Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/766,007

OPTICAL SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 08, 2024
Priority
Jan 25, 2018 — provisional 62/621,967 +13 more
Examiner
FENWICK, WARREN K
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Actutek Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allowance Rate
584 granted / 651 resolved
+29.7% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
8 currently pending
Career history
656
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
§103
37.4%
-2.6% vs TC avg
§102
28.9%
-11.1% vs TC avg
§112
14.2%
-25.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 651 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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/08/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDS is being considered by the examiner. 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. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites the limitation "a second driving assembly" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Since claims 2 – 20 are dependent upon claim 1, claims 2 - 20 are similarly rejected. Claim 6 recites the limitations: "driving magnetic element” in line 2; and “the optical axis” in line 4. There are insufficient antecedent bases for these limitations in the claim. Claim 7 recites the limitation "a third driving coil" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Since claims 8 – 10 are dependent upon claim 7, claims 8 - 10 are similarly rejected. Conclusion No prior art was applied for the rejections of claims 1, 6, 7. Thereby, if the rejections cite in paragraphs 5 – 7 above are corrected, then this application would be in condition for allowance. Contact Information Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WARREN K FENWICK whose telephone number is (571)270-3040. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday. 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, Walter L. Lindsay, Jr. can be reached at 571-272-1674. 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. /WALTER L LINDSAY JR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2852 WKF
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 08, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12743014
SPRING ASSEMBLIES WITH VARIABLE FLEXIBILITY FOR USE WITH PUSH-CABLES AND PIPE INSPECTION SYSTEMS
3y 6m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12742726
BEAM PROFILER CERTIFICATION AND CALIBRATION
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12729016
SYSTEM FOR SCANNING OR INSPECTING AN AIRCRAFT OR SPACECRAFT SURFACE
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12723965
SEEPAGE EROSION TEST SYSTEM
2y 3m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12714992
CAROUSEL ASSEMBLY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS PORT
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 25, 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
90%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+0.3%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 651 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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