Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/921,610

Alignment Mechanism

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 21, 2024
Priority
Dec 18, 2019 — provisional 62/949,778 +1 more
Examiner
CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
Art Unit
3641
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Sheltered Wings, Inc. D/b/a Vortex Optics
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allowance Rate
553 granted / 796 resolved
+17.5% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
829
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
61.9%
+21.9% vs TC avg
§102
27.9%
-12.1% vs TC avg
§112
4.5%
-35.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 796 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 . Election/Restrictions Claims 7-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/25/26. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement filed 11/21/24 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered. Also see 37C.F.R. 1.98(d)(1)(2). 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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Collin (US 10,254,532). Collin discloses an alignment mechanism comprising: a first adjustment plate (200) pivotal about a first adjustment axis (L-L), the first adjustment plate comprising a front portion through which the first adjustment axis passes and a rear portion having a first alignment surface and a tension spring (240) secured to the rear portion opposite the first alignment surface; a second adjustment plate (306) rotatable about a second adjustment axis (N-N), the second adjustment plate comprising a front portion and a rear portion having a second alignment surface (300) and a tension spring (380; Fig. 4) secured between the second alignment surface and the rear portion of the first adjustment plate, wherein the first adjustment axis is perpendicular to the second adjustment axis. 2. The alignment mechanism of Claim 1, wherein the first adjustment plate is a horizontal adjustment plate and the second adjustment plate is a vertical adjustment plate. 3. The alignment mechanism of Claim 1, wherein the second adjustment plate includes a pair of legs (below element 306 in Fig. 5A) extending outwardly away from the front portion. 4. The alignment mechanism of Claim 1, wherein the second adjustment plate has structure to secure a sighting device. (col. 1, lines 20-25, which would be the same as a chassis of a rangefinder) 5. The alignment mechanism of Claim 1, wherein the second adjustment plate connects with the first adjustment plate at the second adjustment axis. (Fig. 4) 6. The alignment mechanism of Claim 1, wherein the second adjustment plate rotates relative to the first adjustment plate. (Fig. 4) Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE CLEMENT whose telephone number is (571)272-6884. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6. 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, Troy Chambers can be reached at 571.272.6874. 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. /MICHELLE CLEMENT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3641
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 21, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
70%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+18.6%)
2y 8m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 796 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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