Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/817,399

DOORS FOR HOME APPLIANCE AND HOME APPLIANCE INCLUDING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 28, 2024
Priority
Aug 29, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0113784
Examiner
ALHAWAMDEH, NADER J
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
LG Electronics Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allowance Rate
594 granted / 649 resolved
+23.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
681
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
40.2%
+0.2% vs TC avg
§102
51.1%
+11.1% vs TC avg
§112
2.7%
-37.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 649 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 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-2, 12, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US. 10,941,976 B2). In Regards to Claim 1: Kim teaches a door (32) for an appliance, the door (32) comprising: a door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) configured to be disposed at a front of a storage space (70) of the appliance (Fig. 1), the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) accommodating an electronic component therein; and a connector module (130) disposed in the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) and electrically connected to the electronic component through a door wire (102), wherein the connector module (130) comprises: a mounting base (120/126) fixed to an inside of the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1), a movement supporter (126) configured to move along the mounting base (120/126), and a door connector (131) disposed at the movement supporter (126) and configured to move with the movement supporter (126) along the mounting base (120/126), wherein the movement supporter (126) is mounted to the mounting base (120/126) in a first direction, and wherein the movement supporter (126) is configured to move relative to the mounting base (120/126) in a second direction that is different from the first direction. In Regards to Claim 2: Kim teaches the door of claim 1, wherein the movement supporter (126) is mounted to a first position of the mounting base (120/126), and wherein the movement supporter (126) is configured to slide relative to the mounting base (120/126) in the second direction from the first position to a second position of the mounting base (120/126). In Regards to Claim 12: Kim teaches the door of claim 1, wherein the mounting base (120/126) comprises a restraint maintaining part (133) configured to move in the second direction and to interfere with a part of the movement supporter (126) to thereby restrict the movement supporter (126) from moving from an operation position. In Regards to Claim 19: Kim teaches the door of claim 1, wherein the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprises a door panel (See Reproduced Drawing 1) disposed at a central portion of the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1), the door panel (See Reproduced Drawing 1) comprising a window through which the storage space (70) is visible, wherein the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) defines an indoor space (70) including an installation region disposed around an outer portion of the window of the door panel (See Reproduced Drawing 1), and wherein the connector module (130) is disposed in the installation region. In Regards to Claim 20: Kim teaches an appliance (Fig.1) comprising: a main body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) that defines a storage space (70); a door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) that is disposed at a front of the storage space (70) and accommodates an electronic component therein; and a connector module (130) disposed in the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1) and electrically connected to the electronic component through a door wire (102), wherein the connector module (130) comprises: a mounting base (120/126) fixed to an inside of the door body (See Reproduced Drawing 1), a movement supporter (126) configured to move along the mounting base (120/126), and a door connector (131) disposed at the movement supporter (126) and configured to move with the movement supporter (126) along the mounting base (120/126), wherein the movement supporter (126) is mounted to the mounting base (120/126) in a first direction, and wherein the movement supporter (126) is configured to move relative to the mounting base (120/126) in a second direction that is different from the first direction. PNG media_image1.png 624 746 media_image1.png Greyscale Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-11, and 13-18 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NADER J ALHAWAMDEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9Am - 6Pm EST. 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, Abdullah A Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. 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. /NADER J ALHAWAMDEH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 28, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12763517
HOUSING ASSEMBLY, CONNECTOR AND CONNECTION DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12746837
Charging Connector for an Electric Vehicle
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12744345
CONNECTOR
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12738679
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION PROTECTION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL PROTECTION CONNECTING HEAD, ELECTRICAL DEVICE AND POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS
3y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12738691
CONNECTOR MODULE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
2y 8m to grant Granted Sep 15, 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
92%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+10.1%)
1y 11m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 649 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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