Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/078,847

METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND REDUCE CONDENSATION

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 13, 2025
Priority
May 07, 2021 — provisional 63/185,864 +1 more
Examiner
SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
Art Unit
2896
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
RITE-HITE HOLDING Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 9m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
660 granted / 879 resolved
+7.1% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
896
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§103
63.3%
+23.3% vs TC avg
§102
19.6%
-20.4% vs TC avg
§112
5.3%
-34.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 879 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 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. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 2-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0156524 to Daimou, supplied by applicant. Daimou teaches 2, 11,18. (New) An apparatus/method/program comprising: interface circuitry; machine readable instructions; and at least one programmable circuit to execute the machine readable instructions to: determine a first dewpoint in a first area on a first side of a door (paragraphs 43-50); determine a second dewpoint in a second area on a second side of the door, the second side opposite the first side (paragraphs 43-50); determine a difference between the first dewpoint and the second dewpoint (paragraphs 86-88, “by using a temperature difference between a temperature in internal space of the showcase 100 and a temperature in outer space of the showcase 100 as the condensation information, the controller 220 may determine whether or not the possibility that condensation occurs on the surfaces of the doors 102 of the showcase 100 is high.”; ); and control activation or deactivation of a fan based on the difference, the fan to be in the first area to blow air toward the first side of the door (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 46-69). 3, 12. (New) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, in response to the difference not exceeding a dewpoint threshold, one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to cause the deactivation of the fan (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,70-75,86-88,91). 4, 13, 19. (New) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, in response to the difference exceeding a dewpoint threshold, one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to: determine whether the first dewpoint is less than a measured temperature of the second area; and cause the activation of the fan when the first dewpoint is not less than the measured temperature (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,70-75,86-88,91). 5, 14, 20. (New) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, in response to a determination that the first dewpoint is less than the measured temperature, one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to: determine a surface temperature of the door on the first side of the door; and cause the deactivation of the fan when the surface temperature exceeds the first dewpoint (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,70-75,86-88,91). 6,15, 21. (New) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to cause the activation of the fan when the surface temperature does not exceed the first dewpoint (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,70-75,86-88,91). 7,16. (New) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to: determine the first dewpoint based on a first temperature of the first area; and determine the second dewpoint based on the measured temperature of the second area (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,70-75,86-88,91). 8,17. (New) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein one or more of the at least one programmable circuit is to determine a surface temperature of the door based on the first temperature of the first area, the second temperature of the second area, and one or more door constants (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,61-63,70-75,86-88,91). 9.(New) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more door constants is based on an insulation rating of the door (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,61-63,70-75,86-88,91). 10.(New) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more door constants include a door temperature slope value and a door intercept value (Fig. 4-5, paragraphs 43-50,61-63,70-75,86-88,91). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN P SHECHTMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3754. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-6:00pm, M-F. 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, William Kraig can be reached at 571-272-8660. 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. /Sean Shechtman/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 13, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
75%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+22.4%)
3y 1m (~1y 9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 879 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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