Last updated: September 18, 2026

Application No. 18/743,329

INSPECTION TOOL FOR FIBER ARRAY UNIT (FAU) QUALITY MONITORING IN THE CO-PACKAGED OPTICS APPLICATION AND METHODS FOR INSPECTING USNG THE SAME

Final Rejection

Filed

Jun 14, 2024

Examiner

NGUYEN, SANG H

Art Unit

2877

Tech Center

2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems

Assignee

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

OA Round

2 (Final)

Interview Optional

— +11.7% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 89% grant rate with +11.7% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 1472 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

NGUYEN, SANG H View full profile →

Grants 89% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

1305 granted / 1472 resolved

+20.7% vs TC avg

Moderate +12% lift

Without

With

+11.7%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Fast prosecutor

1y 12m

Avg Prosecution

25 currently pending

Career history

1490

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

12.8%

-27.2% vs TC avg

§103

45.3%

+5.3% vs TC avg

§102

20.1%

-19.9% vs TC avg

§112

13.5%

-26.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1472 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 14, 2024

Application Filed

Mar 27, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

May 21, 2026

Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

May 22, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Jun 24, 2026

Response Filed

Jul 29, 2026

Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/720,037

Patent 12736454

SELF-MIXING INTERFEROMETRY

2y 3m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026

18/680,937

Patent 12729986

LONG RANGE DISTRIBUTED FIBER SENSING WITH IMPROVED NOISE PERFORMANCE

2y 3m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026

18/720,946

Patent 12730078

METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT A SETTING OPERATION OF A CONTAINER INSPECTION APPARATUS, AND CONTAINER INSPECTION APPARATUS

2y 2m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026

18/897,514

Patent 12730074

Non-destructive In-situ Measurement Device and Method for High-Complexity Structures Based on Raman Analysis

1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026

18/898,318

Patent 12729957

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE OF OBJECT

1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 08, 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

89%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+11.7%)

1y 12m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Moderate

PTA Risk

Based on 1472 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.