Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/711,617

PROGRAMMABLE GRAPHIC PROJECTION LIGHT SOURCE SYSTEM FOR OPHTHALMOLOGY

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
May 20, 2024
Priority
Dec 10, 2021 — CN 202111504976.9 +1 more
Examiner
MALAMUD, DEBORAH LESLIE
Art Unit
3700
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Eye And Ear Nose And Throat Hospital Affiliated To Fudan University
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
673 granted / 859 resolved
+8.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
41 currently pending
Career history
901
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.8%
-37.2% vs TC avg
§103
50.2%
+10.2% vs TC avg
§102
42.6%
+2.6% vs TC avg
§112
3.0%
-37.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 859 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
DETAILED ACTION The Examiner acknowledges the amendments received 28 April 2026. Claims 1-4 are pending. 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 “Remarks”, filed 28 April 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-4 under Shenzhen and Reis 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101 Section 33(a) of the America Invents Act reads as follows: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may issue on a claim directed to or encompassing a human organism. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 and section 33(a) of the America Invents Act as being directed to or encompassing a human organism. See also Animals - Patentability, 1077 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 24 (April 21, 1987) (indicating that human organisms are excluded from the scope of patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101). Claim 1 requires “the light shielding plate being located between the light source and a pupil” (lines 3-4) “another part of the light irradiates orthographically onto a periphery of the pupil” (lines 11-12) and “a part of the light transferring the pattern shown in the flexible screen irradiates obliquely on to the pupil” (lines 13-14). These limitations implicitly claim the human body as part of the inventive system, and should be amended to include “configured to” (“adapted to”, etc.) language to preclude this interpretation. The claims should further be amended to maintain consistency with these amendments. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEBORAH L MALAMUD whose telephone number is (571)272-2106. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 1:00-9:30 Eastern. 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, Unsu Jung can be reached at (571) 272-8506. 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. /DEBORAH L MALAMUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3792
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 20, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101
Apr 28, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12667295
ECG ANALYSIS OF SIGNALS WITH OFFSETS
3y 7m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12661112
SURGICAL DEVICE RETRACTING MECHANISM
3y 7m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12661015
TECHNIQUES FOR SCREENING AND MONITORING PATIENTS FOR AORTIC ANEURYSMS
3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12661199
SURGICAL ROBOT SYSTEM
3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12653716
METHOD FOR LOCATING VISUAL AXIS FOR LASER ASSISTED OPHTHALMIC PROCEDURE WITHOUT CORNEAL MARKING
3y 2m 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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+10.0%)
3y 3m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 859 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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