Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/799,718

WORK ESTIMATION APPARATUS, WORK ESTIMATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 09, 2024
Priority
Mar 25, 2022 — continuation of PCTJP2022014679
Examiner
KARIM, ZIAUL
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allowance Rate
616 granted / 753 resolved
+21.8% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+21.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
773
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.4%
-34.6% vs TC avg
§103
67.6%
+27.6% vs TC avg
§102
15.4%
-24.6% vs TC avg
§112
8.4%
-31.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 753 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
CTNF 18/799,718 CTNF 89835 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claims 1-10 are pending. Specification (abstract) 06-14 AIA Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure. A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art. If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives. Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps. Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-03 AIA The term “ relatively small”, “relatively large ” in claim s 1, 9-10 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “ relatively small”, “relatively large ” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. There is no boundary set by the specification . Allowable Subject Matter 07-43-01 AIA Claim s 1-10 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123. Conclusion The prior art made of record and listed on the attached PTO Form 892 but not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yokono at el. USPGPUB 20120076428 A1 teaches an information processing device includes: a recognizer configured to recognize a predetermined part of a body of a person from an input image including the person; an evaluator configured to evaluate a difference between a recognized input part and a reference part serving as a basis; and a notifying unit configured to notify information relating to the difference of the input part from the reference part based on an evaluation result. Kirk et al. USPGPUB 20160314818 A1 teaches a methods and systems for associating frames in a video of an activity of a person with an event. The methods include recording a video of an activity of a person; storing a time-series of a plurality of sensor data (82) obtained from a sensor assembly (12) of at least one sensor (31, 32, 33, 34, 35) coupled to the person while the person is performing the activity; synchronizing the video with the sensor data (82); detecting an event in the time-series; and associating the event with at least one corresponding frame in the video showing the event. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIAUL KARIM whose telephone number is (571)270-3279. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00 PM EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on 571 272 4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov . Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ZIAUL KARIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119 Application/Control Number: 18/799,718 Page 2 Art Unit: 2119 Application/Control Number: 18/799,718 Page 3 Art Unit: 2119 Application/Control Number: 18/799,718 Page 4 Art Unit: 2119 Application/Control Number: 18/799,718 Page 5 Art Unit: 2119
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 09, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §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
82%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+21.9%)
2y 7m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 753 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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