Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/866,384

SUPPORT DEVICE FOR BOARD PANELS, BOARD PANEL SUPPORT AND JUNCTION SYSTEM AND RELATED PREPARATION METHOD

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Nov 15, 2024
Priority
May 30, 2022 — PO 118021 +1 more
Examiner
BINDA, GREGORY JOHN
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Bi-Silque S A
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
1471 granted / 1818 resolved
+20.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
1847
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
33.0%
-7.0% vs TC avg
§102
40.6%
+0.6% vs TC avg
§112
24.2%
-15.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1818 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
Drawings The drawings are objected to because: Figs. 20, 31, 42, 53 & 64 should be Figs. 10-14. Reference numeral 2 is identify both a first end and a board. Reference numeral 6 is identify both a bulkhead and an entrance. They fail to show the intermediate bulkhead (5) connected perpendicularly to a lower face of the connecting rod (1) as recited in claim 1 Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The disclosure is objected to because the brief description of the drawings and the detailed description of the invention refer to figures, Figs. 10-14, that do not currently appear in the drawings. The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it begins with a phrase that can be implied. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claim 4 is 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 4 recites the limitation, “a surface including an orifice”. It is unclear if this the same surface and/or orifice previously recited. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Redmore, GB 468,766. Figs. 2-3 show a support device (A) for board panels (D-D3), the support device comprising: a connecting rod (a4, a4) with a first end (a5) and a second end (a5); and a front bulkhead (indicated by leftmost a6 in Fig. 3), which has a first portion disposed in a preceding position relative to said connecting rod and a second portion disposed on the connecting rod, wherein said first portion is connected to said second portion; and a rear bulkhead (indicated by rightmost a6 in Fig. 3), which is disposed in a posterior position relative to said connecting rod and is connected to said second portion of the front bulkhead; and an intermediate bulkhead (e), which is simultaneously connected perpendicularly to a lower face of the front bulkhead, connected perpendicularly to a lower face of the connecting rod and connected perpendicularly to a lower face of the rear bulkhead; and an element connecting to a surface including an orifice (e1), which is connected to the rear bulkhead; wherein a first gap (see Fig. 3) is bordered by a portion of the lower face of the front bulkhead-by a portion of the upper face of the connecting rod, by a portion of the lower face of the rear bulkhead and by a portion of the right face of the intermediate bulkhead; and wherein a second gap (see Figs. 2-3) is bordered by a portion of the lower face of the front bulkhead, by a portion of the upper face of the connecting rod, by a portion of the lower face of the rear bulkhead and by a portion of the left face of the intermediate bulkhead; wherein each of the first and second ends (a5, a5) is the stem of cylinder. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6-8 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. Worrall and Wallner each show a support device. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Greg Binda whose telephone number is (571)272-7077. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-5:30 et. 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, Matthew Troutman can be reached at 571-270-3654. 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. /Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 15, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §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
81%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+11.9%)
2y 6m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1818 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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