Last updated: July 05, 2026

Application No. 18/953,360

IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, IMAGING METHOD, AND IMAGING PROGRAM

Non-Final OA

Filed

Nov 20, 2024

Priority

Aug 31, 2018 — JP 2018-163700 +4 more

Examiner

CHIU, WESLEY JASON

Art Unit

2639

Tech Center

2600 — Communications

Assignee

Sony Group Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 61% of cases after interview

— +27.9% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 477 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

CHIU, WESLEY JASON View full profile →

Grants 61% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

293 granted / 477 resolved

-0.6% vs TC avg

Strong +28% interview lift

Without

With

+27.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 7m

Avg Prosecution

22 currently pending

Career history

511

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

89.2%

+49.2% vs TC avg

§102

5.6%

-34.4% vs TC avg

§112

1.9%

-38.1% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 477 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 20, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/631,933

Patent 12672375

IMAGE SENSOR INCLUDING AUTO-FOCUS PIXELS

2y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/585,829

Patent 12659601

IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM

2y 3m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

18/670,156

Patent 12652375

IMAGING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD OF IMAGING APPARATUS, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

2y 0m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/449,081

Patent 12610117

REFLECTOR DRIVING DEVICE

2y 8m to grant Granted Apr 21, 2026

18/504,789

Patent 12610145

IMAGING CONTROL APPARATUS, IMAGING CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 21, 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.

Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

61%

Grant Probability

89%

With Interview (+27.9%)

2y 7m (~1y 0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 477 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.