Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/859,857

MACHINE TOOL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 24, 2024
Priority
Oct 17, 2023 — JP 2023-178806 +3 more
Examiner
ALAWADI, MOHAMMED S
Art Unit
3725
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Dmg Morico Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allowance Rate
533 granted / 718 resolved
+4.2% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
77 currently pending
Career history
773
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
68.6%
+28.6% vs TC avg
§102
8.3%
-31.7% vs TC avg
§112
21.9%
-18.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 718 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 because poor quality and difficult to recognize the details. 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Kenji (JP2020124793A attached NPL, English Machine translation). Regarding claim 1, Kenji discloses a machine tool (paragraphs 0001 and 0009-0011) comprising: a tool holding unit (fig.1: (35)) that holds a tool (fig.1: (35a)); a workpiece holding unit (fig.1: (10)) that holds a workpiece; and a drive control unit (fig.1: (300)) that drives and controls the tool holding unit and the workpiece holding unit so as to perform: (i) first thread machining that advances along a rotational axis of the workpiece from a first infeed position on an axis orthogonal to the rotational axis of the workpiece to perform cutting along the rotational axis of the workpiece and that cuts the workpiece while vibrating the tool relatively on an axis different from the rotational axis of the workpiece; and (ii) second thread machining that advances along the rotational axis of the workpiece from the first infeed position to cut the workpiece linearly along the rotational axis of the workpiece (paragraphs 0014-0028). Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Koren (US20230311224A1). Regarding claim 1, Koren discloses a machine tool (abstract 0009-0011) comprising: a tool holding unit (fig.2: (26)) that holds a tool (fig.2: (24)); a workpiece holding unit (paragraph 0059: spindle not shown) that holds a workpiece; and a drive control unit (paragraph 0060: CNC) that drives and controls the tool holding unit and the workpiece holding unit so as to perform: (i) first thread machining that advances along a rotational axis of the workpiece from a first infeed position on an axis orthogonal to the rotational axis of the workpiece to perform cutting along the rotational axis of the workpiece and that cuts the workpiece while vibrating the tool relatively on an axis different from the rotational axis of the workpiece (paragraphs 0003 and 0065-0066); and (ii) second thread machining that advances along the rotational axis of the workpiece from the first infeed position to cut the workpiece linearly along the rotational axis of the workpiece (paragraphs 0045 and 0086). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm. 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, CHRISTOPHER TEMPLETON can be reached at (571)270-1477. 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. /MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 24, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
74%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+23.8%)
2y 7m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 718 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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