Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/986,430

Animal Containment and Automatic Release Enclosure

Final Rejection §103§112
Filed
Dec 18, 2024
Priority
Aug 11, 2023 — continuation of 12/207,622
Examiner
TRAN, ZOE T
Art Unit
3647
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Nm Ventures LLC
OA Round
2 (Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allowance Rate
183 granted / 317 resolved
+5.7% vs TC avg
Strong +46% interview lift
Without
With
+46.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
48 currently pending
Career history
346
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
49.8%
+9.8% vs TC avg
§102
20.7%
-19.3% vs TC avg
§112
27.8%
-12.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 317 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §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 . 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. Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention. Claim 22 recites the limitation "the environmental control sensor" but claim 16 recites “the plurality of environmental control sensors”. It is unclear if claim 22 is referring to one sensor or the whole plurality of sensors due to inconsistent terminology. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1-4, 6, 10, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tuthill et al. (US 20210000080), hereinafter Tuthill, in view of Volin (US 20190254261), and Brownridge (US 20170027131). Regarding claim 1, Tuthill teaches of (fig. 1) an animal containment and automatic release enclosure (chicken coop 11) comprising: four enclosure walls (side walls); an enclosure top (roof); an enclosure bottom (bottom of enclosure 11), wherein the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom form a unitary enclosure that defines an interior enclosure space (seen in fig. 2); an enclosure door (door assembly 13) within one of the enclosure walls (seen in fig. 1), wherein the enclosure door opens and closes to allow access to the interior enclosure space (fig. 3, ¶0043, the door opens and closes to allow access to the interior enclosure space); an electric door control device (fig. 2, controller 15) attached to one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (of the options, controller 15 is attached to the one of the four enclosure walls), wherein the electric door control device is in communication with and controls the enclosure door to open and close (¶0044, electric door control device 15 opens and closes the door assembly 13); and a gateway hub enclosure (fig. 21, housing 139) connected to one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (seen in fig. 2), the gateway hub enclosure (139) containing a main controller (¶0069, microcontroller or processor of the controller), a rechargeable battery (¶0068, main housing 139 may also have include a battery recharged by a solar panel), and a charging port for charging the rechargeable battery (¶0068, input for an external power source, such as a solar panel), wherein the main controller is in communication with the electric door control device, and wherein the main controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open or close the enclosure door (¶0068-0069, microcontroller or processor is in communication with the electric door control device to open or close). Tuthill does not appear to teach of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls; the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter. Volin teaches of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls (figs. 1B and 1F, ventilation opening 113 and opening sliding door 115 in one of the enclosure walls). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Volin of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls in order to allow air to enter and odor to exit as motivated by Volin in para. 0955. Brownridge teaches of the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter (fig. 12, the wireless transmitter 92 is within a gateway hub enclosure control panel mounted on one of the four enclosure walls along with other electronic components). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Brownridge of the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter in order to communicate with a remote device such as a cell phone such that the controller can be controlled remotely as motivated by Brownridge in para. 0106 and to keep electronic components together for easy access and maintenance. Regarding claim 2, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 1, and wherein the electric door control device is selected from the group consisting of a linear actuator, a servo drive, a dual solenoid, a spring device, and any combinations thereof (of the options, the electric door control device 15 controls an electric motor 37, which is a linear actuator to slide the door in a linear motion). Regarding claim 3, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 1, but does not appear to teach of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user, so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door. Brownridge teaches of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user (fig. 12, ¶0135, short range communications device 92 cooperates with a mobile application 80 on a cell phone 84), so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door (figs. 6, 14-A-16-A, ¶0023, user sends commands to the controller through the wireless transmitter from their personal communication device to unlock or lock the enclosure door and to open or close the door). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Brownridge of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user, so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door in order to conveniently remotely control the door of the enclosure. Regarding claim 4, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 3, and Brownridge further teaches of wherein the gateway hub enclosure communicates with the personal communication device using a protocol selected from the group consisting of Z-wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and any combinations thereof (¶0138, of the options, communication with the personal communication device is through a wireless internet connection, or Wi-Fi). Regarding claim 6, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 1, and further comprising an environmental control sensor attached to one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (fig. 21, ¶0069, photosensor 149 mounted on the housing 139, which is mounted on one of the four enclosure walls, to sense environment light levels), and wherein the environmental control sensor is in communication with the controller (¶0069, photosensor 149 is in communication with the controller 15). Regarding claim 10, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6, but does not appear to teach of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user, so that the user can send a command to the controller from the personal communication device through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door. Brownridge teaches of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user (fig. 12, ¶0135, short range communications device 92 cooperates with a mobile application 80 on a cell phone 84), so that the user can send a command to the controller from the personal communication device through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door (figs. 6, 14-A-16-A, ¶0023, user sends commands to the controller through the wireless transmitter from their personal communication device to unlock or lock the enclosure door and to open or close the door). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Brownridge of wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user, so that the user can send a command to the controller from the personal communication device through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door in order to conveniently remotely control the door of the enclosure. Regarding claim 14, Tuthill teaches of (fig. 1) an animal containment and automatic release enclosure (chicken coop 11) comprising: four enclosure walls (side walls); an enclosure top (roof); an enclosure bottom (bottom of enclosure 11), wherein the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom form a unitary enclosure that defines an interior enclosure space (seen in fig. 2); an enclosure door (door assembly 13) within one of the enclosure walls (seen in fig. 1), wherein the enclosure door opens and closes to allow access to the interior enclosure space (fig. 3, ¶0043, the door opens and closes to allow access to the interior enclosure space); an electric door control device (fig. 2, controller 15) attached to one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (of the options, controller 15 is attached to the one of the four enclosure walls), wherein the electric door control device is in communication with and controls the enclosure door to open and close (¶0044, electric door control device 15 opens and closes the door assembly 13), wherein the electric door control device is selected from the group consisting of a linear actuator, a servo drive, a dual solenoid, a spring device, and any combinations thereof (of the options, the electric door control device 15 controls an electric motor 37, which is a linear actuator to slide the door in a linear motion); and a gateway hub enclosure (fig. 21, housing 139) connected to one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (seen in fig. 2), the gateway hub enclosure (139) containing a main controller (¶0069, microcontroller or processor of the controller), a rechargeable battery (¶0068, main housing 139 may also have include a battery recharged by a solar panel), and a charging port for charging the rechargeable battery (¶0068, input for an external power source, such as a solar panel), wherein the main controller is in communication with the electric door control device, and wherein the main controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open or close the enclosure door (¶0068-0069, microcontroller or processor is in communication with the electric door control device to open or close the door). Tuthill does not appear to teach of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls; the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter, and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door. Volin teaches of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls (figs. 1B and 1F, ventilation opening 113 and opening sliding door 115 in one of the enclosure walls). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Volin of a ventilation aperture in one of the enclosure walls in order to allow air to enter and odor to exit as motivated by Volin in para. 0955. Brownridge teaches of the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter (fig. 12, the wireless transmitter 92 is within a gateway hub enclosure control panel mounted on one of the four enclosure walls along with other electronic components), and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user (fig. 12, ¶0135, short range communications device 92 cooperates with a mobile application 80 on a cell phone 84) so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door (figs. 6, 14-A-16-A, ¶0023, user sends commands to the controller through the wireless transmitter from their personal communication device to unlock or lock the enclosure door and to open or close the door). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Brownridge of the gateway hub enclosure containing a wireless transmitter, and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate with a personal communication device of a user so that the user can send a command to the main controller through the wireless transmitter to open or close the enclosure door in order to conveniently remotely control the door of the enclosure. Claims 7-8, 15-16, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tuthill as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Heath et al. (US 10292369), hereinafter Heath. Regarding claim 7, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6, but does not appear to teach of wherein the environmental control sensor is a plurality of environmental control sensors. Heath teaches of wherein the environmental control sensor is a plurality of environmental control sensors (fig. 4, one or more atmospheric sensors 240). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Heath of wherein the environmental control sensor is a plurality of environmental control sensors in order to detect multiple environmental conditions and determine if they are suitable for the animal as motivated by Heath in col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20. Regarding claim 8, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6, but does not appear to teach of wherein the environmental control sensor is selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof. Heath teaches of wherein the environmental control sensor is selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof (col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20, Sensors 240 can be a humidity sensor to detect humidity inside the enclosure space, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a temperature sensor). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Heath of wherein the environmental control sensor is selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof in order to monitor various different environmental conditions and determine if they are suitable for the animal. Regarding claim 15, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 14, but does not appear to teach of further comprising a plurality of environmental control sensors attached to at least one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom, and wherein each of the plurality of environmental control sensors is in communication with the main controller. Heath teaches of further comprising a plurality of environmental control sensors (fig. 4, one or more atmospheric sensors 240) attached to at least one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom (attached to the enclosure top), and wherein each of the plurality of environmental control sensors is in communication with the main controller (col. 8 lines 9-43, data from atmospheric sensors 240 are communicated with one or more controllers 320). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Heath of further comprising a plurality of environmental control sensors attached to at least one of the four enclosure walls, enclosure top, and enclosure bottom, and wherein each of the plurality of environmental control sensors is in communication with the main controller in order to detect environmental conditions and determine if they are suitable for the animal as motivated by Heath in col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20. Regarding claim 16, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 15, but does not appear to teach of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof. Heath teaches of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof (col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20, Sensors 240 can be a humidity sensor to detect humidity inside the enclosure space, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a temperature sensor). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Heath of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a carbon monoxide sensor, a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and any combinations thereof in order to monitor various different environmental conditions and determine if they are suitable for the animal. Regarding claim 18, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 15, but does not appear to teach of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and a combination thereof. Heath teaches of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and a combination thereof (col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20, Sensors 240 can be a humidity sensor to detect humidity inside the enclosure space, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a temperature sensor). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Heath of wherein the plurality of environmental control sensors are selected from the group consisting of a moisture sensor that detects a level of moisture in the interior enclosure space, a temperature sensor, and a combination thereof in order to monitor various different environmental conditions and determine if they are suitable for the animal. Regarding claim 19, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 18, and Heath further teaches of further comprising a carbon monoxide sensor (col. 5 line 61 - col. 6 line 20, sensors 240 can be a carbon monoxide sensor). Claims 9, 11-12, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tuthill as applied to claims 6 and 15 above, and further in view of Conway (US 6710714). Regarding claim 9, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6, but does not appear to teach of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor that is above a threshold value. Conway teaches of (fig. 2) wherein the controller (30) is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device (18) to open the enclosure door when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor (smoke detector 12) that is above a threshold value (abstract, The systems controller monitors alarm signals transmitted to it from a remote smoke detector. The transmitted alarm signals can be audible alarm signals, radio alarm signals or optical alarm signals. Once the alarm signal is received and identified by the systems controller, the systems controller activates the electromechanical locking mechanism and opens the door to the holding cage). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Conway of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor that is above a threshold value in order to allow the animal to escape if the environmental conditions are not suitable for the animal as motivated by Conway in col. 1 line 21-col. 2 line 6. Regarding claim 11, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 10, but does not appear to teach of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door and/or a notification to the personal communication device when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor that is above a threshold value. Conway teaches of (fig. 2) wherein the controller (30) is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device (18) to open the enclosure door when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor that is above a threshold value (abstract, The systems controller monitors alarm signals transmitted to it from a remote smoke detector. The transmitted alarm signals can be audible alarm signals, radio alarm signals or optical alarm signals. Once the alarm signal is received and identified by the systems controller, the systems controller activates the electromechanical locking mechanism and opens the door to the holding cage). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Conway of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door and/or a notification to the personal communication device when the controller receives a measured value from the environmental control sensor that is above a threshold value in order to allow the animal to escape if the environmental conditions are not suitable for the animal as motivated by Conway in col. 1 line 21-col. 2 line 6. Regarding claim 12, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6, and wherein the main controller is configured to store measurement data from the environmental control sensor and data relating to when the electric door control device opens or closes the enclosure door. Brownridge teaches of wherein the main controller is configured to store measurement data from the environmental control sensor and data relating to when the electric door control device opens or closes the enclosure door (fig. 16-B, ¶0131-0133, stores measurement data from the environmental monitoring elements 30 and sends the data to user 24. The controller stores data on whether the door has been opened or closed). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Brownridge of wherein the main controller is configured to store measurement data from the environmental control sensor and data relating to when the electric door control device opens or closes the enclosure door in order to monitor changes of the environment and operation of the enclosure such that the user knows if the animal is comfortable and can monitor when the door has been opened or closed. Regarding claim 17, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 15, but does not appear to teach of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door and/or a notification to the personal communication device when the controller receives a measured value from one of the plurality of environmental control sensors that is above a threshold value. Conway teaches of (fig. 2) wherein the controller (30) is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device (18) to open the enclosure door when the controller receives a measured value from one of the plurality of environmental control sensors that is above a threshold value (abstract, The systems controller monitors alarm signals transmitted to it from a remote smoke detector. The transmitted alarm signals can be audible alarm signals, radio alarm signals or optical alarm signals. Once the alarm signal is received and identified by the systems controller, the systems controller activates the electromechanical locking mechanism and opens the door to the holding cage). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Conway of wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the electric door control device to open the enclosure door and/or a notification to the personal communication device when the controller receives a measured value from one of the plurality of environmental control sensors that is above a threshold value in order to allow the animal to escape if the environmental conditions are not suitable for the animal as motivated by Conway in col. 1 line 21-col. 2 line 6. Claims 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tuthill, as applied to claims 6 and 16 above, and further in view of Ault et al. (US 20140033989), hereinafter Ault. Regarding claims 21-22, Tuthill as modified teaches of claim 6 and 16, but does not appear to teach of wherein the environmental control sensor is a moisture detection pad sensor on a surface of the enclosure bottom within the interior enclosure space, wherein the moisture detection pad sensor is in communication with the main controller and is configured to detect a liquid within the interior enclosure space. Ault teaches of (fig. 1) wherein the environmental control sensor is a moisture detection pad sensor (moisture sensitive pad 102) on a surface of the enclosure bottom within the interior enclosure space (¶0001-0003, can place the moisture detection pad sensor 102 on any surface, including a surface of the enclosure bottom within the interior enclosure space), wherein the moisture detection pad sensor (102) is in communication with the main controller (fig. 5, ¶0033-0034, moisture detector 104 of the moisture sensitive pad 102 is in communication with the main controller 504) and is configured to detect a liquid within the interior enclosure space (¶0034-00037, detects liquid within the interior enclosure space by detecting if liquid is on the pad when the pad is located within the interior enclosure space). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Tuthill to incorporate the teachings of Ault of wherein the environmental control sensor is a moisture detection pad sensor on a surface of the enclosure bottom within the interior enclosure space, wherein the moisture detection pad sensor is in communication with the main controller and is configured to detect a liquid within the interior enclosure space in order to detect if an animal deposited waste within the interior enclosure space and the user can determine what to do, such as to clean the space, learn the waste behavior of the animal, or teach the animal to defecate in a specific area as motivated by Ault in paras. 0001-0003. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-4, 6-12, 14-19, and 21-22 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. In response to applicant's argument that the examiner has combined an excessive number of references, reliance on a large number of references in a rejection does not, without more, weigh against the obviousness of the claimed invention. See In re Gorman, 933 F.2d 982, 18 USPQ2d 1885 (Fed. Cir. 1991). In response to applicant's argument that the examiner's conclusion of obviousness is based upon improper hindsight reasoning, it must be recognized that any judgment on obviousness is in a sense necessarily a reconstruction based upon hindsight reasoning. But so long as it takes into account only knowledge which was within the level of ordinary skill at the time the claimed invention was made, and does not include knowledge gleaned only from the applicant's disclosure, such a reconstruction is proper. See In re McLaughlin, 443 F.2d 1392, 170 USPQ 209 (CCPA 1971). 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. The cited references made of record in the contemporaneously filed PTO-892 form and not relied upon in the instant office action are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, and may have one or more of the elements in Applicant’s disclosure and at least claim 1. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZOE TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8530. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:30am-6pm EST. 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, Kimberly Berona can be reached at 571-272-6909. 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. /ZOE TAM TRAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3647
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 18, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112
Jul 15, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 28, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
58%
Grant Probability
99%
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2y 4m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
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