Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/819,360

EMBEDDED TEMPERATURE SENSORS FOR MONITORING TEMPERATURE OF ARTICLES AND STATUS OF DRYING OR CLEANING CYCLES

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 29, 2024
Priority
Jun 19, 2020 — provisional 63/041,295 +1 more
Examiner
GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Ecolab USA Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
1271 granted / 1629 resolved
+18.0% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
42 currently pending
Career history
1657
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.0%
-38.0% vs TC avg
§103
35.8%
-4.2% vs TC avg
§102
29.7%
-10.3% vs TC avg
§112
18.5%
-21.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1629 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. Claims 1-20 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 1 is construed to be indefinite because recitation “the textile” (plural occurrences) lacks a positive antecedent basis. Since claims 2-20 depend on claim 1, those claims are construed to be indefinite by dependency upon an indefinite claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 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. Claims 1-20 are allowable over the prior art of record because a system with all the independently claimed features including a plurality of embedded temperature sensors associated with textile at one or more times during a drying cycle of a clothes dryer and determining a dryness of a load of laundry comprised of the plurality of textiles is not found in the prior art either singly or in combination. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Other prior art prior art references cited with this action may teach one or more claim features, but do not rise to a level of anticipation, obviousness, and/or double patenting such that a rejection would be proper or reasonable under current Office practice and procedure. References A, B, N, cited with this action, are patent publications from the same inventive entity as the current application. References C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, O, P, cited with this application, teach system with temperature sensors. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN MICHAEL GRAVINI whose telephone number is (571)272-4875. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 am to 5:00 (mid day flex) first F 6:00 am t0 11:00 am. 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, Craig Schneider can be reached at 571 272 3607. 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. Tuesday, July 28, 2026 /STEPHEN M GRAVINI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 29, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12704324
Electrode Drying System
3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12701945
SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12690655
AN ELECTRIC HAIR DRYER
3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12693073
DRYING SYSTEM
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12685373
HAIRCARE APPLIANCE
3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 21, 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
78%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+19.1%)
2y 6m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1629 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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