Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/990,415

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED CHARGE PUMP PHASE-LOCKED LOOP PHASE STABILITY

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 20, 2024
Examiner
SKIBINSKI, TOMI SWEET
Art Unit
2842
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 9m
To Grant
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allow Rate
727 granted / 870 resolved
+15.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+3.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
887
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
48.8%
+8.8% vs TC avg
§102
32.9%
-7.1% vs TC avg
§112
14.8%
-25.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 870 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION 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 § 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fonseca et al (GB 2473179 A). Regarding claim 1, Figure 1 of Fonseca discloses compensation circuitry comprising: a first charge pump configured to output a first error current [20] a second charge pump configured to output a second error current [26] filtering circuitry configured to receive the first error current and the second error current and filter the first error current based on the second error current [16 and 30] Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-8 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. Claims 9-20 are allowed. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tomi S Skibinski whose telephone number is (571)270-7581. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. 10am - 8pm. 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, Lincoln Donovan can be reached at (571)272-1988. 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. /TOMI SKIBINSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 20, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603247
TRANSITION CONTROL IN A BIAS SUPPLY
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12597547
SUPERPARAMAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION ELEMENT AND COMPUTING SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597911
SUPERCONDUCTING DATA INPUT SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12597857
Adaptive Charge Pump Voltage Supply Frequency Switch
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592680
COUPLER DEVICE IN PHASED ARRAY SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 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
84%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+3.8%)
1y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 870 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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