Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/736,549

METHOD AND DEVICE IN NODES USED FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 07, 2024
Priority
Dec 08, 2021 — CN 202111490609.8 +1 more
Examiner
HOANG, THAI D
Art Unit
2463
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Apogee Networks LLC
OA Round
2 (Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
576 granted / 664 resolved
+28.7% vs TC avg
Minimal -2% lift
Without
With
+-1.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
687
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.6%
-35.4% vs TC avg
§103
35.0%
-5.0% vs TC avg
§102
30.3%
-9.7% vs TC avg
§112
18.0%
-22.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 664 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 07/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant’s amendment rises new 35 U.S.C. 112(b) issues shown below. 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 1-20 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. Claims 1, 8 and 14 recite a “first-type reference signals” and a “second-type reference signals”, wherein the second-type reference signals is defined “demodulation reference signals (DMRS)”. It is unclear what is meant by the “first-type reference signals”. The limitation “a first relationship or a second relationship” recited in claims 4-5, 7, 9, 11-13, 15, 17-18 and 20 is confusing. It is unclear what are a first relationship and a second relationship. Claims 7, 13 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted element is a third information block. Claims 1, 8 and 14 recite a first and second information blocks, and claims 7, 13 and 20 recite a fourth information block. All claims depend on rejected claims 1, 8 and 14 are rejected. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Liu et al, WO 2020221325 A1, discloses a communication method and device to realize that a network device configures a terminal device with different reference signals. Wang et al, WO 2018201879 A1, discloses a communications method, a related device and a system. Yum et al, US 20210105114 A1, discloses a method for receiving or transmitting a reference signal and device therefor. Nma et al, US 20170288743 A1, discloses a method and apparatus for the configuration and transmission of the up-link demodulation reference signals (UL-DMRS). THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 THAI D HOANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3184. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30 am-18:30pm. 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, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. 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. THAI HOANG D. Primary Examiner Art Unit 2463 /THAI DINH HOANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 07, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 23, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 07, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12757049
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING AND REPORTING QOE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
2y 9m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12750875
TRIPLE BEAT AVOIDANCE FOR CONTIGUOUS AND NON-CONTIGUOUS INTRA-BAND CARRIER AGGREGATIONS
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12738982
REMOTE CONTROLLED RECONFIGURABLE INTELLIGENT SURFACE
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12720361
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING QUALITY OF SERVICE OF VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS IN A NETWORK USING MATCHMAKING AND LOBBY FUNCTIONALITY
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12720606
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING RANDOM ACCESS PROCEDURE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 25, 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
87%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (-1.9%)
2y 11m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 664 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