Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/022,892

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH TWO-PIECE HOUSING

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jan 15, 2025
Priority
Apr 11, 2008 — provisional 61/044,445 +9 more
Examiner
HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
827 granted / 1033 resolved
+20.1% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
1062
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
81.2%
+41.2% vs TC avg
§102
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
§112
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1033 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
CTNF 19/022,892 CTNF 82834 DETAILED ACTION Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 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) 1-6, 9-12, and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over White (6,532,152) in further view of Chiang (2009/0153410) . Regarding Claim 1: White teaches an electronic device, comprising: a housing (fig. 3B) having a rear wall (206); a display (114) comprising a capacitive touch sensor (col. 7 lines 9-45); a display cover layer (212) overlapping the display (fig. 3B), wherein the display cover layer comprises a second glass layer (col. 14 lines 9-60); and a metal housing (302) element that extends around the display (fig. 3B) and that couples the display cover layer to the rear housing wall (fig. 3B), but lacks a specific teaching of the rear wall comprising a first glass layer. Chiang teaches a portable electronic device having a housing with a rear wall and the rear wall comprising a first glass layer (paragraph [0035]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the rear wall comprising a first glass layer as disclosed by Chiang in order to allow for an aesthetically please device for looks as well as operation of the user while still allowing for strong integrity of the overall apparatus. Regarding Claim 2: White teaches wherein the metal housing element has an opening that receives a screw (fig. 3B). Regarding Claim 3: White teaches a gasket (314) interposed between the display cover layer and the metal housing element (fig. 3B). Regarding Claim 4: White lacks a specific teaching of the gasket comprises an elastomeric material. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the gasket comprises an elastomeric material in order to allow for a better more secure seal within the apparatus which decreases the chances of damage to the internal components of the apparatus wherein this would be accomplished merely by choosing the proper material and it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious engineering choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. Regarding Claim 5: White teaches a frame (300 with 302) that supports the display cover layer (fig. 3A). Regarding Claim 6: White teaches wherein the frame comprises a plastic portion (300) and a metal portion (302). Regarding Claim 9: White teaches an antenna configured for cellular communications (col. 17 lines 28-51). Regarding Claim 10: White lacks a specific teaching of wherein the metal housing element forms at least part of the antenna. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the metal housing element forms at least part of the antenna in order to allow for a more reliable connection of the antenna to the apparatus which in turn allows for better connection between the antenna and external devices, wherein this would be accomplished merely by relocating the already disclosed elements of the apparatus wherein it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70. Regarding Claim 11: White teaches an electronic device, comprising: a housing (fig. 3B); a cover glass (212) mounted to the housing (fig. 3B); a display (114) interposed between the housing and the cover glass (fig. 3B), wherein the display comprises a capacitive touch sensor (col. 7 lines 9-45); and a metal housing structure (302) that frames the display (fig. 3B) and that couples the cover glass to the housing (fig. 3B), but lacks a specific teaching of the housing being made of glass. Chiang teaches a portable electronic device having a housing wherein the housing comprises glass (paragraph [0035]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the housing being made of glass as disclosed by Chiang in order to allow for an aesthetically please device for looks as well as operation of the user while still allowing for strong integrity of the overall apparatus. Regarding Claim 12: White teaches a frame (300 and 302) that supports the cover glass (fig. 3B). Regarding Claim 15: White teaches a gasket (314) interposed between the cover glass and the metal housing structure (fig. 3B), but lacks a specific teaching of the gasket being elastomeric. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the gasket being elastomeric in order to allow for a better more secure seal within the apparatus which decreases the chances of damage to the internal components of the apparatus wherein this would be accomplished merely by choosing the proper material and it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious engineering choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. Regarding Claim 16: White teaches an electronic device, comprising: a housing (fig. 3B) having a portion (206) and a metal portion (302); a display (114) comprising a capacitive touch sensor (col. 7 lines 9-45); and a cover glass (212) overlapping the display (fig. 3B), wherein the metal portion of the housing couples the cover glass to the portion of the housing (fig. 3B), but lacks a specific teaching of the portion being a glass portion. Chiang teaches a portable electronic device having a housing with a portion and the portion comprising glass (paragraph [0035]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the portion being a glass portion as disclosed by Chiang in order to allow for an aesthetically please device for looks as well as operation of the user while still allowing for strong integrity of the overall apparatus. Regarding Claim 17: White lacks a specific teaching of the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display. Chiang teaches the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display (paragraph [0038]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of White by having the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display as disclosed by Chiang in order to allow for brighter and more crisp viewing experience for the user with the higher resolution and more natural lighting style of display device. Regarding Claim 18: White teaches a molded plastic member (300) that supports the cover glass and is coupled to the metal portion (302). Regarding Claim 19: White teaches wherein the metal portion extends at least partially around the display (fig. 3B). Regarding Claim 20: White teaches wherein the display covers most of a front face of the electronic device (fig. 2) . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 7, 8, 13, and 14 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 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art in the notice of references PTO-892 not relied upon above are related to the current case as they include portable electronic devices including a display . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY MICHAEL HAUGHTON whose telephone number is (571)272-9087. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a-5p. 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, Imani Hayman can be reached at 571-270-5528. 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. /ANTHONY M HAUGHTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841 Application/Control Number: 19/022,892 Page 2 Art Unit: 2841 Application/Control Number: 19/022,892 Page 3 Art Unit: 2841 Application/Control Number: 19/022,892 Page 4 Art Unit: 2841 Application/Control Number: 19/022,892 Page 5 Art Unit: 2841 Application/Control Number: 19/022,892 Page 6 Art Unit: 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 15, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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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
80%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+22.0%)
2y 3m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1033 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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