Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/821,067

PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 30, 2024
Priority
Nov 27, 2019 — RE 10-2019-0153968 +2 more
Examiner
MCALLISTER, MICHAEL F
Art Unit
2847
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
530 granted / 617 resolved
+17.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+6.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
623
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
50.6%
+10.6% vs TC avg
§102
36.5%
-3.5% vs TC avg
§112
8.9%
-31.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 617 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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)(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. Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Grober (US 10440835 hereinafter Grober). In regards to claim 1, Grober discloses;” A circuit board (Abstract) comprising: a build-up insulating layer including a plurality of layers stacked along a vertical direction (Col. 2, Lines 34-49); and a via electrode passing through an upper surface of the build-up insulating layer and a lower surface of the build-up insulating layer (Col. 2, Lines 34-49, Fig. 4 (shown)), wherein the via electrode includes: a through portion passing through the upper surface and the lower surface of the build-up insulating layer along the vertical direction (Fig. 2 (108, 151)); and a protruding portion protruding from the through portion along a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (Fig. 4 (118)), and wherein the protruding portion is positioned between the upper surface and the lower surface of the build-up insulating layer (Fig. 4 (shows 118 is between the upper surface and lower surface of 102)).” In regards to claim 2, Grober discloses; “The circuit board of claim 1, wherein a side surface of the via electrode has a step along the vertical direction (Fig. 4 (shown)).” In regards to claim 3, Grober discloses;” The circuit board of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the protruding portion is positioned at an interface between the plurality of layers of the build-up insulating layer (Fig. 4 (shows via as an interface for 148).” In regards to claim 9, Grober discloses;” The circuit board of claim 1, wherein the through portion of the via electrode has an inclination, and wherein the protruding portion protrudes from the slope of the through portion (Fig. 34 (shown)).” In regards to claim 10, Grober discloses;” The circuit board of claim 9, wherein the through portion includes: a first slope in which a width in the horizontal direction gradually increases from an upper surface of the via electrode to a lower surface of the via electrode and a second slope in which a width in the horizontal direction gradually decreases from the upper surface of the via electrode to the lower surface of the via electrode (Fig. 4 (shown)).” In regards to claim 11, Grober discloses;” The circuit board of claim 1, comprising: a lower pad connected to a lower surface of the via electrode; and an upper pad connected to an upper surface of the via electrode (Fig. 4 (148, 150)).” In regards to claim 16, Grober discloses;” The circuit board of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the protruding portion is positioned at an interface between the plurality of layers of the build-up insulating layer (Col. 2, Lines 34-49, Fig. 4 (shown)).” Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4-8, 12-15, and 17-18 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 MICHAEL F MCALLISTER whose telephone number is (571)272-2453. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7 AM-4 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, Timothy Thompson can be reached at 571-272-2342. 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. /MICHAEL F MCALLISTER/Examiner, Art Unit 2847 /TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 30, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 23, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12706448
HOUSING FOR A CABLE GUIDE
2y 7m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12708005
DRIVING CIRCUIT MOUNTING FILM
2y 5m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12708006
WIRING SUBSTRATE
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12695281
CABLE SLEEVE
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12696377
DISPLAY MODULE AND DISPLAY APPARATUS
2y 3m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+6.2%)
1y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 617 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month