Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 19/429,173

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AIRCRAFT FUNCTION PRIORITIZATION AND ALLOCATION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 22, 2025
Priority
Jul 10, 2023 — provisional 63/512,784 +2 more
Examiner
BENEDIK, JUSTIN M
Art Unit
3642
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Archer Aviation Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 9m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
757 granted / 880 resolved
+34.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
887
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
51.2%
+11.2% vs TC avg
§102
28.9%
-11.1% vs TC avg
§112
13.2%
-26.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 880 resolved cases

Office Action

§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 30-33, 35-37 are 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. Claim 30 recites, “Compute one or more forces and aircraft state parameters … “ Followed by: “the one or more aircraft state parameters comprising at least one force or aircraft attitude …” The first phrase grammatically establishes two categories: One or more forces; and Aircraft state parameters The next phrase states that the aircraft state parameters themselves comprise at least one force or attitude. It is unclear to the examiner whether the “force” is a separate output in additional to an aircraft state parameter, that “force” is itself an aircraft state parameter, or the claim is intended to cover both alternatives. Possible correction: “compute one or more aircraft state commands comprising at least one force command or attitude command” Or “compute one or more forces and one or more aircraft attitudes” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN M BENEDIK whose telephone number is (571)270-7824. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00-3:00. 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, Joshua Huson can be reached at 571-270-5301. 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. /JUSTIN M. BENEDIK/ Primary Examiner Art Unit 3642 /JUSTIN M BENEDIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 22, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 24, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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1y 6m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12698102
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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
86%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+10.4%)
2y 5m (~1y 9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 880 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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