Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/781,532

SENSOR DEVICE, WATER AMOUNT MEASUREMENT DEVICE, WATER AMOUNT MEASUREMENT METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

Final Rejection §DP
Filed
Jul 23, 2024
Priority
Jun 02, 2017 — JP 2017-109917 +3 more
Examiner
SHAH, NEEL D
Art Unit
2858
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sony Group Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
551 granted / 634 resolved
+18.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
662
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
9.4%
-30.6% vs TC avg
§103
52.4%
+12.4% vs TC avg
§102
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
§112
15.1%
-24.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 634 resolved cases

Office Action

§DP
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Response to Arguments 2. Applicant’s arguments in light of claim amendment, see Remarks, filed 7/23/26, with respect to Non-Final Rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The prior art rejection has been withdrawn. W.r.t. double patenting rejection, arguments states filing of terminal disclaimer. However, no terminal disclaimer has been filed. Attempt was made to reach attorney’s office to request a terminal disclaimer but the examiner was not able to teach the attorney. Claim Status 3. Claims 1-13, 15-17, 19-22 are pending in the application. Claims 14 and 18 are cancelled. Double Patenting 4. As presented in the previous office action, the double patenting rejection stands. A terminal disclaimer would help potentially overcome the rejection. Double Patenting rejection stands over claims 1-26 of US Patent No. US 12,066,461. Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 NEEL D SHAH whose telephone number is (571)270-3766. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9AM-5:30PM. 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, Judy Nguyen can be reached at 571-272-2258. 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. /NEEL D SHAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 23, 2024
Application Filed
May 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DP
Jul 23, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 01, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §DP (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12768859
TEST APPARATUS AND TEST METHOD THEREOF
2y 2m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12768799
Testing Apparatus and Testing Method
1y 11m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12761250
CURRENT DETECTION CIRCUIT
2y 2m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12761171
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN INDUCTIVE CONDUCTIVITY SENSOR AND INDUCTIVE CONDUCTIVITY SENSOR
1y 10m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12748031
FLUID INSPECTION APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+7.7%)
2y 4m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 634 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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