Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/898,259

Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for Interacting with System User Interfaces within Three-Dimensional Environments

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 26, 2024
Priority
May 17, 2024 — provisional 63/649,262 +1 more
Examiner
AU, SCOTT D
Art Unit
2624
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allowance Rate
410 granted / 532 resolved
+15.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
555
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
§103
69.9%
+29.9% vs TC avg
§102
16.9%
-23.1% vs TC avg
§112
5.9%
-34.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 532 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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/9/2026 has been entered. 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 1-13, 16-47, and 125-154 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. The terms below lack a definition in the disclosure and it is not conventional, and it is not clear what it meant thus rendering the claim indefinite. Referring to claim 1, recites the limitation "the hand" in lines 7-8 of the claim 1. Examiner suggests to change the limitation “the hand” to “the hand of the user”. There are insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Referring to claim 46, recites the limitation "the hand" in line 10 of the claim 46. Examiner suggests to change the limitation “the hand” to “the hand of the user”. There are insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Referring to claim 47, recites the limitation "the hand" in lines 8-9 of the claim 47. Examiner suggests to change the limitation “the hand” to “the hand of the user”. There are insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Dascola et al. (US 2022/0214743 A1) discloses devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for interacting with Three-Dimensional environment. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT D AU whose telephone number is (571)272-5948. The examiner can normally be reached M-F. General 8am-5pm. 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 Eason can be reached at 571-270-7230. 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. /SCOTT D AU/Examiner, Art Unit 2624
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Dec 05, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Feb 12, 2026
Interview Requested
Feb 23, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 23, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 25, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 09, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 13, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12748488
AUGMENTED REALITY BASED SYSTEM AND METHOD
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12730517
HAPTIC INTERACTION INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS AND DEVICE
1y 7m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12724480
SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR TRANSITIONING NOTIFICATIONS BETWEEN HEAD-LEASHED AND WORLD-LOCKED MODES
1y 9m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12717444
METHOD AND APPARATUS HAVING A VARIABLE DETECTION AREA FOR DETECTING A POSITION OF AN OBJECT
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12716603
WALL-MOUNTED CONTROL DEVICE
2y 8m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+10.8%)
2y 10m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 532 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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