Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/018,737

INTERVENTIONAL MEDICAL DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 13, 2025
Priority
Aug 26, 2014 — provisional 62/041,954 +3 more
Examiner
WU, TONG E
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Medtronic Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
478 granted / 675 resolved
+10.8% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
694
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.5%
-35.5% vs TC avg
§103
35.9%
-4.1% vs TC avg
§102
16.8%
-23.2% vs TC avg
§112
28.1%
-11.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 675 resolved cases

Office Action

§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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/6/26 has been entered. 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. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 21-40 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 21, line 10: “the jacket” should be “the outer jacket”, otherwise antecedent basis is unclear. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 21-40 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art are Anderson (US 2016/0015287) and Haasl (US 2015/0025612). Anderson shows a miniature leadless pacemaker with a pacing extension having a coil and outer jacket which is located proximally of the device and distal fixation member. Haasl shows a miniature leadless pacemaker with a pacing extension having a coil and no outer jacket in the manner as recited. Thus, the prior art does not disclose or suggest the particular combination of elements as recited in the claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Eugene T Wu whose telephone number is (571)270-5053. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm. 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, Niketa Patel can be reached at 571-272-4156. 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. /Eugene T Wu/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3796
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 13, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 06, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 15, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12746069
AUTO-NAVIGATING DIGITAL SURGICAL MICROSCOPE
3y 6m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12733874
BIO-SIGNAL MEASUREMENT DEVICE ATTACHABLE TO AND DETACHABLE FROM VARIOUS BODY-WEARABLE/BODY-ATTACHABLE PRODUCTS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
2y 8m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12733827
OPTICAL SENSOR MODULE
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12727823
CUSTOMIZABLE PATCHES
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12727825
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PATIENT MONITORING
2y 2m to grant Granted Sep 08, 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
71%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+15.1%)
2y 11m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 675 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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