Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/907,777

CLEANER

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 07, 2024
Priority
Nov 06, 2023 — JP 2023-189162
Examiner
JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
MAKITA Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
869 granted / 1113 resolved
+18.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
36 currently pending
Career history
1129
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
36.6%
-3.4% vs TC avg
§102
31.4%
-8.6% vs TC avg
§112
23.7%
-16.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1113 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Rejections 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) 1. 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. Claims 1-2, 10, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WIPO Patent Publication (W0 02/082965) to Roney. Regarding independent claim 1, Roney a main body housing (16); a drive unit (60) that includes a blower fan (34) and a motor (35) configured to rotate the blower fan (34), and generates suction force to suck in dust with air through a suction port (36) leading to an inner side of the main body housing (16) (See page 7 lines 5-22); and a first support member (14) that is mounted on at least a part of the drive unit (60) and includes a main body support portion (38a) supported by the main body housing (16) with the at least a part of an outer circumferential surface of the main body support portion (14) includes an arc shape surface (See page 8 lines 18-25 and FIG. 2). Regarding claim 2, Roney discloses that the main body support portion (38a) has an opening (See FIG. 2). Regarding claim 10, Roney discloses a second support member (61) mounted on at least part of the drive unit (60) and supported by the main body housing (16). Regarding claim 14, Roney discloses that the first support member (14) includes a drive unit support portion (78) that supports the drive unit (60). Regarding claim 15, Roney discloses that the main body support portion (38a) and the drive unit support portion (78) are arranged on each of one side and other side with respect to a rotation axis of the motor (35). Allowable Subject Matter 2. Claims 3-9 and 11-13 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 3. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL D. JENNINGS whose telephone number is (571)270-1536. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4:30pm. EST. 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, Monica S. Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. 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. MICHAEL DEANGILO. JENNINGS Examiner Art Unit 3723 /MICHAEL D JENNINGS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 07, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12747604
AUTOMATIC SWIMMING POOL CLEANERS ESPECIALLY ADEPT AT CLIMBING AND CLEANING POOL STAIRS
3y 8m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12746583
CLOSET AUGER
3y 3m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12740678
MOTORIZED SUCTION HEAD WITH STEAM DISPENSING DEVICE
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12727660
SHAVING BRUSH
3y 4m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12727723
CLEANING ROBOT AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 08, 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
78%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+14.2%)
2y 5m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1113 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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