Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/921,181

FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR PROBE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 21, 2024
Examiner
GRAY, PAUL J
Art Unit
3753
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Franklin Fueling Systems LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
398 granted / 511 resolved
+7.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
37 currently pending
Career history
548
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
41.6%
+1.6% vs TC avg
§102
29.4%
-10.6% vs TC avg
§112
24.1%
-15.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 511 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 . 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 1-4 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. Regarding claim 1, the recitation of “an underground storage tank” in both lines 1 and 2 is indefinite. It is not clear if Applicant is intending to reference the same underground storage tank or introduce a second underground storage tank. Please amend the claim accordingly. Regarding claim 1, the recitation of “an underground storage tank” and “a tank” is indefinite. It appears that the Applicant may be intending to claim and underground storage tank and a second tank that is different from the underground storage tank, but the current claim language is not clear. Please amend the claim language accordingly. Claims not specifically referenced are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected base claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-4 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Schultz et al. (US 2018/0257925) discloses a method and apparatus for limiting acidic corrosion and contamination in fuel delivery systems. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL J GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-0544. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday. 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, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571 272-4881. 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. /PAUL J GRAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 21, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601416
FLUID DISPENSING ELEMENT, CONTROL VALVE AND DISPENSING CONNECTOR CONSITUTING SAID ELEMENT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12599173
REFILLING APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12604696
LIQUID PROCESSING METHOD, LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12595861
PRESSURE VACUUM VALVE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12583735
MOBILE DISTRIBUTION STATION WITH FAIL-SAFES
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
78%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+11.2%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 511 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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