Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/789,760

GOLF BALL HAVING AT LEAST ONE RADAR DETECTABLE MARK

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 31, 2024
Priority
Nov 20, 2020 — provisional 63/116,535 +8 more
Examiner
GORDEN, RAEANN
Art Unit
3711
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
ACUSHNET Company
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1238 granted / 1493 resolved
+12.9% vs TC avg
Minimal -5% lift
Without
With
+-5.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
34 currently pending
Career history
1523
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
45.9%
+5.9% vs TC avg
§102
12.2%
-27.8% vs TC avg
§112
21.8%
-18.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1493 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. 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. Claim 11 is 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. Claim 11 should depend from claim 3. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-10 and 12-29 are allowed. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAEANN GORDEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4409. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. 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, Eugene Kim can be reached at 571-272-4463. 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. /RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711 September 1, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 31, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 03, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Aug 04, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12741180
GOLF CLUB HEAD
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12722050
GOLF CLUB HEAD
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12714921
GOLF CLUB HEADS WITH RESILIENT MEMBERS
2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12708818
COATING FREE, FINISHED GOLF BALL WITH IONOMER COVER
2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
Patent 12702901
METHOD FOR SINGLE-STEP HEAT TREATMENT OF TITANIUM ALLOYS, GOLF CLUB STRIKING FACES, AND GOLF CLUB HEADS
2y 7m 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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (-5.0%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1493 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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