Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Application No. 18/877,860

TURBOMACHINE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING PLATFORMS HAVING EDGES PROVIDED WITH COMPLEMENTARY PROTRUSIONS AND NOTCHES AND ASSOCIATED TURBOMACHINE

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Dec 20, 2024
Priority
Jun 22, 2022 — FR FR2206152 +1 more
Examiner
FLORES, JUAN G
Art Unit
3745
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Safran S.A.
OA Round
2 (Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
628 granted / 789 resolved
+9.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
819
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
§103
46.1%
+6.1% vs TC avg
§102
14.0%
-26.0% vs TC avg
§112
33.8%
-6.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 789 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 22 September 2026, with respect to the claim rejections under 35 USC 102 and 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are not persuasive. Applicant’s argument are based on a newly presented limitation which triggers a new rejection under new matter, see rejections below. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Note that claim 1 (and claims 2-9 via dependency) recite “each blade prestressed towards upstream having its entire heel tending to shift towards upstream, each blade prestressed towards downstream having its entire heel tending to shift towards downstream” (emphasis added). Said “entire heel tending” limitation is not supported by the original disclosure of the instant application. Therefore, the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, has/have failed showing to have possession of the claimed invention. 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 JUAN G FLORES whose telephone number is (571)272-3486. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:30pm Pacific Time. 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, Courtney Heinle can be reached at (571) 270-3508. 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. /JUAN G FLORES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 20, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Sep 22, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 14, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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5y 4m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12752914
METHOD OF STABILIZING ARTICULATED ROTOR BLADE
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Patent 12747675
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5y 1m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
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1y 6m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12721485
MANICURE DUST SUCTION DEVICE
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
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
80%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+14.5%)
2y 9m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 789 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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