Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/758,788

ADAPTER FOR CABLE CONNECTION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 28, 2024
Examiner
PAUMEN, GARY F
Art Unit
2834
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Charter Communications Operating LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
1755 granted / 1980 resolved
+20.6% vs TC avg
Minimal -2% lift
Without
With
+-1.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 8m
Avg Prosecution
49 currently pending
Career history
1997
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
50.5%
+10.5% vs TC avg
§102
38.4%
-1.6% vs TC avg
§112
4.1%
-35.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1980 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . 35 USC 103 Rejections The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim(s) 1-12 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Overholser 2933714 in view of Holland et al 2014/0315428. Regarding claim 1, Overholser (Figure 2) substantially discloses the claimed invention, including a coaxial adapter, comprising: a housing defining a cavity therein; a male connector coupled to the housing; and a connector 5 at least partially disposed in the cavity of the housing and configured to receive and secure a coaxial cable (not shown). Holland et al (Figure 16) discloses the female connector 1644 includes: an electrically conductive tube disposed in the housing and in electrical communication with the male connector 1758, and to form connector 5 of Overholser as a female connector thus would have been obvious, to facilitate connection to a mating male cable connector. Regarding claim 2, Overholser discloses the male connector 12 projects from a first surface of the housing 16 away from the housing and the female connector is configured to receive and secure the coaxial cable such that the coaxial cable is positioned substantially perpendicular to the male connector. Regarding claim 3, Overholser (as modified by Holland et al) discloses the female connector 5 includes a receiving portion that is defined by a second surface of the housing, and the receiving portion is configured to receive the coaxial cable. Regarding claim 4, Overholser discloses the second surface of the housing 16 is substantially perpendicular to the first surface of the housing. Regarding claim 5, Overholser (as modified by Holland et al) discloses the receiving portion permits access to the cavity of the housing 16 and the coaxial cable is configured for insertion into the receiving portion to engage the electrically conductive tube. Regarding claim 6, Overholser (as modified by Holland et al) discloses the coaxial cable is configured to mechanically engage the electrically conductive tube to electrically connect the coaxial cable and the male connector 12 via the electrically conductive tube. Regarding claim 7, Overholser (as modified by Holland et al) discloses the electrically conductive tube includes an engaging portion (the unnumbered inner spring of 1644 of Holland et al) that is configured to engage a center conductor of the coaxial cable to couple the coaxial cable to the coaxial adapter. Regarding claim 8, Overholser (as modified by Holland et al) the engaging portion is configured to engage the center conductor of the coaxial cable such that a pull-out force required to remove the center conductor from the electrically conductive tube is greater than an insertion force required to insert the center conductor into the electrically conductive tube 16. Regarding claim 9, Overholser discloses the electrically conductive tube 16 is configured to receive and secure a center conductor of the coaxial cable, and the electrically conductive tube is configured to receive only the center conductor of the coaxial cable therein. Regarding claim 10, Overholser discloses the electrically conductive tube 16 is at least partially surrounded by a dielectric material, and the dielectric material 6 is contained within an electrically conductive shielding 16. Regarding claims 11, 12 and 15-20, the subject matter therein has been dealt with above. Claims Defining Over Prior Art Claims 13-14 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art discloses or teaches the second portion of the pin being inserted into the tube to electrically connect the center conductor of the coaxial cable to the pin; in combination with the rest of the subject matter of the rest of the subject matter of the respective independent claim and any intervening claims. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY F PAUMEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2013. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th. 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 Koehler can be reached at 571-272-3560. 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. /GARY F PAUMEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 28, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12706417
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
2y 12m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706315
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR, SUCH AS A CURRENT ROD, FOR A HIGH-TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICE
3y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706410
CONNECTOR POSITION ASSURANCE FOR AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706425
POWER CONECTOR SYSTEM
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706415
ON-VEHICLE CONNECTOR UNIT
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 11, 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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (-1.5%)
1y 8m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1980 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