Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/814,383

ULTRASONIC ELASTICITY IMAGING METHOD AND ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 23, 2024
Priority
Aug 01, 2023 — CN 202310964274.1
Examiner
TURCHEN, ROCHELLE DEANNA
Art Unit
3797
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
57%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 2m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 57% of resolved cases
57%
Career Allowance Rate
374 granted / 659 resolved
-13.2% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+29.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 1m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
687
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
§103
87.0%
+47.0% vs TC avg
§102
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
§112
5.5%
-34.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 659 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 . Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in People’s Republic of China on 1 August 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202310964274.1 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. 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 2 and 8 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. Claim 2 recites the limitation "the elastic value…for each local point" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 8 recites the limitation "the first quantitative elastic value for said local point" in lines 5-6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 3-7 and 9-17 are allowed. Claims 2 and 8 would be allowable if rewritten 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROCHELLE DEANNA TURCHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7104. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 6:30-2:30. 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, Christopher Koharski can be reached at (571)272-7230. 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. /ROCHELLE D TURCHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 23, 2024
Application Filed
May 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (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
57%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+29.9%)
4y 1m (~2y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 659 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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