Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 19/261,863

MECHANISMS FOR MAGAZINE LOCK AND RELEASE

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Jul 07, 2025
Priority
Jul 23, 2021 — provisional 63/225,368 +2 more
Examiner
TILLMAN, JR, REGINALD S
Art Unit
3641
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Axon Enterprise Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
1083 granted / 1392 resolved
+25.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1430
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
34.1%
-5.9% vs TC avg
§102
36.9%
-3.1% vs TC avg
§112
21.9%
-18.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1392 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 . 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 2 and 22 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. Claims 2 and 22 are indefinite because it is unclear what other alternatives are intended to be encompassed by the claim. A Markush grouping is a closed group of alternatives, i.e., the selection is made from a group "consisting of" (rather than "comprising" or "including") the alternative members. MPEP 2173.05(h). 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) 1-5 and 21-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park (US 2006/0225333). Re claims 1-5, Park discloses a handle for a conducted electrical weapon ("CEW") comprising: a bay (Fig 3, 26) defining an opening configured to receive a magazine; a mechanical interface (36) disposed proximate to a first side of the bay, wherein the mechanical interface is configured to align (align defined broadly to mean to bring (components or parts, such as the wheels of a car) into proper or desirable coordination or relation; https://www.dictionary.com/browse/align) the magazine within the bay; and a second side of the bay opposite the first side, the magazine aligned to the second side by the mechanical interface. Re claims 21-24, Park discloses a handle for a conducted electrical weapon ("CEW") comprising: a bay (Fig 3) defining an opening configured to receive a magazine; a mechanical interface (38) disposed on the magazine proximate to a first side of the bay, wherein the mechanical interface is configured to align the magazine within the bay; and a second side of the bay opposite the first side, the magazine aligned to the second side by the mechanical interface. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6-11 and 25-29 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REGINALD S TILLMAN, JR whose telephone number is (571)270-7010. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 830-530. 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. /REGINALD S TILLMAN, JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3641
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 07, 2025
Application Filed
Aug 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
78%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+11.3%)
1y 11m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1392 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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