Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 06, 2026
Application No. 18/701,120

SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTOR

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Apr 12, 2024
Priority
Oct 14, 2021 — CN 202111197764.0 +1 more
Examiner
LIN, KO-WEI
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Winner Technology Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
626 granted / 825 resolved
+15.9% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+20.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
835
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
46.5%
+6.5% vs TC avg
§102
14.3%
-25.7% vs TC avg
§112
36.4%
-3.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 825 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. Claims 1-12 and 14-16 are 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. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the shell body" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner recommend applicant to amend this limitation to “the body”. Also claim 1 has the same limitation in line 6 and line 7 that needs amendment. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the absorbing layer” in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner recommend applicant to amend this limitation to “the at least one absorbing layer”. Claim 3 recites “a heat transfer medium”, but claim 1 also recites the same limitation. It’s not clear as to if they refer to the same heat transfer medium. NOTE: it looks like claim 3 limitation is redundant because claim 1 recites a heat transfer medium exporting thermal energy. Claim 11 recites the limitation "the multiple openings” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner recommend applicant to amend this limitation to “the at least one opening”. Claim 15 recites “…according to claim 13”, but claim 13 was canceled. Therefore it’s not clear as to which claim is the one that claim 15 depends on. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-12 and 14-16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The limitations of claim 1 cannot be met without impermissible hindsight reconstruction. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KO-WEI LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7675. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-2:30 Eastern Time. 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, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571)272-9059. 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. /KO-WEI LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 12, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
96%
With Interview (+20.3%)
3y 0m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 825 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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