Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/781,408

ILLUMINATION DEVICE AND ILLUMINATION CONTROL SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 23, 2024
Examiner
LE, TUNG X
Art Unit
2844
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Japan Display Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 2m
To Grant
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allow Rate
1435 granted / 1651 resolved
+18.9% vs TC avg
Minimal +5% lift
Without
With
+5.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
1671
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
37.9%
-2.1% vs TC avg
§102
37.0%
-3.0% vs TC avg
§112
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1651 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 . This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s communication filed on July 23, 2024. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-15 are currently presented in the instant application. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 07/23/2024 and 09/25/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are 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. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1, 6 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. As claim 1, the recitation of “second data” in lines 13-14 renders claim indefinite since it is not clears whether the “second data” in lines 13-14 being the same or different with “second data” in lines 11-12 thereof. As claim 6, the recitation of “second data” in line 24 renders claim indefinite since it is not clears whether the “second data” in line 24 being the same or different with “second data” in line 21 thereof. As claim 11, the recitation of “second data” in line 18 renders claim indefinite since it is not clears whether the “second data” in line 18 being the same or different with “second data” in line 15 thereof. Note: if they are the same, change “second data” in lines 13-14 to --the second data-- in claim 1 (claims 6 and 11 are corrected as well). Claims 2-5, 7-10 and 12-15 are also rejected under 112 second paragraph as being dependent upon rejected claims 1, 6 and 11, respectively. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-15 would be allowable if corrected to overcome the rejection set forth above. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art Liu et al. – US 2020/0295830 Prior art Chemel et al. – US 2020/0267810 Prior art Kurokawa – US 2018/0061344 Prior art Van de Sluis et al. – US 2016/0088707 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUNG X LE whose telephone number is (571)272-6010. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 10am to 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, Regis Betsch can be reached at 571-270-7101. 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. /TUNG X LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844 October 31, 2025
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Prosecution Timeline

Jul 23, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 31, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

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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
87%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+5.0%)
2y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1651 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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