Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/722,609

VIBRATION-CHISELING MACHINING METHOD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 21, 2024
Priority
Jan 31, 2023 — CN 202310118836.0 +2 more
Examiner
FLORES SANCHEZ, OMAR
Art Unit
3724
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Tsinghua University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allowance Rate
1275 granted / 1727 resolved
+3.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1740
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
54.6%
+14.6% vs TC avg
§102
15.8%
-24.2% vs TC avg
§112
23.9%
-16.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1727 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by JianJian (CN114603164). JianJian discloses the method including the step of: Claim 1; obtaining a machining requirement of a current structure (S110); determining a target cutter, a machining parameter, and a vibration trajectory and a vibration parameter of the target cutter based on the machining requirement of the current structure (see Fig. 1; S120); and performing, based on the machining parameter, the vibration parameter, and the vibration trajectory, cutting on a surface of a workpiece to be machined through controlling the target cutter by a predetermined vibration device to obtain a microstructure satisfying the machining requirement of the current structure (see Fig. 3-8). Claim 2; wherein the machining requirement of the current structure comprises at least one of a micro-post structure, a microfiber structure, a micro-V-shaped groove structure, a micro-rib structure, and a micro-pyramid structure (see Fig. 5-8). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4507. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday8:00-4:00 pm. 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, Adam Eiseman can be reached at 571-270-3818. 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. /OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 21, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12669793
PRECISION-CUT CASING TUBULAR FOR CENTRALIZER ASSEMBLY
3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12667931
POWER TOOL
2y 5m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12667933
Evolutionary Compensation Method for Spindle Rotation Error of Computer Numerical Control Grinding Machine Based on Timing In-Situ Measurement
2y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12667987
POCKETKNIFE WITH ENHANCED SAFETY FEATURES
2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12654342
Reusable Gift Tag with Safety Cutter
2y 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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+14.4%)
2y 10m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1727 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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