Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/979,642

MOTOR CONTROLLER DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 13, 2024
Priority
Mar 21, 2024 — TW 113110461
Examiner
AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Adata Technology Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
432 granted / 555 resolved
+17.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
18 currently pending
Career history
566
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
68.8%
+28.8% vs TC avg
§102
21.7%
-18.3% vs TC avg
§112
6.7%
-33.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 555 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 . Claim Objections Claim 3 objected to because of the following informalities: The limitation “”formd” in line 6 is unclear. The Examiner suggests “formed” for clarity. Appropriate correction is required. 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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Derksen US 20040055859. Regarding claim 1, Derksen US 20040055859 discloses a motor controller device, comprising: a controller body (26/22 in Fig 1 and 2) having a surface (30 in Fig. 2), wherein the surface is provided with a plurality of contacts (contacts of 32 in Fig. 2 and 11-12) and a terminal slot (slot shown not numbered in Fig. 1); and an external container (28 in Fig 1) disposed on the controller body (26/22), wherein the external container (28) includes a plurality of conductive busbars (64 in Fig. 11-12), the plurality of conductive busbars (64) are disposed on the surface (30) and are connected to the plurality of contacts (contacts of 32), respectively, and two ends of the plurality of conductive busbars (64) extend toward different sides of the surface (30 as depicted in Fig. 11-12). Regarding claim 2, Derksen discloses the motor controller device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of contacts (contacts of 32) are adjacent to a first side (bottom side of 30 in Fig. 12) of the surface (30) and are arranged along the first side (bottom side of 30 as depicted in Fig. 12), each of the conductive busbars (64) has a first end (fixed end of 64 in Fig 11-12) and a second end (free end of 64 in Fig. 11-12), the first ends (fixed end of 64) of the plurality of conductive busbars (64) are connected to the plurality of contacts (contacts of 32), respectively, and the second ends (free end of 64) of the plurality of conductive busbars (64) are adjacent to a second side (left side of 30 as shown in Fig. 12) of the surface (30) and are arranged along the second side (as depicted in 12). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claims 1-2 , a combination of limitations that “wherein the external container further includes an adapter box, the adapter box has an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface includes a plurality of limiting grooves that correspond to the plurality of conductive busbars, and the upper surface includes a plurality of positioning protrusions that are formed corresponding to positions of the plurality of limiting grooves”. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination. Claims 4-8 depending from claim 3 would therefore also be allowable. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tramet US 20190200475 Fig. 1, 2a, 5 and 7 discloses a motor controller device, comprising: a controller body (5-1) having a surface, wherein the surface is provided with a plurality of contacts (301/401/121/122/123), a terminal slot and a conductive busbar; and an external container (5-2) disposed on the controller body. Tramet US 20190195920 Fig. 1-2 and 7; Oka US 6814591 Fig. 2; Isshiki US 5822189 Fig. 1-2; Nong US 20230246305 Fig. 13-14; Hayashi US 20200236798 Fig. 1-3 disclose an electronic device with a plurality of contacts and conductive busbars. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 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, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. 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. /ALLEN L PARKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 13, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 01, 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
78%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+14.3%)
2y 4m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 555 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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