Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/718,401

RELEASABLE ELECTRIC CONNECTION IN A HANDHELD PERSONAL CARE DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jun 10, 2024
Priority
Dec 14, 2021 — EU 21214325.9 +1 more
Examiner
LEON MUNOZ, EDWIN A
Art Unit
3724
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Koninklijke Philips N.V.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
1351 granted / 1528 resolved
+18.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1547
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
40.9%
+0.9% vs TC avg
§102
42.0%
+2.0% vs TC avg
§112
6.8%
-33.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1528 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . DETAILED ACTION Specification Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure. The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “comprises”, “means” and “said,” should be avoided. Claim Objections Claims 1-9 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 1-9 are grammatically in correct. It appears that Claim 1 should begin with “A” and Claims 2-9 should begin with “The”. Appropriate correction is required. 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 1-9 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 sole force" in Line 21. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art discloses handheld personal care devices, similar to Applicant’s claimed invention, having coupling members and electrical contact members. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN A LEON whose telephone number is (571)272-2008. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm. 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, Renee S Luebke can be reached on 5712722009. 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. /EDWIN A. LEON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 10, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12683102
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Patent 12681437
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Patent 12675077
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2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12667929
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3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
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
88%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+8.1%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1528 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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