Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 19/205,847

REINFORCEMENT AND PROTECTION BRACES FOR MOUNTING STRUCTURES OF VEHICLE STEERING KNUCKLE LOWER CONTROL ARMS

Final Rejection §112
Filed
May 12, 2025
Priority
May 15, 2019 — CIP of 11/046,135 +2 more
Examiner
GANCI, MATTHEW JOSEPH
Art Unit
3614
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Marlin Crawler Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
95%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 95% — above average
95%
Career Allowance Rate
91 granted / 96 resolved
+42.8% vs TC avg
Minimal -6% lift
Without
With
+-5.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 7m
Avg Prosecution
8 currently pending
Career history
106
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
88.1%
+48.1% vs TC avg
§102
7.5%
-32.5% vs TC avg
§112
2.5%
-37.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 96 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed September 15, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant removed the language "removable insert in the open section" from the independent claims 13 and 20 but did not remove the follow language “that is adapted to reduce lateral movement of said camber adjustment structure in said open section” that is structure related to the removed "removable insert in the open section". No portion of the specification describes the insert or its relation with the invention. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claims 13-16 and 20-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The language “that is adapted to reduce lateral movement of said camber adjustment structure in said open section” is structure related to the "removable insert in the open section" that was removed from the independent claims 13 and 20. No portion of the specification describes the insert or its relation with the invention. Furthermore, if the language was removed from the claims, the claims of the instant case would result in a statutory double patenting rejection of the parent case US Patent US 12296887 B2. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew J Ganci whose telephone number is (571)272-6577. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30AM to 5:00PM. 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, Paul Dickson can be reached at (571) 272-7742. 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. /MATTHEW JOSEPH GANCI/Examiner, Art Unit 3614 /PAUL N DICKSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 12, 2025
Application Filed
Sep 15, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Nov 03, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 13, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12617467
TRANSVERSE CROSS-MEMBER ASSEMBLY AND MOUNTING METHODS FOR A VEHICLE CHASSIS
1y 5m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12612008
PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION AIRBAG AND PEDESTRIAN AIRBAG DEVICE
1y 0m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12594801
AXLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM
1y 6m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12503163
CROSS MEMBER, CHASSIS FRAME, VEHICLE, ASSEMBLING, AND DISASSEMBLING METHODS ASSOCIATED
1y 1m to grant Granted Dec 23, 2025
Patent 12497105
INTEGRATED COMPONENTS FOR VEHICLES
1y 0m to grant Granted Dec 16, 2025
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
95%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (-5.7%)
1y 7m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 96 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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