Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/918,993

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CALIBRATING A PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Oct 17, 2024
Priority
Dec 10, 2019 — provisional 62/946,109 +2 more
Examiner
AHMED, ABDULLAHI
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
467 granted / 544 resolved
+25.8% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
556
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.4%
-34.6% vs TC avg
§103
51.3%
+11.3% vs TC avg
§102
23.1%
-16.9% vs TC avg
§112
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 544 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
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 . This action is in response to the application filed on 17 October 2024. Claims 1, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 23, 25, 37, 40, 44, 45, 50, 52, 59-61, 73 and 74 are under examination. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05 January 2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Double Patenting A rejection based on double patenting of the “same invention” type finds its support in the language of 35 U.S.C. 101 which states that “whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process... may obtain a patent therefor...” (Emphasis added). Thus, the term “same invention,” in this context, means an invention drawn to identical subject matter. See Miller v. Eagle Mfg. Co., 151 U.S. 186 (1894); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Ockert, 245 F.2d 467, 114 USPQ 330 (CCPA 1957). A statutory type (35 U.S.C. 101) double patenting rejection can be overcome by canceling or amending the claims that are directed to the same invention so they are no longer coextensive in scope. The filing of a terminal disclaimer cannot overcome a double patenting rejection based upon 35 U.S.C. 101. Claims 1, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 23, 25, 37, 40, 44, 45, 50, 52, 59-61, 73 and 74 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as claiming the same invention as that of claims 1-28 of prior U.S. Patent No. 12,149,336. This is a statutory double patenting rejection. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chou et al. (US Publication 2022/0229154), discloses inputting a set of digital control codes to RF devices in order to produce field signals corresponding to an operation order r to the G sub-arrays' radiations; (b) measuring the observation field signals of the G sub-arrays corresponding to the operation order r in a fixed position to produce a DFT relationship with respect to the RF devices' operations; and (c) repeating operations (a) to (b) corresponding to the operation order r from 1 to G for generating error-calibrating signals corresponding to the signals of the G sub-arrays. The analogous prior art reference, Ashe et al. (US Patent 5,809,063), discloses Continuous time binary antipodal waveform signals are generated and used to transmit the reference and calibration signals. Relevant amplitude and phase information needed for the calibration can be extracted while compensating for non-synchronized oscillators and the effects of Doppler shifts due to relative motion of the transmitting and receiving platforms. The detection architecture is effective for satellite-based phased array systems, including geostationary, medium and low earth orbit communication satellites, and space-based synthetic aperture radar reconnaissance satellites. Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to ABDULLAHI AHMED whose telephone number is (571) 270-3652. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khalid Kassim can be reached on 571-270-3370. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ABDULLAHI AHMED/Examiner, Art Unit 2475
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 17, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101 (current)

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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
86%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+2.1%)
2y 7m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 544 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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