Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/269,468

LUBRICATION MECHANISM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 15, 2025
Priority
Sep 27, 2023 — continuation of 18/475,431
Examiner
HASAN, SYED O
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
545 granted / 695 resolved
+18.4% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
726
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
87.8%
+47.8% vs TC avg
§102
9.8%
-30.2% vs TC avg
§112
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 695 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 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tonokura et al. (U.S. Publication 2015/0292613), hereinafter “Tonokura”. Regarding claim 1, Tonokura discloses a lubrication mechanism, wherein a rotating shaft (2) is formed in a hollow shape (shown in figure 1 and 4) with lubrication oil conducted inside, a lubrication oil auxiliary plate (60) is provided on the rotating shaft (plate 60 is attached to carrier 20 which is also attached to the input shaft mentioned in paragraphs 24 and 26), and a lubrication oil passage (4) to the lubrication oil auxiliary plate (60) is formed from a center of the rotating shaft (paragraph 26). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYED O HASAN whose telephone number is (571)272-0990. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday; 11AM-7PM. 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, Lindsay Low can be reached at (571) 272-1196. 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. /SYED O HASAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747 6/26/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 15, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12680495
Engine
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679228
ELECTRIFIED VEHICLE
2y 1m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12669075
CONDITION BASED OIL MANAGEMENT
2y 3m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12669104
FUEL INJECTOR AND VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE SAME
1y 10m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026
Patent 12662018
CONTROL OF START-UP OPERATION IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE
2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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
78%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+19.0%)
2y 3m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 695 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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