Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/806,212

Electrostatic Grounding Structures

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 15, 2024
Priority
Sep 28, 2023 — provisional 63/540,948
Examiner
AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L
Art Unit
2841
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
432 granted / 555 resolved
+9.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
18 currently pending
Career history
566
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
68.8%
+28.8% vs TC avg
§102
21.7%
-18.3% vs TC avg
§112
6.7%
-33.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 555 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 6 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Dong US 20240178621. Regarding claim 6, Dong US 20240178621 discloses a head-mounted device, comprising: a frame (frame of 10 in Fig. 6); an optical module (510 in Fig. 1) connected to the frame (frame of 10), the optical module (510) configured to display content to a user wearing the head-mounted device; a control board (400 in Fig. 4) connected to the frame (frame of 10); a flexible cable (200 in Fig. 4) having a first end and a second end, the flexible cable (200) being electrically connected to the control board (400) at the first end and electrically connected to the optical module (510) at the second end; and a grounding tab (300) that is in contact with an exterior surface of the flexible cable (200) adjacent to the first end of the flexible cable (200), connects the flexible cable (200) to the frame (frame of 10), and defines low impedance path from the exterior surface of the flexible cable (200) to the frame (frame of 10). Regarding claim 9, Dong US 20240178621 discloses the head-mounted device of claim 6, wherein: the optical module (510) is configured to translate relative to the frame (frame of 10); and the control board (400) is fixed relative to the frame (frame of 10). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-5 and 10-23 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 1, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in the claim, a combination of limitations that “an antenna configured to receive other signals from a source, the antenna having an antenna grounding path in conductive communication with the grounding member and the frame to direct the electrical charge from the grounding member to the frame through the antenna grounding path”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Claims 2-5 depending from claim 1 are therefore allowable. Regarding claim 10, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in the claim, a combination of limitations that “a flexible cable having a first end and a second end, the flexible cable being electrically connected to the control board at the first end and electrically connected to the optical module at the second end; a conductive gasket in contact with an exterior of the flexible cable adjacent to the first end of the flexible cable to define a first low impedance path from the flexible cable to a grounding path of the control board; and a grounding member that defines a second low impedance path from the grounding path of the control board to the frame”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Claims 11-16 depending from claim 10 are therefore allowable. Regarding claim 17, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in the claim, a combination of limitations that “a flexible electrical connector electrically coupled to the optical module connector and to the control board connector, the flexible electrical connector configured to transmit a signal between the optical module and the control board; and a grounding cable configured to direct an electrical charge to the frame, wherein the grounding cable includes a non-insulated conductor that extends along a portion of the flexible electrical connector”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Claims 18-23 depending from claim 17 are therefore allowable. Claims 7-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 6, a combination of limitations that “wherein the grounding tab includes a collar that extends around the flexible cable to secure the grounding tab to the flexible cable”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 6, a combination of limitations that “wherein: the flexible cable comprises micro-coaxial cables, the micro-coaxial cables are arranged laterally adjacent to one another at the first end for connection to the control board, and are arranged laterally adjacent to one another at the second end for connection to the optical module, the micro-coaxial cables are arranged in a bundle to define a central portion of the flexible cable between the first end and the second end, and the grounding tab is connected to the flexible cable along the central portion of the flexible cable”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tempel US 20160366399, Su US 11388813, Miglietta US 20240334666, Howell US 12078870, Miller US 20030067585, Guo US 20170090201, and Yoshida US 20220128824 are cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including a grounding component, a ground wire, a shield, an inner chassis and/or a frame. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm. 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, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. 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. /CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 15, 2024
Application Filed
May 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
78%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+14.3%)
2y 4m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 555 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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