Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/423,108

DOWNHOLE DEVICE EMPLOYING AN ELECTROMAGNET ASSEMBLY HAVING A WIDTH (WEM) THAT IS NO MORE THAN 200% OF A STROKE DISTANCE (D) AND FERROMAGNET ASSEMBLY TO ACTUATE A MOVABLE FEATURE

Non-Final OA §102§Other
Filed
Dec 17, 2025
Priority
Dec 18, 2024 — provisional 63/735,424
Examiner
BOMAR, THOMAS S
Art Unit
3674
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Halliburton Energy Services Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 7m
Est. Remaining
83%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
749 granted / 903 resolved
+30.9% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
910
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
57.3%
+17.3% vs TC avg
§102
10.6%
-29.4% vs TC avg
§112
19.8%
-20.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 903 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) 1-5, 15-20, and 30-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by US 20170241246 to Harnsberger et al. Regarding claims 1, 16, and 31, Harnsberger discloses a method and well system comprising a downhole device, with the downhole device comprising: a member 54 having a first member end 59 and a second opposite member end 60; a movable element 23 positioned about the member, the movable element having a first movable element end and a second opposite movable element end, the movable element configured to move a stroke distance (D) from a first position to a second position; a ferromagnet assembly 26 fixed to one of the member or the movable element; and an electromagnet assembly 29 fixed to an other of the movable element or the member, the electromagnet assembly having a width (WEM), wherein the width (WEM) is no more than 200% of the stroke distance (D), the electromagnet assembly operable to receive electric power to produce an electromagnetic field having an electromagnetic polarity (North or South – paragraph 0063), the electromagnetic field configured to actuate the movable element from the first position toward the second position when the electromagnet assembly receives the electric power (see figs. 2-12; paragraphs 0051-0066; it is noted that member 54 is divided into individual components 61-63, with each component having the same length (see figs. 2, 3, and 9); fig. 4 shows that there are two electromagnetic assemblies 29 and 30, with each having a width about half of the segment member 62; figs. 9-12 show that the stroke distance is about the full length of segment member 63; thus, the width of assembly 29 is about half, or 50% of the stroke length). Regarding claims 2-5 and 17-20, as noted immediately above, the width of assembly 29 is about half, or 50% of the stroke length, which fits into each of the claimed ranges. Regarding claims 15 and 30, the downhole device as recited in Claims 1 and 16, wherein the ferromagnet assembly 26 is fixed to the movable element 23 (paragraph 0062), and the electromagnet assembly 29 is fixed to the member 53 through at least end caps 122 and 123 (paragraph 0052). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 6-14 and 21-29 are 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 on form 892 and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHANE BOMAR whose telephone number is (571)272-7026. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30am-3:30pm EST M-Th. 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. /SHANE BOMAR/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3674
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 17, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12680407
DOWNHOLE RELEASABLE VIBRATORY TOOL, SYSTEM AND METHOD
2y 2m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12662382
Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Table with Polycrystalline Diamond Extensions Therefrom
1y 6m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12654807
COMBINED DISC-TYPE CAVITATION STRUCTURE FOR UNDERWATER NAVIGATION OF UNDERWATER VEHICLE
2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12655739
SAND CATCHER FOR DOWNHOLE PUMP AND METHOD FOR USING SAME
1y 0m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12644360
WELLBORE SYSTEMS FOR MONITORING OPERATIONS
2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
83%
With Interview (+0.2%)
2y 2m (~1y 7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 903 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month