Last updated: July 05, 2026

Application No. 18/921,430

INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, PATTERN FORMING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD

Non-Final OA

Filed

Oct 21, 2024

Priority

Oct 27, 2023 — JP 2023-184676

Examiner

NGUYEN, HUNG

Art Unit

2882

Tech Center

2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems

Assignee

Canon Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +8.9% interview lift. Interview lift (+8.9%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1465 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

NGUYEN, HUNG View full profile →

Grants 91% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

1329 granted / 1465 resolved

+22.7% vs TC avg

Moderate +9% lift

Without

With

+8.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Fast prosecutor

2y 2m

Avg Prosecution

29 currently pending

Career history

1498

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

1.6%

-38.4% vs TC avg

§103

55.6%

+15.6% vs TC avg

§102

16.9%

-23.1% vs TC avg

§112

8.9%

-31.1% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1465 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 21, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 07, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/487,881

Patent 12663711

METHOD AND SYSTEM TO FOR RAPID INSPECTION OF PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY RETICLE

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/637,683

Patent 12663731

EXPOSURE APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD, AND ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD

2y 2m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/260,878

Patent 12656696

A CONTAMINATION REDUCTION SYSTEM

2y 11m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

17/589,630

Patent 12645152

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING THROUGH SILICON VIA OVERLAY

4y 4m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

18/243,129

Patent 12645157

VACUUM BAKE FOR EUV LITHOGRAPHY

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

91%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+8.9%)

2y 2m (~5m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1465 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.