Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/990,828

REFRIGERATOR

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Dec 20, 2024
Priority
Aug 03, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0096987 +2 more
Examiner
AYRES, TIMOTHY MICHAEL
Art Unit
3637
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
59%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 59% of resolved cases
59%
Career Allowance Rate
583 granted / 990 resolved
+6.9% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+21.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
1027
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
79.5%
+39.5% vs TC avg
§102
12.4%
-27.6% vs TC avg
§112
6.7%
-33.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 990 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
CTNF 18/990,828 CTNF 81169 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status This is a first office action on the merits of application SN 18/990,828 and 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 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-5, 8, and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent 11,047,612 to Kim . 1. A refrigerator comprising: a main body (10) comprising a storage chamber; a door (20) configured to open or close the storage chamber; a hinge bracket (30, 150,152) supporting the door such that the door is rotatable about a hinge shaft (figure 4) with respect to the main body; a supply member (170) comprising at least one of a wire or a pipe (170) , and connected to the main body and the door; and a supply cover (110) covering at least a portion of the supply member and a side of the hinge bracket, the supply cover being penetrated by the supply member, wherein the supply member comprises a bending portion (170, par 31-33, 44, 76, 87, figures 1-5) configured to be bendable according to opening or closing of the door, and wherein the supply cover comprises a guide portion (154) configured to support the bending portion in a state in which the door is closed (the zigzag shape and fixing protrusions limiting the motion of the wire 170 and therefore are considered to be a guide portion) . 2. wherein the supply cover further comprises a through hole (figures 2-4) which the bending portion penetrates, and wherein the through hole is between the guide portion and the hinge shaft. 3. wherein the through hole has a shape that opens in a front-rear direction of the main body (figures 2-4) . 4. wherein the supply cover further comprises an accommodating groove (par 87, figures 1-5) configured to accommodate the at least a portion of the supply member at the side of the hinge bracket. 5. wherein the supply cover further comprises an accommodating groove opening (par 87, figures 1-5) along a perimeter of the accommodating groove, and wherein at least a portion of the accommodating groove opening is in contact with the hinge bracket and the main body. 8. wherein a lateral direction is perpendicular to a direction in which the hinge shaft extends and a front-rear direction of the main body, wherein the main body comprises a first side wall (as best seen in figure 1) forming a surface adjacent to the hinge shaft in the lateral direction, and a second side wall (as best seen in figure 1) forming a second surface in the lateral direction, and wherein the guide portion is oriented in a direction toward the second side wall from the first side wall with respect to an end of the accommodating groove toward the door (as best seen in figure 1) . 13. wherein the guide portion has a curved shape (as best seen in figures 1-5) . 14. wherein the hinge bracket comprises a door coupling portion (150,36, par 44,64,86; figures 1-5) coupled to the door, and wherein the supply cover is fixed to the door coupling portion and the main body . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 6, 7, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 11,047,612 to Kim in view of US Patent 9,328,954 to Kang . Kim disclose every element as claimed and discussed above except a guide part separate from main body. Kang teaches a refrigerator having a guide part (48) separate from a main hinge bracket (40). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the refrigerator of Kim by making the guide par and bracket separate as taught by Kang to control the supply and equivalent whether integrally formed or sperate with the main body (Col 7, lines 35-38) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 11,047,612 to Kim in view of KR 10-2016-0100731 to Lee. Kim discloses every element as claimed and discussed above except an elastic member around the supply . Lee teaches a refrigerator (100) with an elastic member (385a) around a cable (384a)(as best seen in figures 1 and 10, par164). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the refrigerator of Kim by adding an elastic member to the cable as taught by Lee to help guide and protect the wire . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 11,047,612 to Kim in view of US Patent 9,328,954 to Kang as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of KR 10-1998-0086233 to Yo-Hyeon. Kim in view of Kang discloses every element as claimed and discussed above except the door cover member rotatable about the hinge shaft. Yo-Hyeaon teaches a refrigerator with a cover (57) coupled by a screw (56). The cover is rotatable about a bottom hinge means for shielding from the outside after the connector (c) is drawn out through an outlet hole (55)(par 7, figures 4 and 5). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the refrigerator of Kim in view of Kang by making the bottom cover rotatable as taught by Yo-Hyeon to have the cover rotatable with the height to protect the wire . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY MICHAEL AYRES whose telephone number is (571)272-8299. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 11:30-8. 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, Dan Troy can be reached at (571) 270-3742. 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. /TIMOTHY M AYRES/Examiner, Art Unit 3637 Application/Control Number: 18/990,828 Page 2 Art Unit: 3637 Application/Control Number: 18/990,828 Page 3 Art Unit: 3637 Application/Control Number: 18/990,828 Page 4 Art Unit: 3637
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 20, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (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
59%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+21.3%)
2y 8m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 990 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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