Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/965,848

DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Dec 02, 2024
Priority
Jan 09, 2024 — EU 24 150 933.0
Examiner
SOOD, ANSHUL
Art Unit
3667
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Harman International Industries Incorporated
OA Round
2 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
452 granted / 545 resolved
+30.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+12.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
558
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.0%
-30.0% vs TC avg
§103
43.4%
+3.4% vs TC avg
§102
15.3%
-24.7% vs TC avg
§112
28.4%
-11.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 545 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 . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-10 of Applicant’s response, filed 5/12/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-8 and 10-13 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 and the rejection of claim 9 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections have been withdrawn in light of the amendments to the claims. 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 10-13 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 10, the claim recites the limitation "”the increased risk of the occurrence of the accident" in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Regarding claims 11-13, the claims depend from claim 10 and are therefore rejected for the same reason, as they do not cure the efficiencies of claim 10 noted above. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-9 and 14-16 are allowed. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANSHUL SOOD whose telephone number is (571)272-9411. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7-5 ET. 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, Hitesh Patel can be reached at (571) 270-5442. 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. /ANSHUL SOOD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 02, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
May 12, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 23, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+12.6%)
2y 4m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 545 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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