Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/034,121

SPOOL AND SPINNING REEL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 22, 2025
Priority
Mar 29, 2024 — JP 2024-055997
Examiner
RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Shimano Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
84%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
962 granted / 1288 resolved
+14.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+8.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
1307
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
63.8%
+23.8% vs TC avg
§102
18.2%
-21.8% vs TC avg
§112
12.0%
-28.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1288 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. Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kitajima et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0075172), hereinafter “Kitajima”. With respect to Claim 1, Figures 1-12, teaches a spool 2 for a spinning reel, comprising: a bobbin trunk 16a having a front end and extending in an axial direction; and a front flange 8 disposed on the front end of the bobbin trunk in the axial direction the front flange including a first wall portion 17a disposed on an outer peripheral side of the bobbin trunk 16a and extending radially outward, a first annular portion 17c disposed further forward in the axial direction than an outermost diameter portion of the first wall portion 17a and extending forward in the axial direction, and a second wall portion (See portion of Figure 3 on Page 3 of this Office Action) disposed on an outer peripheral side of the first annular portion 17c and extending radially outward. [AltContent: textbox (2nd wall portion)] [AltContent: arrow] PNG media_image1.png 552 739 media_image1.png Greyscale With respect to Claim 2, Kitajima further teaches wherein the second wall portion (See portion of Figure 3 on Page 3 of this Office Action) is flat in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction with respect to an outer circumferential surface of the first annular portion 17c. With respect to Claim 3, Kitajima further teaches wherein the second wall portion (See portion of Figure 3 on Page 3 of this Office Action) has a slope 17e that is inclined radially inward toward a front of the spool. With respect to Claim 4, Kitajima further teaches wherein the first annular portion 17c has an outer circumferential surface that is flat in the axial direction and a diameter that is essentially the same as a line winding diameter corresponding to an upper limit of an amount of line that is to be wound around the bobbin trunk. With respect to Claim 5, Kitajima further teaches further comprising an annular spool ring 8 including the second wall portion. With respect to Claim 6, Kitajima, Figures 1-12, teaches a spool for a spinning reel, comprising: a bobbin trunk 16a extending in an axial direction; a first wall portion 17a extending radially outward from the bobbin trunk; a second wall portion (See portion of Figure 3 on Page 3 of this Office Action) disposed further forward in the axial direction than an outermost diameter portion of the first wall portion; and a retaining portion (See portion of Figure 3 on Page 3 of this Office Action) configured to retain a fishing line of a lower layer that is exposed by an outermost layer of the fishing line wound around the bobbin trunk in a layered manner so as to prevent the lower layer from riding over the second wall portion. With respect to Claim 7, Kitajima further teaches a spinning reel (See Figure 1), comprising the spool 2 according to Claim 1. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM ARAUZ RIVERA whose telephone number is (571)272-6953. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM MDT. 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, Victoria P. Augustine can be reached at 313-446-4858. 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. /WILLIAM A. RIVERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 22, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12679690
Figure 8 Hose Roller
2y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12654335
TRANSFERRING SYSTEM
3y 12m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12635834
DUST COLLECTOR.
2y 0m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12616317
AUTOMATIC WEBBING WINDING DEVICE AND BEDSIDE BED HAVING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12612291
MAGNETIC-ATTRACTION ROPE-GUIDE PROTECTIVE SHELL, ROPE GUIDE ASSEMBLY, AND VEHICLE
2y 0m to grant Granted Apr 28, 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
75%
Grant Probability
84%
With Interview (+8.8%)
2y 7m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1288 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