Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/742,256

Connector Shielding Shell, Connector Shielding Shell Assembly, Connector and Shell Part

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Jun 13, 2024
Priority
Jun 16, 2023 — CN 202310721621.8
Examiner
NGUYEN, TRUC T
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
TE Connectivity Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
1150 granted / 1316 resolved
+27.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
1327
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
34.8%
-5.2% vs TC avg
§102
39.0%
-1.0% vs TC avg
§112
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1316 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 . 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 2-10 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. Claim 2 recites the limitation "the diameter" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 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. Claims 1-2 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Sharf (US 20200077541). Regarding claim 1, Sharf discloses a connector shielding shell, comprising: a bottom shell (224); and a top shell (222) including a top wall having a predetermined thickness, the top wall having an installation opening (232) formed on or in the top wall of the top shell and adapted to receive a cooling pipe (see paragraph 0032), the top shell defining a cooling plate (high thermal conductivity, see paragraph 0030) adapted to transfer heat to the cooling pipe. Regarding claim 2, Sharf discloses the thickness of the top wall of the top shell is greater than the diameter of the cooling pipe (see Fig. 2), and the installation opening comprises an installation slot formed on the outer surface of the top wall of the top shell, the installation slot extends along a transverse direction of the connector shielding shell; and the cross-section of the installation slot is U-shaped (see Fig. 2), and the depth of the installation slot is not less than a diameter of the cooling pipe, so that the cooling pipe can be completely received in the installation slot in a depth direction of the slot. Regarding claim 20, Sharf discloses a connector shielding shell assembly, comprising: a connector shielding shell, including: a bottom shell (224); and a top shell (222) including a top wall having a predetermined thickness, the top wall defining an installation opening (232) formed on or in the top wall of the top shell and adapted to receive a cooling pipe (see paragraph 0032), and the top shell defining a cooling plate adapted to transfer heat to the cooling pipe; and a cooling pipe installed in the installation opening of the connector shielding shell. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-19 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 TRUC T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2011. The examiner can normally be reached monday-friday (7-4). 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, Christopher M. Koehler can be reached at 5712723560. 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. /TRUC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 13, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12749840
CONTACT ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR INCLUDING THE CONTACT ASSEMBLY
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12749844
CONNECTOR
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12738685
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
2y 10m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12738686
CONNECTOR
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12729711
LOCKING STRUCTURE AND BUCKLING WASHER
3y 2m to grant Granted Sep 08, 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
87%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+7.3%)
1y 10m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1316 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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