Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/779,212

HEAT EXCHANGER

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jul 22, 2024
Priority
Jul 21, 2023 — EU 23382754.2
Examiner
ALVARE, PAUL
Art Unit
3763
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Airbus Operations S.L.
OA Round
2 (Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allowance Rate
354 granted / 615 resolved
-12.4% vs TC avg
Strong +37% interview lift
Without
With
+37.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
41 currently pending
Career history
659
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
50.9%
+10.9% vs TC avg
§102
13.4%
-26.6% vs TC avg
§112
33.9%
-6.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 615 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 . 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 14-16 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, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Regarding Claim 14, the limitation “The heat exchanger according to claim 1” in ll. 4 is indefinite, in context, since it cannot be discerned what specific structural components of Claim 1 are incorporated into Claim 14, wherein Claim 1 was initially drawn to a heat exchanger and is currently drawn to an aircraft. Further clarification is required as to what components are required in Claim 14 based upon the amendments submitted 07/16/2026. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-13 and 18-20 are allowed. 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL ALVARE whose telephone number is (571)272-8611. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0930-1800. 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, Len Tran can be reached at (571) 272-1184. 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. /PAUL ALVARE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 22, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 29, 2026
Interview Requested
Jul 14, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jul 16, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 24, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Aug 10, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Sep 28, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12736290
HEAT EXCHANGER AND ASSEMBLY METHOD THEREFOR
4y 3m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12716658
VAPOR CHAMBER
3y 10m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12716624
AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
3y 10m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12710237
HEAT EXCHANGER
2y 8m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
Patent 12704330
Aircraft Heat Exchangers and Plates
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 11, 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
58%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+37.0%)
3y 1m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 615 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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