Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/994,370

MATERIAL RETRIEVING AND PLACING DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 14, 2025
Priority
Sep 21, 2023 — CN 202322572398.3 +1 more
Examiner
SINGH, KAVEL
Art Unit
3651
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Wuxi Lead Intelligent Equipment Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
1106 granted / 1322 resolved
+31.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
39 currently pending
Career history
1348
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
50.7%
+10.7% vs TC avg
§102
39.1%
-0.9% vs TC avg
§112
8.1%
-31.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1322 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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-2 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Eli U.S. Patent No. 12,275,588. Claim 1, Eli teaches a material retrieving and placing device 141, comprising: a fixture mechanism 205 comprising a pallet 150 with a first restraining assembly 430 arranged around a periphery of thereof, wherein the pallet 150 is configured for bearing a material 152 C4 L55-61, and the first restraining assembly 430 is configured for selective positioning in a first restraint state working range) and a first avoidance state (reachable range) C11 L64-67; C12 L1-10; in the first restraint state (working range), the first restraining assembly 430 engages the material 152 located on the pallet 150 restrained to the pallet 150, and in the first avoidance state (working range), the first restraining assembly 430 disengages from the material 152 and is located around a periphery of the material 152 (at reachable range), thereby releasing restraint on the material 152 from the first restraining assembly 430; and a gripper mechanism 415 comprising a gripper assembly Fig. 4I with a second restraining assembly 410 arranged, thereon, wherein the gripper assembly 415 is configured for retrieving and placing the material 152 on the pallet 150, and selectively positioned selectively in a bearing state and a separation state C12 L12-25; in the bearing state, the gripper assembly 415 bears the material 152, and in the separation state, the gripper assembly 415 disengages from the material 152 and is located around the periphery of the material 152, thereby releasing bearing of the material by the gripper assembly 415 C13 L63-67; C14 L1-10; the second restraining assembly 410 is configured for selective positioning in a second restraint state and a second avoidance state C13 L47-62; in the second restraint state via 415, the second restraining assembly 415 engages the material 152 located on the gripper assembly 415 restrained to the gripper assembly 415, and in the second avoidance state via 415, the second restraining assembly 410 disengages from the material 152, thereby releasing restraint on the material 152 from the second restraining assembly 415, such that the gripper assembly 415 is switched from the bearing state to the separation state C16 L37-67. Claim 2, Eli teaches the first restraining assembly 430 comprises a first pressing member 416 and a second pressing member 416 Fig. 4H, which are respectively located on two sides of the pallet 150 in a first direction, and are both configured for reciprocating in the first direction and in a height direction via 415, thereby driving the first restraining assembly 430 to switch between the first restraint state and the first avoidance state C14 L29-48. Claim 9, Eli teaches the gripper assembly 415 comprises a first gripper 417 and a second gripper 417, which are arranged spaced apart in a second direction, and are both configured for reciprocating in the second direction, thereby driving the gripper assembly 415 to switch between the bearing state and the separation state via 410; the second restraining assembly 410 comprises a third pressing member 416 and a fourth pressing member 416, which are respectively arranged on the first gripper 417 and the second gripper 417, and are both configured for reciprocating in the height direction via 410, thereby driving the second restraining assembly 410 to switch between the second restraint state and the second avoidance state C14 L29-60. Claim 10, Eli teaches the gripper mechanism 415 further comprises a driving assembly on which the gripper assembly 415 is arranged, and the driving assembly is configured for driving the gripper assembly 415 to reciprocate in a height direction C11 L57-63 via 411. 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm. 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, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. 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. /KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651 KS
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 14, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12722901
CONVEYOR COMPONENT WITH FLEXIBLE HUB AND CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12723623
BEARING POSITIONING STRUCTURE WITHOUT RADIAL INTERFERENCE FIT
1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12715699
IFLEX CONVEYOR SYSTEM WITH GAPPING CAPABILITY FOR EFFICIENT PRODUCT TRANSFER HAVING RIVETED X-BRACE
2y 5m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12715698
TRANSFER TABLE
2y 3m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12715711
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSISTING IN OBJECT GRASPING FROM CONTAINERS IN OBJECT PROCESSING SYSTEMS
1y 11m to grant Granted Aug 25, 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
98%
With Interview (+14.0%)
2y 2m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1322 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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