Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/288,337

DEVICES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC DEVICES OR SYSTEMS WITH PHYSICAL OBJECTS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 01, 2025
Priority
Jan 10, 2022 — provisional 63/266,626 +1 more
Examiner
CHOW, VAN NGUYEN
Art Unit
2627
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 4m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
717 granted / 861 resolved
+21.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+12.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
874
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§103
63.3%
+23.3% vs TC avg
§102
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
§112
4.0%
-36.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 861 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pastrana Vincente et al. (US 2022/0121344). Regarding claims 1, 13, 14, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses a method comprising: at a first electronic device in communication with a display and one or more input devices (Abstract; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of the controller 110 in accordance with some embodiments. While certain specific features are illustrated, those skilled in the art will appreciate from the present disclosure that various other features have not been illustrated for the sake of brevity, and so as not to obscure more pertinent aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein. To that end, as a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, the controller 110 includes one or more processing units 202 (e.g., microprocessors, application-specific integrated-circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), processing cores, and/or the like), one or more input/output (I/O) devices 206, one or more communication interfaces 208 (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), FIREWIRE, THUNDERBOLT, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.11x, IEEE 802.16x, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global positioning system (GPS), infrared (IR), BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, and/or the like type interface), one or more programming (e.g., I/O) interfaces 210, a memory 220, and one or more communication buses 204 for interconnecting these and various other components): detecting, in a physical environment, a representation of a user interface element inked on a physical surface (see pars. 30, 33, 37, 39, 118); detecting, in the physical environment, a first change in an appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to a first movement of one or more physical objects indicative of a first user input (figs. 7-10, FIG. 7A, method 800 is performed at an electronic device in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices (e.g., a mobile device (e.g., a tablet, a smartphone, a media player, or a wearable device), or a computer). In some embodiments, the display generation component is a display integrated with the electronic device (optionally a touch screen display), external display such as a monitor, projector, television, or a hardware component (optionally integrated or external) for projecting a user interface or causing a user interface to be visible to one or more users, etc. In some embodiments, the one or more input devices include an electronic device or component capable of receiving a user input (e.g., capturing a user input, detecting a user input, etc.) and transmitting information associated with the user input to the electronic device); and performing a first action at the first electronic device or at a second electronic device in communication with the first electronic device in accordance with the first change in the appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to the first movement of the one or more physical objects in the physical environment (see figs. 7-11, pars. 34, 37, 162, 172, 385). Regarding claim 2, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses method of claim 1, further comprising: after performing the first action at the first electronic device or at the second electronic device, detecting, in the physical environment, a second change in an appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to a second movement of the one or more physical objects indicative of a second user input; and in response to detecting the second change in the appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to the second movement of the one or more physical objects indicative of the second user input: performing a second action at the first electronic device or at the second electronic device in communication with the first electronic device in accordance with the second change in the appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to the second movement of the one or more physical objects in the physical environment (see pars. 44, 51, 148, 150, 152, 154, 165). Regarding claim 3, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the user interface element includes a slider bar (see pars. 174, 177). Regarding claim 4, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the user interface element includes a slider track (see pars. 174, 177). Regarding claim 5, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 4, further comprising: displaying, via the display, a virtual slider track configured to occlude the slider track (see pars. 174, 177). Regarding claim 6, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 4, further comprising: displaying, via the display, a virtual slider bar corresponding to the slider track, wherein a position of the virtual slider bar corresponds to an output characteristic of the first electronic device or the second electronic device. Regarding claim 7, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 6, further comprising: detecting, in the physical environment, movement of a first physical object in relation to the virtual slider bar; in accordance with a determination that the first physical object touches the virtual slider bar and moves in a first direction toward a first end of the slider track, moving the virtual slider bar toward the first end of the slider track; and in accordance with a determination that the first physical object touches the virtual slider bar and moves in a second direction toward a second end of the slider track, different than the first end, moving the virtual slider bar toward the second end of the slider track (see pars. 162, 164-167, 174, 177). Regarding claim 8, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 7 wherein the determination that the first physical object touches the virtual slider bar includes detecting that the first physical object touches the physical surface (see pars. 162, 164-167, 174, 177). Regarding claim 9, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 6, wherein the position of the virtual slider bar corresponds to control of volume at the first electronic device and/or the second electronic device (see pars. 95, 126). Regarding claim 10, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 9, further comprising: detecting, in the physical environment, movement of a first physical object in relation to the virtual slider bar; in accordance with a determination that the first physical object touches the virtual slider bar and moves in a first direction toward a first end of the slider track, increasing the volume at the first electronic device and/or the second electronic device; and in accordance with a determination that the first physical object touches the virtual slider bar and moves in a second direction toward a second end of the slider track, different than the first end, decreasing the volume at the first electronic device and/or the second electronic device (see pars. 76, 80, 112, 174, 187, 273, 325). Regarding claim 11, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 3 wherein the slider bar includes a first end corresponding to a minimum end, and a second end corresponding to a maximum end (see pars. 76, 80, 112, 174, 187, 273, 325). Regarding claim 12, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein: the representation of the user interface element inked on the physical surface includes a slider bar inked in a first location along a slider track; and wherein the first change in the appearance of the representation of the user interface element due to the first movement of the one or more physical objects includes redrawing the slider bar in a second location along the slider track, different from the first location along the slider track (see pars. 174, 177). Regarding claim 15, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 4, 6-10, discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of physical objects is different from a hand of a user (pars. 95, 277). Regarding claim 16, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of physical objects is different from a writing apparatus (see pars. 100. 251). Regarding claim 17, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 14, further comprising: after constructing the first sequence of musical notes, detecting a second change in the physical environment of the first electronic device due to a movement of a second physical object of the plurality of physical objects from a third location to a fourth location, resulting in a second position of the plurality of physical objects; and in response to detecting the second change in the physical environment, constructing a second sequence of musical notes, different than the first sequence, in accordance with the second position of the plurality of physical objects (see pars. 70. 72, 75). Regarding claim 18, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 14, wherein a timing of each of the musical notes is determined based on the corresponding position of one of the plurality of physical objects in the physical environment (pars. 6, 251). Regarding claim 19, Pastrana Vincente et al., figs. 6-10, discloses the method of claim 14, further comprising: playing, via a speaker of the first electronic device and/or a speaker of a second electronic device, the sequence of musical notes in accordance with the position of the plurality of physical objects (see pars. 70-73, 75). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Van N Chow whose telephone number is (571)272-7590. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6PM. 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, Xiao Ke can be reached at 5712727776. 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. /VAN N CHOW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2627
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 01, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
83%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+12.6%)
2y 3m (~1y 4m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 861 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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