Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/019,416

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING AND DISPLAYING SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS) MESSAGES

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jan 13, 2025
Priority
Aug 04, 2022 — continuation of 12/200,308
Examiner
ODOM, CURTIS B
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Charter Communications Operating LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
704 granted / 808 resolved
+27.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+11.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
831
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
8.6%
-31.4% vs TC avg
§103
43.3%
+3.3% vs TC avg
§102
31.5%
-8.5% vs TC avg
§112
6.8%
-33.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 808 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claim Objections 2. Claims 1, 6, 11, 15, and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities: a. In claim 1, line 7, the phrase “using the determined address STB MAC or IP address…” is suggested to be changed to “using the determined b. In claim 6, line 6, the phrase “to region mapping table…” is suggested to be changed to “to a region mapping table…”. c. In claim 11, lines 12-13, the phrase “operate the SMS server to use the determined address STB MAC or IP address…” is suggested to be changed to “operate the SMS server to use the determined d. In claim 15, line 5, the phrase “to region mapping table…” is suggested to be changed to “to a region mapping table…”. e. In claim 20, line 9, the phrase “using the determined address STB MAC or IP address…” is suggested to be changed to “using the determined . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 3. 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. 4. Claims 1-20 are 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. 5. Regarding claims 1-10, Claim 1 recites the limitation "the SMS message" in line 5 of claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. 6. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the STB message" in line 8 of claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. 7. Claims 3 and 4 recite the limitation "wherein determining from the retrieved user profile information if set top box (STB) display of SMS messages is enabled for a STB associated with the target phone number includes… " in lines 2-4 of claims 3 and 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. 7. Claim 8 recites the limitation "the STB message" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 8. Regarding claims 11-19, Claim 11 recites the limitation "the SMS message" in lines 9-10 of claim 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. 9. Claim 11 recites the limitation "the STB message" in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. 10. Claim 13 recites the limitation "the retrieved user profile" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 11. Claim 14 recites the limitation "the SMS message content" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 12. Claim 17 recites the limitation "the STB message" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 13. Claim 20 recites the limitation "the SMS message" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 14. Claim 20 recites the limitation "the STB message" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter 15. Claims 1-20 are allowable over prior art references (with regards to above 112 rejections and objections being overcome). Conclusion 16. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Mistry (U. S. Patent No. 9, 407, 451) discloses displaying SMS messages using an STB. 17. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CURTIS B ODOM whose telephone number is (571)272-3046. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5. 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, Hannah S Wang can be reached at (571)-272-9018. 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. /CURTIS B ODOM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631 September 2, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 13, 2025
Application Filed
Sep 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12739668
METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF USING A PLURALITY OF REMOTE SUBSCRIBER IDENTIFICATION MODULE PROFILES
2y 2m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12732883
USER EQUIPMENT TRAJECTORY-ASSISTED HANDOVER
2y 10m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12726823
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR BANNING DEVICES PERFORMING ACTIVE SECURITY ATTACKS
2y 10m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12726835
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENERGY PERFORMANCE POLICY
3y 1m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12726574
AI AGENT IN VISUAL VOICEMAIL DAEMON
2y 5m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+11.5%)
2y 5m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 808 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month