Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/716,396

Optical Circuit

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jun 04, 2024

Priority

Dec 07, 2021 — nonprovisional of PCT/JP2021/044968 +1 more

Examiner

WOLDEKIDAN, HIBRET ASNAKE

Art Unit

2635

Tech Center

2600 — Communications

Assignee

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +13.3% interview lift. Interview lift (+13.3%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 852 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

WOLDEKIDAN, HIBRET ASNAKE View full profile →

Grants 86% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

733 granted / 852 resolved

+24.0% vs TC avg

Moderate +13% lift

Without

With

+13.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 4m

Avg Prosecution

12 currently pending

Career history

868

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

1.8%

-38.2% vs TC avg

§103

82.8%

+42.8% vs TC avg

§102

4.8%

-35.2% vs TC avg

§112

8.0%

-32.0% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 852 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 04, 2024

Application Filed

Mar 24, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/458,413

Patent 12683691

COHERENT OPTICS CHANNEL DISCOVERY AND PROGRAMMABILITY FOR OPTICAL NETWORKS

2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/493,273

Patent 12683705

Optical Signal Amplification Apparatus and Method

2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/134,806

Patent 12671516

DUMMY-LIGHT GENERATION DEVICE, OPTICAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, AND DUMMY-LIGHT GENERATION METHOD

3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/172,924

Patent 12659037

PLURALITY OF EMITTERS FOR COUPLING LASER BEAMS INTO A MULTI-MODE OPTICAL FIBER

3y 3m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

18/489,352

Patent 12659633

OPTICAL NETWORK UNIT, OPTICAL LINE TERMINAL AND METHOD, DEVICE AND MEDIUM FOR COMMUNICATION

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

86%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+13.3%)

2y 4m (~2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 852 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.