Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/101,539

STACKABLE GROW BOX AND MODULAR GROW BOX SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 05, 2025
Priority
Aug 05, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTEP2022072055
Examiner
EVANS, EBONY E
Art Unit
3643
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Ntfe GmbH
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allowance Rate
619 granted / 966 resolved
+12.1% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+28.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
987
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
73.0%
+33.0% vs TC avg
§102
7.4%
-32.6% vs TC avg
§112
17.6%
-22.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 966 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 112 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. Claims 1-14 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. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the top surface" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Also, the claim recites “the upper part of the lower grow box” in line 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Furthermore, line 19 recites “the box”, it is unclear if the box is referring to the stackable grow box or the lower grow box. Claim 4 recites the limitation "the box" in line 3, it is unclear if the box is referring to the stackable grow box or the lower grow box in claim 1. Claim 6 recites the limitation "the upper box" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2, 3, 5 and 7-14 are rejected as depending on a rejected base claim. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EBONY E EVANS whose telephone number is (571)270-1157. The examiner can normally be reached 9am -5pm EST. 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, Kimberly Berona can be reached at 5712726909. 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. /EBONY E EVANS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3647
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 05, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12667059
PLANT CULTIVATION APPARATUS
1y 9m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12664898
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERRING ANIMALS TO APPROACH OR ENTER IDENTIFIED ZONES
2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12642199
IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
1y 5m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Patent 12635665
AUTOMATIC FEEDING ASSEMBLY
1y 6m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12616166
TEST APPARATUS FOR DUST-EXPOSING BREATH OF ANIMALS AND TEST METHOD THEREOF
2y 3m to grant Granted May 05, 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
64%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+28.8%)
2y 7m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 966 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