Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/777,798

CONNECTOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 19, 2024
Priority
Jul 24, 2023 — JP 2023-119959
Examiner
RAHMAN, THASLIMUR
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Yazaki Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
51 granted / 58 resolved
+27.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
65
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
48.3%
+8.3% vs TC avg
§102
38.5%
-1.5% vs TC avg
§112
13.2%
-26.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 58 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 . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nakai [US 20220239029 A1]. Regarding Claim 1, Nakai discloses a connector (10, Fig 1) comprising: a connection member (50), which is formed of a conductive metal material [0049], having a plurality of tabs (52); and a resin housing (20, see Fig 1-6) in which a portion of the connection member (50) is insert molded [0039], wherein the connection member (50) includes: a fixed plate (51, Fig 7) for mounting; a support plate (53) raised from the fixed plate (51); and a base part (58) connected continuously to the support plate (53) and in which the plurality of tabs (52) are formed so as to project, a bolt insertion hole (54) is formed in the fixed plate (51), and a pair of ribs (57) raised from the fixed plate (51) is formed on both sides of a portion in a width direction which is close to the support plate (53) from the bolt insertion hole (54) in the fixed plate (51). Regarding Claim 2, Nakai discloses all the limitations of claim 1, Nakai further discloses each of the ribs (57) is partially covered by a resin part projecting from the housing (20, see Figures 2 and 4). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THASLIMUR RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5831. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-6pm. 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, Tulsidas Patel can be reached at 571 272 2098. 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. /THASLIMUR RAHMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834 /TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 19, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12738695
FIELD DEVICE
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12725963
FLOATING CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
3y 8m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12725953
RIBBON CONDUCTOR CONNECTOR
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12719191
INTER-COMPONENT CONNECTION STRUCTURE
4y 1m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12712386
Power Feeder
2y 6m to grant Granted Aug 18, 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
88%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+8.2%)
2y 9m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 58 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