Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/768,320

PARKING COOLER

Final Rejection §DOUBLEPATENT
Filed
Jul 10, 2024
Priority
Jan 19, 2016 — provisional 62/280,352 +3 more
Examiner
ZEC, FILIP
Art Unit
3763
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Dometic Sweden AB
OA Round
2 (Final)
66%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 66% — above average
66%
Career Allowance Rate
679 granted / 1033 resolved
-4.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
1058
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
54.5%
+14.5% vs TC avg
§102
21.6%
-18.4% vs TC avg
§112
16.6%
-23.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1033 resolved cases

Office Action

§DOUBLEPATENT
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 . This action is in response to the amendment filed 8/03/2026. Claims 1-13 are pending. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-8, filed 8/3/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-13 under 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of U.S. Patent 12,049,120, as described in detail below. Double Patenting The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969). A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b). The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13. The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer. Claims 1-13 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-19 of U.S. Patent No. 12,049,120 (‘120). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they claim the same invention, namely a mobile air conditioning system, comprising a first housing having a base and a shroud wherein said first housing has a first one or more cooling mechanicals therein comprising a variable speed compressor, a condenser, and/or an evaporator; a second housing, spaced apart and distinct from said first housing, wherein said second housing defines a second interior space for positioning a second of said one or more cooling mechanicals comprising the other of said condenser or said evaporator; said one or more cooling mechanicals in fluid communication for movement of a refrigerant therebetween; at least one of said first housing and said second housing comprising an interior space having a first portion and a second portion wherein said first portion and said second portion are symmetrically disposed; and, a printed circuit board disposed in said first housing or said second housing, said printed circuit board controlling at least said first one or more cooling mechanicals and receiving input from one or more sensors; said first one or more cooling mechanicals disposed in said first portion, and an additional cooling mechanical capable of being positioned in said second portion when a larger cooling capacity is desired (claims 11-19). Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892 for relevant prior art. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILIP ZEC whose telephone number is (571)270-5846. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri; 9-5. 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, JD Fletcher can be reached at 5712705054. 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. /FILIP ZEC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763 10/3/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 10, 2024
Application Filed
May 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DOUBLEPATENT
Aug 03, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 06, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §DOUBLEPATENT (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12768575
THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENT COOLING DEVICE AND REFRIGERATOR COMPRISING SAME
1y 12m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12759901
Passive Freezing Desalination Driven By Radiative Cooling
2y 0m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12753961
COOLING CIRCUIT FOR A SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING AND COOLING A GAS
2y 4m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12753953
CRYOGENIC COOLING DEVICE
2y 2m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12747900
ICE MAKING METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES
2y 8m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
66%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+13.9%)
3y 1m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1033 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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