Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/237,893

Pressure Relief Assembly with Detent

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 13, 2025
Priority
Jun 17, 2024 — provisional 63/660,938
Examiner
NICHOLS, PHYLLIS M
Art Unit
3753
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Donaldson Company, Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
662 granted / 836 resolved
+9.2% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+19.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
5y 0m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
848
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
42.0%
+2.0% vs TC avg
§102
31.6%
-8.4% vs TC avg
§112
22.2%
-17.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 836 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) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gammon (US 11009138). Regarding claim 20, Gammon teaches a valve (fig. 2; fig. 7) comprising a valve body 46 having a sealing rim (portion that seats against 11b) sealably configured to seal across a valve opening, wherein the valve body defines a detent channel (receiving spring in fig. 7) extending laterally across the valve body; a spring 3 disposed in the detent channel, the spring 3 defining a first end and a second end; and a first detent ball 4’ and a second detent ball 4a’ opposite the first detent ball relative to the valve body, wherein the spring 3 is compressibly disposed between the first detent ball and the second detent ball. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-19 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Gammon fails to disclose (claims 1and 19) the first detent and second detent engagement surfaces releasably engaging the valve body to the frame. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to P. MACADE NICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)270-5428. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 P.M.. 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, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881. 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. /P. MACADE NICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 13, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Sep 22, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12736230
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A VARIABLE GAS VALVE
3y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12728432
FLUID DEVICE
2y 1m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12723675
SPIGOTLESS VARIABLE-TEMPERATURE FLUID (E.G., WATER) VALVE OPENABLE WITH A DISPENSING DEVICE AND WITH OPTIONAL BACK-PRESSURE RELIEF
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12716226
BLIND INSTALL DRAIN FOR BATH OR SHOWER
1y 10m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12710039
FLUID END ASSEMBLY
1y 2m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
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
79%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+19.7%)
5y 0m (~3y 8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 836 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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