Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/917,518

VANITY MIRROR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 16, 2024
Examiner
MARSH, STEVEN M
Art Unit
3632
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Simplehuman LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allow Rate
1238 granted / 1560 resolved
+27.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
1595
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
35.2%
-4.8% vs TC avg
§102
36.0%
-4.0% vs TC avg
§112
27.5%
-12.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1560 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION This is the first office action for US Application 18/917,518 for a Vanity Mirror. 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 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2017/0253184 to Nishimoto et al. Regarding claim 1, Nishimoto et al. discloses a mirror assembly (see figures 1 and 2) comprising a mirror head (24… see figure 2) comprising a front side and a back side, a housing portion (10… see figure 1), and a support portion (27, 28… see figures 1 and 2) coupled to the housing portion and positioned around at least a portion of a periphery of the mirror head (see figure 2). There is a pivot assembly (25a… see figure 2 and paragraph 72, lines 2 and 3) configured to allow rotation of the mirror head about an axis formed by the pivot assembly (paragraph 71, lines 1-3 describe 24 as housing 25a and paragraph 72, lines 1-4 describe 24 as rotating around shaft 25a). There is a drive assembly (gears… see paragraph 72 lines 1 and 2) configured to rotate the mirror head about the axis formed by the pivot assembly (paragraph 71, lines 1-3 describe 24 as housing 25b and paragraph 72, lines 1 and 2 disclose that the gears are housed within 25b). There is also an actuator (motor… see paragraph 72, lines 1 and 2) configured to initiate the drive assembly to rotate the mirror head (see paragraph 72, lines 1-3). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 3045551 to Bonanno US 2018/0086272 to De Wind US 2015/0002954 to Lynam US 2021/0364892 to Copeland US 2018/0263362 to Yang US 2013/0235610 to Yang US 2020/0278514 to Yang US 2015/0097955 to De Wind US 2021/0137266 to Pestl US 2020/0333934 to Pestl US 2014/0376119 to Sobecki The above prior art discloses various mirror support assemblies. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M MARSH whose telephone number is (571)272-6819. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 9 am-7:30 pm. 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, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. 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. STEVEN M. MARSH Primary Examiner Art Unit 3632 /STEVEN M MARSH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598957
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Patent 12588789
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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 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
79%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+7.4%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1560 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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