Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/726,831

MAGNETIC MICROROBOT

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 05, 2024
Priority
Jan 07, 2022 — provisional 63/297,658 +1 more
Examiner
HOUSTON, ELIZABETH
Art Unit
3771
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center Limited
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
38%
Grant Probability
At Risk
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 11m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 38% of cases
38%
Career Allowance Rate
172 granted / 458 resolved
-32.4% vs TC avg
Strong +43% interview lift
Without
With
+42.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 3m
Avg Prosecution
10 currently pending
Career history
481
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
45.7%
+5.7% vs TC avg
§102
26.2%
-13.8% vs TC avg
§112
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 458 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 . 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 21-27 and 30-38 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 21, b, ii, b recites “when a suitable external magnetic field is applied”. Use of the term suitable renders the claim indefinite as it is subjective, and the claim fails to provide the metes and bounds of what parameters would rise to the level of being suitable. Claim 21, b, ii, c recites “when a suitable external magnetic field is applied”. Use of the term suitable renders the claim indefinite as it is subjective, and the claim fails to provide the metes and bounds of what parameters would rise to the level of being suitable. Claim 23 recites the limitation “driller type design” and “porter type design”, which is believed be a poor translation and should be read as “drill type design” and “port type design”. The terminology “type design” is subjective. Without further definition in the specification, one would not be able to ascertain what structure meet the limitation of a drill type design or port type design. Claim 24 recites the limitation “spiral type”, “flexible ora type”, “vibrating type” and “climbing type” are subjective limitations. The terminology “type” is subjective. Without further definition in the specification, one would not be able to ascertain what structure is necessary to meet any of the recited limitations. Further the term “flexible -ora is not a term of the art or a common dictionary term. As such it has no meaning without further explanation in the specification. Claim 38 recites the limitation, “flexible ora type”, “vibrating type” and “climbing type” are subjective limitations. The terminology “type” is subjective. Without further definition in the specification, one would not be able to ascertain what structure is necessary to meet any of the recited limitations. Further the term “flexible -ora is not a term of the art or a common dictionary term. As such it has no meaning without further explanation in the specification. Claims 22, 25-27, 30-37 are rejected due their dependency from claim 21. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH HOUSTON whose telephone number is (571)272-7134. The examiner can normally be reached generally M-F 8:00-4:30. 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, Edward Lefkowitz can be reached at 571-272-2180. 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. /ELIZABETH HOUSTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3771
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 05, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 08, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Feb 25, 2026
Interview Requested
Apr 01, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 05, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Sep 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12746012
HEMORRHAGE CONTROL PLATE APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
4y 9m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12702415
APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR REMOVAL OF HEART VALVE LIGATION CLIP
5y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12702505
Robot-assisted Automatic Introduction Method and Device for Trocar
2y 1m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12678602
DILATOR
3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12642516
CLIP INSTRUMENTS
2y 2m to grant Granted Jun 02, 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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
38%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+42.9%)
4y 3m (~1y 11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 458 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