Last updated: July 31, 2026

Application No. 19/032,517

VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jan 21, 2025

Priority

Jan 24, 2024 — JP 2024-008742

Examiner

MERLINO, DAVID P

Art Unit

3665

Tech Center

3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce

Assignee

Denso Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +11.0% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 71% grant rate with +11.0% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 456 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

MERLINO, DAVID P View full profile →

Grants 71% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

325 granted / 456 resolved

+19.3% vs TC avg

Moderate +11% lift

Without

With

+11.0%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 7m

Avg Prosecution

22 currently pending

Career history

476

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

4.1%

-35.9% vs TC avg

§103

63.1%

+23.1% vs TC avg

§102

19.2%

-20.8% vs TC avg

§112

12.9%

-27.1% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 456 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 21, 2025

Application Filed

May 15, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jul 16, 2026

Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Jul 16, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Jul 22, 2026

Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/092,811

Patent 12668268

MULTISENSORY GESTURAL-AUDIO INTERFACE TO PROMOTE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR IMPROVED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CONTROL

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/133,030

Patent 12662120

DRIVE ASSIST APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE

3y 2m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/731,586

Patent 12649473

LANE CHANGE SUPPORT DEVICE

2y 0m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/987,672

Patent 12649573

CONTROL DEVICE

1y 5m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

18/465,132

Patent 12630184

Multistage Autonomous Vehicle Motion Planning

2y 8m to grant Granted May 19, 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

71%

Grant Probability

82%

With Interview (+11.0%)

2y 7m (~1y 1m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 456 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.