Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/693,038

THERMALLY STABLE CAMERA MOUNT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 18, 2024
Priority
Sep 24, 2021 — EU 21198797.9 +1 more
Examiner
PHAN, MINH Q
Art Unit
2852
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Koninklijke Philips N V
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
71%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
633 granted / 835 resolved
+7.8% vs TC avg
Minimal -5% lift
Without
With
+-4.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
860
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
73.1%
+33.1% vs TC avg
§102
8.4%
-31.6% vs TC avg
§112
11.3%
-28.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 835 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 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. Claim 15 is 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. It is unclear to the Examiner as how the process of “thermally expanding the body structure due to increasing thermal load in a first direction” is performed since it is not clear how the body structure could be thermal expanded only in the first direction. Due to the ambiguity of the scope of the claim, no prior art rejection is applicable. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-14 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 1, applicant has sufficiently defined and claimed a mount for a camera arrangement, whereby the prior art does not teach or suggest a fixation device for each of the at least two camera suspensions, each of the fixation devices comprising a longitudinal holding element attached to the respective camera suspensions at a first end and attached to the body structure with a fixation at a second end, wherein the longitudinal holding element extends from the first end to the second end at least from the holding portion towards the central point; and wherein the longitudinal holding element is arranged for providing length compensation for a change of dimension of the body structure due to thermal expansion, in combination with all other limitations set forth in the claim. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shaw et al., US Pub. No. 2017/026585 cited by applicant, teaches a mount for a camera arrangement of a medical navigation set up, the mount comprising: a body structure 352 provided with a central point, at least two camera suspensions (para. 27, mounting zones 360 & 370), wherein the arm of the body structure 352 is made of a first material and a second material where the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first material has the opposite sign of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the second material, which has the effect of reducing the net thermal expansion of the arms, and possibly reducing the net thermal expansion of the arms to near zero. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH Q PHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3898. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. 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, Stephanie Bloss can be reached at 571-272-3555. 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. MINH Q. PHAN Primary Examiner Art Unit 2852 /MINH Q PHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 18, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
76%
Grant Probability
71%
With Interview (-4.9%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 835 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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