Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 19/260,482

FORWARD ROTATING AR-15 SAFETY

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 05, 2025
Examiner
ELDRED, JOHN W
Art Unit
3641
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allow Rate
767 granted / 992 resolved
+25.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
1014
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
44.1%
+4.1% vs TC avg
§102
14.8%
-25.2% vs TC avg
§112
15.7%
-24.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 992 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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. Claims 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Lipowski (2122/0107150). Lipowski discloses a firearm 38 comprising all claimed elements including a frame 38; a trigger 40; a hammer 44; a safety selector 300 pivotally connected to the frame; and first and second levers on respective ends of the safety selector, where the first 302 and second 306 levers are angularly displaced with respect to each other and have different lengths (see Figure 3). The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Swenson, Geissele, and Krebs are cited as being of interest since they disclose firearms with safety selectors with different levers on each end. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to J. WOODROW ELDRED whose telephone number is (571)272-6901. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30. 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, Troy Chambers can be reached at 571-272-6874. 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. /J. Woodrow Eldred/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3641 JWE
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 05, 2025
Application Filed
Mar 31, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12601554
FIREARM LOADER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12595988
Stitched Body Armor Panels with Offset Construction
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12571602
Trigger Assembly
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12571605
Firearm Shooting Rest
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12566050
PROTECTIVE VEHICLE SURROUND SHIELD
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 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
77%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+7.8%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 992 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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