Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/886,952

SUBMERGED POOL RELATED PLATFORM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 16, 2024
Priority
Sep 14, 2023 — provisional 63/582,822 +1 more
Examiner
KO, JASON Y
Art Unit
1711
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Maytronics Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
822 granted / 1089 resolved
+10.5% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+16.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
1107
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
79.5%
+39.5% vs TC avg
§102
7.2%
-32.8% vs TC avg
§112
7.7%
-32.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1089 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election of Claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 4/20/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1-10 are 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. Re Claim 1, it is unclear what “lifting a front part” and “lifting a rear part” means. Lifting usually means raising, in the context of structural support, but it is unclear how a fluid jet would perform this. Claims 2-10 are rejected as they depend from Claim 1 without curing the deficiency. Re Claims 2-3 and 7, it is unclear what the angles are with respect to. Further examination on the merits is precluded in light of the unascertainable claim scope. However, it is noted that WO 2013/178935 teaches a pool related platform with two fluid jet portions 22b and 23b and a housing, and having these on the sides as opposed to a front and rear would be an obvious rearrangement of parts, depending on what the “lifting” as detailed above means. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON Y KO whose telephone number is (571)270-7451. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00-6:00. 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, Michael Barr can be reached at 571-270-1414. 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. JASON Y. KO Primary Examiner Art Unit 1711 /JASON Y KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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DRUM-TYPE WASHING MACHINE
2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12680210
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1y 11m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12668912
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2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12648401
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1y 10m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Patent 12642036
APPARATUS AND METHOD OF TREATING SUBSTRATE
3y 7m to grant Granted May 26, 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
76%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+16.8%)
2y 11m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1089 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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