Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/719,335

PENDULUM ROCKER DAMPER WITH AN AXIS OF ROTATION FOR A DRIVE TRAIN

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 13, 2024
Priority
Jan 12, 2022 — DE 10 2022 100 596.8 +1 more
Examiner
BINDA, GREGORY JOHN
Art Unit
3679
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
OA Round
2 (Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
3m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
1475 granted / 1822 resolved
+29.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
48 currently pending
Career history
1849
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
§103
19.5%
-20.5% vs TC avg
§102
38.2%
-1.8% vs TC avg
§112
37.8%
-2.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1822 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claim 11 is 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 1 recites the limitation, “[a second energy storage element is arranged in the roller to pretension the roller and] the rocker-side roller track or the outer roller track pretensions the roller”. Applicant has not pointed out where this limitation is supported, nor does there appear to be a written description of the limitation in the application as originally filed. Claim 11 is 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 11 recites the limitation "the one of the rocker-side roller track or the outer roller track". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 3, 5-10, 13-14 & 16 are allowed. 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 Greg Binda whose telephone number is (571)272-7077. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-5:30 et. 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, Matthew Troutman can be reached at 571-270-3654. 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. /Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 13, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 17, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 30, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12704154
PROTECTIVE COVER STRUCTURE FOR THE SLIP ASSEMBLY
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12704152
CARDANICALLY FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR TRANSMITTING HIGH AXIAL FORCES FOR DRIVE TRAINS IN WIND TURBINES
3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12698795
ROTOR SHAFT SYSTEM WITH INCREASED STIFFNESS
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12692904
TRIPOD TYPE CONSTANT VELOCITY UNIVERSAL JOINT
2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12692905
UNIVERSAL JOINT
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 28, 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.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+11.8%)
2y 6m (~3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1822 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month