Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/835,331

TORQUE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL METHOD AND TORQUE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Aug 01, 2024
Priority
Feb 02, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTJP2022004117
Examiner
HUYNH, HAI H
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
93%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 93% — above average
93%
Career Allowance Rate
1173 granted / 1256 resolved
+33.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
10 currently pending
Career history
1269
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
§103
16.9%
-23.1% vs TC avg
§102
53.9%
+13.9% vs TC avg
§112
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1256 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
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 . Inventorship This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows: Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title. Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) calculating a torque distribution value of any one of the plurality of driving wheels based on a first parameter (evaluation); and calculating a correction value for the torque distribution value based on a deviation between an actual value and a target value of a second parameter (judgement), and correcting (judgement) the torque distribution value with the calculated correction value, wherein the correction value is limited based on the torque distribution value. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the claimed limitations perform abstract idea of evaluation/judgement process without a controller for calculating and controlling the torque distribution. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 6 is allowed. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kurosawa et al (11,932,138) teaches a torque limiting process for an electric vehicle. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAI H HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)272-4844. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 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, Lindsay M Low can be reached at 571-272-1196. 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. /HAI H HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 01, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101 (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
93%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+7.1%)
1y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1256 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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