Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/843,477

FURNITURE OR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE ELEMENT

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 03, 2024
Priority
Mar 04, 2022 — DE 10 2022 105 122.6 +1 more
Examiner
ROHRHOFF, DANIEL J
Art Unit
3637
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Paul Hettich GmbH & Co. Kg
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
1054 granted / 1352 resolved
+26.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+14.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1369
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
61.9%
+21.9% vs TC avg
§102
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
§112
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1352 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. Claim(s) 17 & 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schill (US patent 4,124,262). Regarding claim 17, Schill discloses a furniture or household appliance element comprising: a carrier body having a base support plate (14) and a top support plate (16); a body part mounted to simultaneously translationally and rotationally move relative to the carrier body, wherein the body part has a base plate (20), a top plate (24), and at least one side wall (28); a guide bearing arranged between the top support plate and the top plate or arranged between the base support plate and the base plate, wherein the guide bearing has at least one guide cam track (38) and a guide element (60) guided in the at least one guide cam track, wherein the at least one guide cam track and the guide element are arranged on mutually facing surfaces of the top support plate and the top plate or on mutually facing surfaces of the base support plate and the base plate (Fig. 2), wherein the guide bearing further comprises a linear guide with connecting parts (50, 52) displaceable relative to one another in a direction of translation, wherein one of the connecting parts is arranged on the top support plate or the top plate and another of the connecting parts is mounted on the other of the top support plate or the top plate by a pivot bearing (56), or the one of the connecting parts is arranged on the base support plate or the base plate and the another of the connecting parts is mounted on the other of the base support plate or the base plate by a pivot bearing; and at least one end stop (the ends of 38) is arranged between the top support plate and the top plate or between the base support plate and the base plate. Regarding claim 18, Schill discloses a furniture or household appliance element wherein the at least one end stop is arranged on the at least one guide cam track or on the linear guide (Fig. 2). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 19-32 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because it gives a general state of the art. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL J ROHRHOFF whose telephone number is (571)270-7624. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:00. 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, Dan Troy can be reached at 571-270-3742. 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. /DANIEL J ROHRHOFF/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 03, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 31, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Apr 20, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12628944
TRANSLUCENT STONE TABLE
2y 1m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12628943
EASY-TO-TRANSPORT THREE-SPLICED TABLE
1y 11m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12618613
STANDOFF FEATURE FOR APPLIANCE
1y 8m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12604980
SLIDE RAIL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR OPENING SLIDE RAIL THEREOF
2y 2m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
Patent 12604976
Lifting Desk Support Having Rapid Mounting Structures, and Lifting Desk
1y 11m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026
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
78%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+14.8%)
1y 11m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1352 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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