Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/848,303

METHOD, DEVICE AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 18, 2024
Priority
Mar 24, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTCN2022082885
Examiner
MARCELO, MELVIN C
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
NEC Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
678 granted / 788 resolved
+26.0% vs TC avg
Minimal -7% lift
Without
With
+-6.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
804
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.5%
-34.5% vs TC avg
§103
48.5%
+8.5% vs TC avg
§102
16.0%
-24.0% vs TC avg
§112
15.3%
-24.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 788 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 27-41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Newly added claims 27-41 recite a “cell switch command,” “cell switch procedure” and “ongoing” However, the phrase “cell switch” and “command” does not appear in the original disclosure. With respect to “procedure,” the original disclosure recites procedures associated with “mobility procedure” (e.g. paragraph 0003) and “random access procedure” (e.g. paragraph 0005). Further, “cell switch procedure to be ongoing” does not appear explicitly or implicitly in the original disclosure. Thus, the newly added claimed subject matter is unsupported by the original disclosure. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Pezeshki et al. (US 2021/0212091 A1) teach cell switching using L1 measurements in paragraph 0109. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELVIN C MARCELO whose telephone number is (571)272-3125. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:00. 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, Asad Nawaz can be reached at 571-272-3988. 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. MELVIN C. MARCELO Primary Examiner Art Unit 2463 /MELVIN C MARCELO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463 June 27, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 18, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (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
86%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (-6.8%)
2y 6m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 788 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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