Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/688,815

FORWARD-FACING TWO-SPINDLE LATHE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 04, 2024
Priority
Oct 22, 2021 — nonprovisional of PCTJP2021039126
Examiner
ADDISU, SARA
Art Unit
3722
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Fuji Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
688 granted / 806 resolved
+15.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
18 currently pending
Career history
823
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
65.7%
+25.7% vs TC avg
§102
20.8%
-19.2% vs TC avg
§112
7.3%
-32.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 806 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 8-11321. Regarding claim 1, ‘321 discloses a forward-facing two-spindle lathe comprising: a first main spindle device (2) and a second main spindle device (5), in which a rotation axis of a main spindle is disposed on left and right sides in a machine body front-rear direction, respectively; a first turret device (15) and a second turret device (37), each including multiple tools configured to perform machining on a workpiece gripped by a main spindle chuck of one or both of the first main spindle device and the second main spindle device (figures 1 and 2); an auxiliary device (30) disposed between the first main spindle device and the second main spindle device and configured to perform a predetermined operation on a workpiece gripped by the main spindle chuck of one or both of the first main spindle device and the second main spindle device; and a control device (41) configured to control driving of the first main spindle device, the second main spindle device, the first turret device, the second turret device, and the auxiliary device. Regarding claim 2, ‘321 discloses further comprising a first bed on which the first main spindle device and the first turret device are mounted, a second bed on which the second main spindle device and the second turret device are mounted, and the intermediate block which is fixed between the first bed and the second bed and on which the auxiliary device is mounted (figures 1 and 2). Regarding claim 3-7, see figures 1 and 2. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARA ADDISU at (571) 272-6082. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Mondays and Wednesday-Friday). If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil K. Singh can be reached on (571) 272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /SARA ADDISU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 6/13/26
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 04, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
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3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026
Patent 12643163
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3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Patent 12643155
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3y 6m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Patent 12636713
MODULAR HYDRAULIC CHUCK
2y 10m to grant Granted May 26, 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
85%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+10.6%)
2y 10m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 806 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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