Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/723,824

MOTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 24, 2024
Priority
Dec 22, 2021 — RE 10-2021-0185011 +1 more
Examiner
MATES, ROBERT E
Art Unit
2834
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
57%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 57% of resolved cases
57%
Career Allowance Rate
263 granted / 463 resolved
-11.2% vs TC avg
Strong +35% interview lift
Without
With
+35.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
496
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
62.3%
+22.3% vs TC avg
§102
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.8%
-25.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 463 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION 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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. The following title is suggested: MOTOR WITH SPACE BETWEEN BEARING AND SHAFT. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 11-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shinoda et al. (US 2020/0173490 A1, hereinafter Shinoda). As to claim 11, Shinoda shows (FIG. 3): PNG media_image1.png 729 728 media_image1.png Greyscale A motor 8 comprising: a shaft 2 with a hollow shape to form a space S inside; a rotor 3 coupled to the shaft 2; a stator 11 disposed to correspond to the rotor 3; and a first bearing 5 configured to support the shaft 2, wherein the shaft 2 includes a first region ABC overlapping with the first bearing 5 in a radial direction, wherein the first region ABC includes a second section BC including one end of the shaft 2 and a first section A extending along the axial direction from the second section B, and wherein the radial thickness of the second section BC is formed to be smaller than the radial thickness of the first section A to form a space between the second section BC and the first bearing 5 (para [0023],[0024]; FIG. 3 above shows the shaft 2 to be hollow with a central bore S). As to claim 12/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3 above) wherein an inner diameter of the first section A is equal to an inner diameter of the second section BC (the inner bore S is the same across A, B and some of C). As to claim 13/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein an axial length of the second section BC is in the range of 40% to 60% of an axial length of the first region ABC. As to claim 14/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) the second section BC includes a 2-1 section C and a 2-2 section B partitioned in the axial direction, and wherein an outer diameter of the 2-2 section B is greater than an outer diameter of the 2-1 section C. As to claim 15/14/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein the 2-1 section C is connected to an end of the shaft 2. As to claim 16/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein an axial length of the first section A is greater than an axial length of the second section BC. As to claim 17/16/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein the axial length of the second section BC is in the range of 0.67 to 1.0 times the axial length of the first section A. As to claim 18/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 4) a second bearing 6 supporting the other end of the shaft 2, wherein the inner diameter of the first bearing 5 is greater than the inner diameter of the second bearing 6. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Jo (WO 2020242222 A1) shows a rotor supported by bearings. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E MATES whose telephone number is (571)270-5293. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 12:00pm to 8pm. 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, TULSIDAS PATEL can be reached at (571)272-2098. 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. /ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834 /TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 24, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12700773
ROTOR MODULE WITH COOLING STRUCTURE
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12695344
HYBRID ROTOR MODULE WITH CLUTCH ASSEMBLIES AND COOLING OF ROTOR AND STATOR
4y 3m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12695359
ELECTRIC MACHINE WITH AN END WINDING COOLING ASSEMBLY
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12683441
AIRGAP COOLING SYSTEM FOR AN ELECTRIC MACHINE
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12665471
ELECTRIC DRIVE ASSEMBLY WITH COOLING
2y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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
57%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+35.4%)
3y 1m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 463 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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