Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/999,004

VEHICLE MIRROR DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 23, 2024
Priority
Dec 26, 2023 — JP 2023-219817
Examiner
CHUNG, DAVID Y
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Toyota Motor Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allowance Rate
512 granted / 727 resolved
+10.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
744
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
66.0%
+26.0% vs TC avg
§102
27.3%
-12.7% vs TC avg
§112
3.9%
-36.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 727 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 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. (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. Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nakatani (US 2025/0108760). As to claim 1, Nakatani discloses in figures 3 and 6, a vehicle mirror device 1L, comprising: a mirror 14 provided at a vehicle; and a covering section 11 that covers a peripheral face of the mirror, that is disposed at least at a portion of a combined range of a left side and a right side of the mirror, and that is also not disposed at least at a portion of a combined range of an upper side and a lower side of the mirror (the covering section 11 is not disposed on a portion of the lower side of the mirror 14 where the light-transmitting member 17 is disposed as shown in figure 6). As to claim 3, Nakatani discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Nakatani further discloses in figure 6, wherein a perimeter body 17 is disposed at a perimeter of the mirror and projects toward a front-face side of the mirror at a peripheral direction position of the mirror where the covering section 11 is not disposed. Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shi (CN 106740485 A). As to claim 1, Shi discloses in figures 1 and 3-4, a vehicle mirror device, comprising: a mirror 8 provided at a vehicle; and a covering section 1 that covers a peripheral face of the mirror, that is disposed at least at a portion of a combined range of a left side and a right side of the mirror, and that is also not disposed at least at a portion of a combined range of an upper side and a lower side of the mirror (the covering section 1 is not disposed on a portion of the upper and lower side of the mirror 8 where the card block 11 is disposed as shown in figures 1 and 3). As to claim 2, Shi discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Shi further discloses in figures 1 and 3, wherein the covering section 1 is disposed at an entirety of the left side and the right side of the mirror 8 and is not disposed at an entirety of the upper side and the lower side of the mirror. As to claim 3, Shi discloses all of the elements of the claimed invention discussed above regarding claim 1. Shi further discloses in figures 1 and 3, wherein a perimeter body 11 is disposed at a perimeter of the mirror 8 and projects toward a front-face side of the mirror at a peripheral direction position of the mirror where the covering section 1 is not disposed. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4-10 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 David Chung whose telephone number is (571)272-2288. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 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, Michael Caley can be reached at (571)272-2286. 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. /DAVID Y CHUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 23, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 26, 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
70%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+7.4%)
2y 10m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 727 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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