Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/696,718

ELECTRIC MACHINE COMPRISING A HOUSING

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Mar 28, 2024
Priority
Sep 30, 2021 — EU 21200260.4 +1 more
Examiner
CHANG, MINKI
Art Unit
2834
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Innomotics GmbH
OA Round
2 (Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allowance Rate
284 granted / 396 resolved
+3.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
431
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
80.4%
+40.4% vs TC avg
§102
8.6%
-31.4% vs TC avg
§112
8.8%
-31.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 396 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 . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-7, filed 03/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 12 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of the new amendments. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 12-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 12 recites “said key constructed for changing alignment of the stator in relation to the housing” has not been disclosed in the specification. ¶ [0009] discloses “The key also serves at the same time to establish an exact alignment of stator and base frame, in order in turn to guarantee an exact alignment of stator and rotor,” which is the exact opposite of changing alignment of the stator in relation to the housing. Thus, the limitation is new matter. Claims 13-22 are rejected for depending upon claim 12. 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. Claims 12-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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. Evidence that claim 12 fail(s) to correspond in scope with that which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA applications the applicant regards as the invention can be found in the specification filed 03/28/2024. In that paper, the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA applications the applicant has stated “The key also serves at the same time to establish an exact alignment of stator and base frame, in order in turn to guarantee an exact alignment of stator and the rotor,” and this statement indicates that the invention is different from what is defined in the claim(s) because the claim recites “said key constructed for changing alignment of the stator in relation to the housing,” which is the exact opposite of what is disclosed in the specification. Claims 13-22 are rejected for depending upon claim 12. 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 MINKI CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0521. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. 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, Seye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. 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. /MINKI CHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2834 /OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 28, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 14, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 20, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 08, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 20, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
May 20, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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STATOR FOR ROTATING ELECTRIC MACHINE AND ROTATING ELECTRIC MACHINE
2y 6m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
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Patent 12633791
ELECTRIC MACHINE COIL CONFIGURATION AND ELECTRIC MACHINES HAVING THE SAME
2y 6m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12624698
Canned Rotodynamic Flow Machine For A Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor And An Active Magnetic Bearing For Use In A Flow Machine For A Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor
2y 1m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12620842
STATOR ASSEMBLY AND MOTOR
4y 6m to grant Granted May 05, 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
72%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+10.5%)
2y 9m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 396 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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