Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/771,372

FISHING REEL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 12, 2024
Examiner
TC 3600, DOCKET
Art Unit
3600
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Shimano Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
4%
Grant Probability
At Risk
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
To Grant
5%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 4% of cases
4%
Career Allow Rate
5 granted / 142 resolved
-48.5% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+1.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 1m
Avg Prosecution
206 currently pending
Career history
348
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
36.1%
-3.9% vs TC avg
§103
34.6%
-5.4% vs TC avg
§102
13.9%
-26.1% vs TC avg
§112
10.9%
-29.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 142 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claim(s) 1-3 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2012005428A (hereinafter “JP ‘428”). With respect to Claim 1, JP ‘428 discloses a fishing reel 100, comprising a reel body 1 having a first portion 11 and a second portion 10 which is separate from the first portion; a handle 4 disposed on the first portion of the reel body; a storage unit 79 disposed in the reel body and configured to store setting information; a communication unit 74 disposed in the second portion and configured to communicate with an external electronic device (see Fig. 9; also claim 1, “A wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication with an external device provided outside the reel body…”); and a control unit 73 configured to cause the communication unit and the electronic device to communicate when the communication unit and the electronic device are disposed in a field capable of enabling near field wireless communication, and configured to update the setting information of the storage unit. With respect to Claim 2, JP ‘428 discloses the fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion 10 is disposed on a palming side (see Figs. 1 and 2, “palming side” is the side opposite the handle side) which is an opposite side of the first portion 11, and the communication unit 74 is disposed on the palming side (see Figs. 3-6 wherein 74 is located within second portion 10). With respect to Claim 3, JP ‘428 discloses the fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit 74 has an annular shape (see Fig. 6) and is disposed around a spool shaft supported by the reel body (communication unit 74 is disposed near or “around” spool shaft 2). With respect to Claim 8, JP ‘428 discloses the fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein a shielding part 50 is disposed between the communication unit 74 and the storage unit 79. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4-7 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. Claim 4 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach the entire combination of elements set forth including the communication unit has an annular shape and is disposed around a rotational shaft of a level winding device configured to move a line guide unit in reciprocating fashion. Claim 5 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach the entire combination of elements set forth including the communication unit has an antenna portion which is a pattern coil antenna. Claim 6 is allowed by virtue of its dependence from claim 5. Claim 7 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record fails to teach the entire combination of elements set forth including the communication unit has an air core coil antenna which is enameled wire. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art shows various fishing reels. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMMANUEL M MARCELO whose telephone number is (571)272-6949. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:00 am-3:30pm EST. 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, Victoria P Augustine can be reached at (313) 446-4858. 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. /EMMANUEL M MARCELO/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3654 /emm/
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 12, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 8813663
SEEDING MACHINE WITH SEED DELIVERY SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Aug 26, 2014
Patent null
Interconnection module of the ornamental electrical molding
Granted
Patent null
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENTITY SPECIFIC, DATA CAPTURE AND EXCHANGE OVER A NETWORK
Granted
Patent null
Systems and Methods for Performing Workflow
Granted
Patent null
DISTRIBUTED LEDGER PROTOCOL TO INCENTIVIZE TRANSACTIONAL AND NON-TRANSACTIONAL COMMERCE
Granted
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
4%
Grant Probability
5%
With Interview (+1.5%)
1y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 142 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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