Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 15, 2026
Application No. 18/834,907

ASSEMBLIES FOR MOVING A COVER, AND VEHICLE ROOF

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 31, 2024
Priority
Feb 14, 2022 — EU 22156543.5 +1 more
Examiner
DANG, HUNG Q
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Webasto SE
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 0m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allowance Rate
1285 granted / 1879 resolved
+8.4% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
75 currently pending
Career history
1964
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.7%
-35.3% vs TC avg
§103
56.4%
+16.4% vs TC avg
§102
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
§112
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1879 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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Heidan et al. (WO 2014/082920 A2 – hereinafter Heidan, references to machine translated copy attached). Regarding claim 1, Heidan discloses an assembly for moving a cover for a vehicle roof (Figs. 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b – an assembly for moving a cover, which is the movable roof part 2 as described at least on page 4 and Fig. 1), having: a guide rail which is elongated along a longitudinal direction (Fig. 1; page 5 – a guide rail 5), a carriage which can be moved along the longitudinal direction in the guide rail and having a slotted deployment guide for a deployment lever (Figs. 2a-2d; Fig. 4; page 5 – control carriage 9 can be moved along the longitudinal direction in the guide rail 5 and having a guide with a control slot 25, which is a slotted deployment guide, for a deployment lever 8), wherein the slotted deployment guide has a sliding path which has a first portion and a second portion along the longitudinal direction (Fig. 5 – the control slot 25 has a sliding path for deployment lever 8), wherein the slotted deployment guide has a first extent in the first portion along a transverse direction, which extends transversely to the longitudinal direction (Fig. 4 – the middle portion has a first extent along a transverse direction), and the slotted deployment guide has a second extent in the second portion along the transverse direction, which is greater than the first extent (Fig. 4; page 5 – the second extent in the end portions along the transverse direction greater than the first extent due to the thickness of the pair of sliding shoes). Regarding claim 2, Heidan also discloses the assembly according to claim 1, in which the slotted deployment guide has a course along the longitudinal direction which rises, then runs in a straight line and then falls, wherein the first portion and the second portion adjoin one another in the rectilinear region of the course (Figs. 4-5; page 5). Regarding claim 3, Heidan also discloses the assembly according to claim 1, in which the carriage has a slotted control guide for a control rod, wherein the slotted control guide and the slotted deployment guide are arranged along the transverse direction on opposite sides of the carriage (Fig. 8a – the carriage 9 has another slotted guide for rod 11, on the other side of that for the lever 8 along the transverse direction of the carriage 9). Regarding claim 4, Heidan also discloses the assembly according to claim 3, wherein the slotted control guide and the first portion of the slotted deployment guide are arranged next to each other along the transverse direction (Fig. 8A – the middle portion as the portion and the slotted control guide are arranged next to each other along the transverse direction), and a partition wall of the carriage is arranged between the slotted control guide and the slotted deployment guide (Fig. 8A – the vertical wall along the longitudinal direction is arranged between the slotted control guide and the slotted deployment guide). Regarding claim 5, Heidan also discloses the assembly according to claim 1, in which the carriage has a carriage slider which is guided in the guide rail, wherein the carriage slider and the slotted deployment guide are arranged offset relative to one another along the longitudinal direction (Fig. 8A; page 5 – a pair of sliding shoes, each of which is a carriage slider is guided in the guide rail 5, particularly in the lower guide plane 5b of the guide rail 5, the carriage slider and the slotted deployment guide 25 are arranged offset relative to one another along the longitudinal direction, i.e. the shoes are arranged at two end portions while the slotted deployment guide is arranged at the middle portion). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1116. The examiner can normally be reached IFT. 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, Thai Q Tran can be reached at 571-272-7382. 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. /HUNG Q DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 31, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
68%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+18.3%)
3y 0m (~1y 0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1879 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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