Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/833,498

HYDRAULIC PRESSURE CONTROL UNIT

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jul 26, 2024
Priority
Jan 31, 2022 — JP 2022-012704 +1 more
Examiner
TEKA, ABIY
Art Unit
3745
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Robert Bosch GmbH
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
4m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
583 granted / 688 resolved
+14.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
707
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
35.1%
-4.9% vs TC avg
§102
34.5%
-5.5% vs TC avg
§112
27.8%
-12.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 688 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1, 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Atsushi (WO 2021038377 A1) in view of Qiao et al. (CN 215729697) hereinafter Qiao. Regarding Claim 1 Atsushi teaches a hydraulic pressure control unit (1) for a straddle-type vehicle (200), the hydraulic pressure control unit comprising: a hydraulic pressure sensor (103) that detects a hydraulic pressure of a brake fluid (Fig 1-5); a hydraulic pressure control mechanism (31, 32) for controlling the hydraulic pressure; a control board (36) that controls operation of the hydraulic pressure control mechanism (31, 32); and a base body (10) to which the hydraulic pressure sensor (103) and the hydraulic pressure control mechanism (31, 32)) are attached (Fig 1-5). Atsushi is silent regarding the control board being electrically connected to the base body via a terminal that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor. However, Qiao teaches a sensor module and a circuit board arrangement having a control board (120), base body (111) and a pressure sensor (112) (Fig 7). Qiao further teaches the control board (120) being electrically connected to the base body (111) via a terminal (113) that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor (112) (Fig 7). Since both Atsushi and Qiao both teach known sensor and board arrangements that are known in the art, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced one connection type for the other by forming the control board electrically connected to the base body via a terminal that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor to achieve a predictable result of forming a pressure sensing mechanism. Regarding Claim 7 Atsushi teaches wherein the hydraulic pressure control mechanism (31, 32) includes a valve (31, 32) for controlling the hydraulic pressure (Fig 2). Regarding Claim 9 Atsushi teaches wherein the straddle-type vehicle (200) is a bicycle. Claim 1, 8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Odaka (JP 2021133808) in view of Qiao et al. (CN 215729697) hereinafter Qiao. Regarding Claim 1 Odaka teaches a hydraulic pressure control unit (70) for a straddle-type vehicle (10), the hydraulic pressure control unit comprising: a hydraulic pressure sensor (35) that detects a hydraulic pressure of a brake fluid (Fig 1-5); a hydraulic pressure control mechanism (28-29, 31, 40) for controlling the hydraulic pressure; a control board (76) that controls operation of the hydraulic pressure control mechanism (28-29, 31, 40); and a base body (80) to which the hydraulic pressure sensor (35) and the hydraulic pressure control mechanism (28-29, 31, 40) are attached (Fig 1-5). Odaka is silent regarding the control board being electrically connected to the base body via a terminal that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor. However, Qiao teaches a sensor module and a circuit board arrangement having a control board (120), base body (111) and a pressure sensor (112) (Fig 7). Qiao further teaches the control board (120) being electrically connected to the base body (111) via a terminal (113) that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor (112) (Fig 7). Since both Odaka and Qiao both teach known sensor and board arrangements that are known in the art, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced one connection type for the other by forming the control board electrically connected to the base body via a terminal that is provided to the hydraulic pressure sensor to achieve a predictable result of forming a pressure sensing mechanism. Regarding Claim 8 Odaka teaches wherein the hydraulic pressure control mechanisms include a pump (31) for controlling the hydraulic pressure and a motor (40) for driving the pump (31). Regarding Claim 10 Odaka teaches wherein the straddle-type vehicle (10) is a motorcycle (Fig 1). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-6 are objected to but would be allowable if rewritten to include all 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 ABIY TEKA whose telephone number is (571)272-9804. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 11-9 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, Nathaniel Wiehe can be reached at (571) 272-8648. 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. /ABIY TEKA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 26, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12704108
Axial Piston Machine with Neutral Valve Integrated in the Pot-Like Housing Part
1y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12687180
HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR
1y 2m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Patent 12649214
POLISHING APPARATUS
2y 7m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026
Patent 12630132
PEDAL SIMULATOR FOR VEHICLE
1y 10m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12630285
LINEAR ACTUATOR
1y 3m to grant Granted May 19, 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
85%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+10.3%)
2y 5m (~4m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 688 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