Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/859,390

SOLENOID VALVE WITH IMPROVED MAGNETIC FLUX CONDUCTION, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Oct 23, 2024
Priority
Apr 29, 2022 — DE 10 2022 110 445.1 +1 more
Examiner
MURPHY, KEVIN F
Art Unit
3753
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
OA Round
2 (Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allowance Rate
628 granted / 928 resolved
-2.3% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+27.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
954
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
77.8%
+37.8% vs TC avg
§102
6.3%
-33.7% vs TC avg
§112
14.4%
-25.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 928 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Claims 14-29 are pending for consideration following applicant’s amendment filed 3/24/2026. 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 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 14-29 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 14 recites the limitation "the armature" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 14 recites “an armature” in line 9. It is unclear whether this limitation refers to the previously recited armature in line 6. It appears that the recitations of the armature all refer to the same element. Claim 24 recites the limitation "the armature" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 24 recites “an armature” in line 9. It is unclear whether this limitation refers to the previously recited armature in line 6. It appears that the recitations of the armature all refer to the same element. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 14-29 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to the new limitations and the prior art have been fully considered and are persuasive. The prior art rejections have been withdrawn. However, the new limitations of claims 14 and 24 have necessitated new indefiniteness rejections as set forth above. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN MURPHY whose telephone number is (571)270-5243. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-4pm. 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, Craig Schneider can be reached on (571) 272-3607. 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. /KEVIN F MURPHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 23, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 24, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 07, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
68%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+27.9%)
2y 8m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 928 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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