Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/920,599

ADJUSTABLE BOUNCE WEDGE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 18, 2024
Priority
Mar 28, 2022 — continuation of 11/766,593 +1 more
Examiner
PIERCE, WILLIAM M
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
ACUSHNET Company
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
43%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
59%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 43% of resolved cases
43%
Career Allowance Rate
407 granted / 950 resolved
-17.2% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
969
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.7%
-29.3% vs TC avg
§103
35.3%
-4.7% vs TC avg
§102
19.7%
-20.3% vs TC avg
§112
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 950 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated Kim et al. 8,956,243. As to claims 10, Kim shows a body 114 with a sole plate 300 rotatably coupled to said body, wherein said sole plate rotates about a pivot axis, and wherein said pivot axis is parallel to said striking face as shown in fig. 8. . Conclusion Claims 1-9 recites the combination of a threaded plated retention member received by a threaded bore in the body with sole plate that rotates about an axis parallel to the striking face not considered fairly taught. No double patenting rejection has been applied to the extent that the pivot axis parallel to the striking face is a limitation not recited in the parent applications. Such a relationship was broader only requiring the pivot axis to be located adjacent said leading edge. Claims 11-20 are rejected as being dependent on a rejected base claim by are considered to evade the applied art that fails to fairly teach an adjustment member with a relief that is received on a locating rail on said body, Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to William Pierce whose telephone number is (571)272-4414 and E-mail address is bill.pierce@USPTO.gov. For emergency assistance, supervisory assistance can be obtained with Melba Bumgarner at (571)272-4709. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, communication via email at the above address may be found more effective. Where current PTO internet usage policy does not permit an examiner to initiate communication via email, such are at the discretion of the applicant. However, without a written authorization by applicant in place, the USPTO will not respond via Internet e-mail to any Internet correspondence which contains information subject to the confidentiality requirement as set forth in 35 U.S.C. 122. A paper copy of such correspondence will be placed in the appropriate patent application. The following is a sample authorization form which may be used by applicant: “Recognizing that Internet communications are not secure, I hereby authorize the USPTO to communicate with me by responding to this inquiry by electronic mail. I understand that a copy of these communications will be made of record in the application file.” 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). /WILLIAM M PIERCE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 18, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12734415
GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH IMPROVED STRIKING FACE
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12728323
GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH IMPROVED STRIKING FACE
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12722048
GOLF CLUB HEAD
3y 2m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12714922
GOLF CLUB HEAD
2y 8m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12708820
CLUB HEAD HAVING BALANCED IMPACT AND SWING PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
4y 11m to grant Granted Aug 18, 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
43%
Grant Probability
59%
With Interview (+16.3%)
2y 9m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 950 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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