Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 14, 2026
Application No. 18/860,785

METHOD AND CONTROL DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING A MODEL OF AN OBJECT BEING PROCESSED BY A MANUALLY OPERATED TOOL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 28, 2024
Priority
May 10, 2022 — SE 2230141-0 +1 more
Examiner
SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Atlas Copco AB
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
661 granted / 880 resolved
+15.1% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
896
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
§103
34.6%
-5.4% vs TC avg
§102
27.0%
-13.0% vs TC avg
§112
22.6%
-17.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 880 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-9,11-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0267806 to Hsu, supplied by applicant. 1, 8, 9, 11. A system/method/program comprising: a manually operable tool; an operator display arranged to display a model of an object being processed by the manually operable tool, the displayed model being part of an operator instruction of how to process the object using the tool (Abstract, claims 1-20, paragraphs 279-282); and a control device configured to: determine a position of the tool in relation to the object (paragraphs 220-224 and Figure 13, Steps 1316, 1318); and based on the determined position of the tool in relation to the object, automatically selecting a viewing direction of the model of the object to be displayed on the operator display (Figure 7A, Steps 702-712 and Figure 13 steps 1316-1321; Figure 4c, paragraphs 72, 89, 122, 132-144, 162-164, 168, 220-224 “configures the display of the simulation (e.g., the displayed images of the weld scene and/or the simulated objects) based on the weld parameters and/or features extracted from images of the weld scene. For example, extracted features such as contact-tip-to-work distance indicate how an operator performs, and may be extracted from the images by identifying the electrode and/or the weld torch, identifying the workpiece, calibrating distance measurements using a distance reference, and measuring the distance using the calibrated distances. For example, the processor 410 may determine how the simulated weld would act based on a model (e.g., a thermodynamic model, a neural network model, etc.), using the wire feed speed and/or a gun travel speed to determine a puddle size and a weld voltage to determine an arc length. The processor 410 determines how the weld would act in a real welding situation and displays a corresponding image of the weld to the user.”). 2, 12, 16. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the viewing direction of the model of the object is automatically selected such that a point of view on the model of the object to be displayed on the operator display reflects the determined position of the tool in relation to the object (Figure 4c, paragraphs 132-133, 220-224). 3,13,17. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising: storing at least two pictures depicting said model from at least two different points of view, and wherein automatically selecting the viewing direction of the model of the object to be displayed on the operator display comprises: based on the determined position of the tool in relation to the object, selecting one of said at least two pictures to be displayed on the operator display (Figure 4c, paragraphs 72, 89, 122, 132-144, 162-168, 220-224). 4,14,18. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising: storing a 3D model of the object, and wherein automatically selecting the viewing direction of the model of the object on the operator display comprises: rotating the 3D model based on the determined position of the tool in relation to the object (Figure 4c, paragraphs 72, 89, 107, 122, 132-144, 162-164, 168, 220-224). 5,15,19. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the position of the tool in relation to the object is determined by a same means present in the tool that is used for determining a position of a processing point to be processed (Figure 4c, paragraphs 72, 89, 122, 132-144, 162-164, 168, 220-224). 6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method is performed in an industrial assembly factory (Fig. 1, paragraph 30-74). 7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the tool is a tightening tool (Fig. 1, paragraph 30-74). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN P SHECHTMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3754. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-6:00pm, M-F. 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, William Kraig can be reached at 571-272-8660. 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. /Sean Shechtman/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 28, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
75%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+22.4%)
3y 1m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 880 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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