Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 20, 2026
Application No. 18/841,668

PERSONAL TRACKING DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 26, 2024
Priority
Feb 28, 2022 — provisional 63/268,641 +1 more
Examiner
TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
Art Unit
2689
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Iowise Technologies Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1207 granted / 1461 resolved
+20.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
1476
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.2%
-36.8% vs TC avg
§103
42.7%
+2.7% vs TC avg
§102
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
§112
13.8%
-26.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1461 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Drawings The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: No. 2806. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: Nos. 1908, 2912, 3100. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is not in single paragraph form. Also, an article –a—is needed before “personal tracking device” in line 2. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b). The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Paragraph 7, Line 2: An article –a—is needed before “personal tracking device”. Paragraph 8, Line 2: An article –a—is needed before “personal tracking device”. Paragraph 10, Line 2: An article –a—is needed before “personal tracking device”. Paragraph 14, Line 1: The word “This” should be lowercase. Paragraph 15, Line 2: The verb “establish” should read –establishing--. Paragraph 15, Line 3: The verb “communicate” should read –communicating--. Paragraph 54, Line 4: A word –to—is needed before “only those elements”. Paragraph 95, Line 9: The word “prevented” should read –prevent--. Paragraph 98, Line 3: The lock pin is numbered –2302—in the drawings. Paragraph 121, Line 2: An article –a—is needed before “particular”. Paragraph 128, Line 3: The verb “wears” should be replaced with the noun –wearers--. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Objections Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: An article –an—is needed before “embedded circuit”. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1, 2, 6-13, 15-21, 25-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the locking pin" in lines 10-11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2, 6-13, 15, and 16 are rejected as being dependent on a rejected base claim. Claim 17 recites the limitation "the locking pin" in lines 15-16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 18-21 and 25-27 are rejected for being dependent on a rejected base claim. A prior art rejection has not been formulated in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The majority of the claimed subject matter can be found in the prior art. Tracking devices with ankle straps have been used for some time as seen in the Gandrud et al [US 2021/0142641] (supplied by applicant) reference. Also, the tracking device taught by Walter et al [US 2011/0195722] (supplied by applicant) uses locking pins to secure the device to a user. However, the prior art does not combine these elements with the locking pin secured against a pogo pin of the detection circuitry wherein the locking pin is in communication with the embedded circuitry. The system taught by Wilson [U.S. 11,538,324] uses pogo pins, but these are not secured with a locking pin in communication with embedded circuitry. This is considered unobvious when compared to the prior art. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nicolae et al [U.S. 12,295,746] is an adjustable strap for a wearable monitor. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN A. TWEEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-2969. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4. 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, Davetta W Goins can be reached at 571-272-2957. 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. JAT 6/14/2026 /JOHN A TWEEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 26, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
83%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+10.2%)
1y 11m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1461 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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