Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/870,168

ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 27, 2024
Priority
Jun 01, 2022 — JP 2022-089776 +1 more
Examiner
NGO, HUNG V
Art Unit
2841
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
46%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
772 granted / 953 resolved
+13.0% vs TC avg
Minimal -35% lift
Without
With
+-34.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
961
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
79.0%
+39.0% vs TC avg
§102
16.5%
-23.5% vs TC avg
§112
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 953 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 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(s) 1, 2, 4, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chin (JP2010-183696). Re claim 1, Chin discloses an electrical junction box (10) comprising: a housing (60); and an electronic component (23) disposed on one wall (62) that is adjacent to a side wall (61) of the housing so as to be separated from the side wall (Fig 2), wherein a strength-reinforcing portion (67) is provided so as to extend from a central portion of the side wall to a vicinity of the electronic component. Re claim 2, wherein the housing includes a first case (60a) that includes the side wall and the one wall, and the strength-reinforcing portion is provided in the first case, and includes an inner wall provided on an inner side with respect to the side wall and curved so as to protrude toward the electronic component (Figs 12, 15), and a rib (67) provided between the inner wall and the side wall (Fig 12). Re claims 4, 5, wherein the strength-reinforcing portion includes an attachment portion (screw hole 27) that is used to attach the electrical junction box to an object. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3, 6 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. Communication Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG V NGO whose telephone number is (571)272-1979. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30 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, Imani Hayman can be reached at (571) 270-5528. 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. /HUNG V NGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 27, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12684749
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Patent 12684748
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Patent 12677715
APPARATUS HAVING SURFACE MOUNT PACKAGES HAVING CO-PACKED FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672767
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1y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672227
WIRING CIRCUIT BOARD AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE WIRING CIRCUIT BOARD
2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
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
46%
With Interview (-34.9%)
2y 2m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 953 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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