. Appropriate correction is required. 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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saveliev et al. [Saveliev hereinafter, US 10,429,229]. Saveliev discloses [in Fig. 2] a transformer housing [131]; and an on-load tap-changer [10] comprising a diverter switch [15], wherein the diverter switch comprises a carrier comprising elements [in 15] configured to carry out a diverter switch operation, wherein the diverter switch [15] is located within the transformer housing [131], and wherein the transformer housing [131] is filled with an insulating medium [11, 11’] such that the insulating medium [11, 11’] surrounds the diverter switch [15]. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-5, 7-10 and 12 are allowed. Claim 11 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the objection set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LHEIREN MAE A CAROC whose telephone number is (571)272-2730. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. 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, Renee Luebke can be reached at 571-272-2009. 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. /LHEIREN MAE A CAROC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 05, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Apr 10, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 30, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12688986
PRESSING OPERATION BODY AND SWITCH DEVICE
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Patent 12688985
KEY STRUCTURE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Patent 12676269
OPERATING DEVICE OF HUMAN-POWERED VEHICLE
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12665141
ACTUATION UNIT FOR A SWITCHING APPARATUS
2y 4m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12658386
BREAK MECHANISM FOR SWITCHING APPARATUS AND SWITCHING APPARATUS
2y 6m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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
78%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+13.6%)
2y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1005 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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