Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 19/416,974

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONNECTING SEPARATE COILED TUBING STRINGS AT A WELLSITE

Non-Final OA §102§Other
Filed
Dec 11, 2025
Priority
Dec 12, 2024 — provisional 63/733,330 +1 more
Examiner
MACDONALD, STEVEN A
Art Unit
3674
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Grant Prideco Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 6m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
556 granted / 693 resolved
+28.2% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+13.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
717
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
50.3%
+10.3% vs TC avg
§102
21.3%
-18.7% vs TC avg
§112
23.9%
-16.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 693 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §Other
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) 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by US 20210246742 A1 to Rolovic. Regarding claim 28: Rolovic discloses 28. A method for connecting separate coiled tubing (CT) strings at a wellsite ([0006].[0022], Figs 3-14, the method comprising: (a) locking a CT connector assembly to a terminal end of a first CT string (Figs.7, 8A: connector 690 and tubing strings 320, 620, [0035- 0036]); (b) pressurizing a central passage of the CT connector assembly to apply fluid pressure to an annular seal located in the central passage of the CT connector assembly ([0038]: pressure test, seals can be seen with no reference signs in Fig. 8A); or (c) performing a tensile test on the connection formed between the CT connector assembly and the first CT string by applying an axially directed force to the terminal end of the first CT string ([0038]: pull test). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-27 allowed. Claims 29-42 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 The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20190284895 A1 teaches a connector for coiled tubing and a tool US 20210254412 A1 teaches a method for connecting multiple coiled tubing strings. US 20230019069 A1 teaches a method of pressure testing coiled tubing with a connector. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN MACDONALD whose telephone number is (571)272-8763. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30 EST. 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, Doug Hutton can be reached at (571) 272-4137. 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. /STEVEN A MACDONALD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 11, 2025
Application Filed
Aug 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12729612
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MILLING OPENINGS IN AN UNCEMENTED BLANK PIPE
1y 1m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Patent 12716308
EXTENDED CHEMICAL TREATMENT IN SUBTERRANEAN WELLS
1y 6m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12698704
SURVEY TOOL SYSTEM FOR BLAST HOLE DRILLING RIGS
2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12692763
Urethane Cement Retainer
1y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12692759
ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT ENERGY RETENTION MECHANISM
1y 8m to grant Granted Jul 28, 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
80%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+13.1%)
2y 4m (~1y 6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 693 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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