Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/840,925

MICROWAVE DISINFECTION PROTOCOL OPTIMISED FOR THE DESTRUCTION/ INACTIVATION OF SARS-COV-2 AND H1N1 VIRUSES

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 23, 2024
Priority
Feb 23, 2022 — EU 22158343.8 +1 more
Examiner
CHORBAJI, MONZER R
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Elettronica S P A
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
921 granted / 1205 resolved
+16.4% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+21.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
1223
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.1%
-36.9% vs TC avg
§103
63.4%
+23.4% vs TC avg
§102
26.5%
-13.5% vs TC avg
§112
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1205 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 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. Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Raymond et al. (US 2021/0299289 A1). Regarding claim 1, Raymond et al. discloses a microwave disinfection device (Fig.1) that is capable of being configured to destroy/inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 viruses and including a microwave irradiation section (Fig.1:102) configured to: irradiate microwave signals [0009 and 0085] that have an incident electric field amplitude not higher than 6 V/m and frequencies that are included in the 8-10 GHz [0091] band and are spaced from each other by a step comprised between 10 MHz to 100 MHz; irradiate the microwave signals at each individual frequency for a time interval comprised between 50 ms and 1 s [0052]; and irradiate the microwave signals [0055] with duty cycle comprised between 5% and 50%. Regarding claim 2, Raymond et al. discloses that the microwave irradiation section includes smart antennas [0076] and is configured to irradiate the microwave signals by means of said smart antennas, which are configured to irradiate a predefined microwave beam shaped so that the microwave signals are capable of being irradiated in a predefined volume of space near or around the microwave disinfection device. Regarding claim 3, Raymond et al. discloses that the microwave disinfection device in the form of, or integrated into, a device that is portable or wearable by a user [0139 and 0142-0143] ; wherein the predefined irradiated microwave beam in use by the smart antennas is shaped so that the microwave signals are not radiated towards the user's body. Regarding claim 4, Raymond et al. discloses a control section (Fig.1:101) that is capable of being configured to control the operation of the microwave irradiation section. Regarding claim 5, Raymond et al. discloses a power supply section (Fig.1:103) that includes a rechargeable battery [0138-0139]. Regarding claim 6, Raymond et al. discloses is integrated in an electronic device or transport Vehicle [0139]. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONZER R CHORBAJI whose telephone number is (571)272-1271. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-12:00 and 6:00-9:00. 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, Jill J Warden can be reached at (571)272-1267. 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. /MONZER R CHORBAJI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1799
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 23, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12678526
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISINFECTING PLUMBING FIXTURES AND ROOMS WITH PLUMBING FIXTURES
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12673286
Sterilizing Cabinet Filter Assembly
3y 8m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672654
Method for Controlling Microbial Growth in Sugar Processing
3y 5m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12673124
SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF PLASMA-DISINFECTING A CHANNEL BY DIRECT PLASMA
1y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672502
ADDITION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF REDUCING AGENT IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING PROCESS
2y 11m to grant Granted Jun 30, 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
76%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+21.1%)
2y 6m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1205 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