Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/950,174

ROADSIDE DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 18, 2024
Examiner
PHAM, QUANG
Art Unit
2685
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
54%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 54% of resolved cases
54%
Career Allow Rate
380 granted / 699 resolved
-7.6% vs TC avg
Strong +57% interview lift
Without
With
+57.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
46 currently pending
Career history
745
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.0%
-37.0% vs TC avg
§103
75.5%
+35.5% vs TC avg
§102
7.1%
-32.9% vs TC avg
§112
9.9%
-30.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 699 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 1-5 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/18/2024 is in compliance with the provision of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by Examiner. 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 1-5 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites the limitations of “information including a plurality of items” which is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention. The term “information including a plurality of items” or “a part of the items” fails to define what constitutes “items.” Claim 1 further reciting “an entirety of the items is notified to the pedestrian,… a part of the items is notified to the pedestrian” fails to recite any notification means, device, or structure to provide notifications to the pedestrian. Claim 1 reciting “ vehicle has stopped short of the position” fails to provide objective boundaries relative to the position. Claim 1 lacks of antecedent basis for “the vehicle travelling ahead.” Claim 2-5 are rejected because of being dependent on a rejected claim 1. Citation of Pertinent Art The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: Kim et al., US 2018/0033306 A1, discloses warning method outside vehicle, driver assistance apparatus for executing method thereof and vehicle having the same. Fujita et al., US 2017/0255093 A1, discloses vehicular lighting apparatus. Johnson et al., US 2017/0038018 A1, discloses control of bollard luminaire for crosswalk. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG PHAM whose telephone number is (571)-270-3668. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM. 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, QUAN-ZHEN WANG can be reached at (571)-272-3114. 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. /QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 18, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604168
Emergency Management System and Method
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12594879
EMERGENCY VEHICLE LIGHTING SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592103
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING DRIVING INTENT OF AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12546150
DOOR ASSEMBLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Patent 12546146
CONTROL METHOD FOR VEHICLE DOOR AND APPARATUS VEHICLE AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 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
54%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+57.3%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 699 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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