Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/489,804

WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 03, 2025
Priority
Jun 26, 2023 — DE 10 2023 116 694.8 +1 more
Examiner
TO, TOAN C
Art Unit
3614
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Muhr Und Bender Kg
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allowance Rate
923 granted / 1008 resolved
+39.6% vs TC avg
Minimal -4% lift
Without
With
+-3.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
11 currently pending
Career history
1019
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§103
16.6%
-23.4% vs TC avg
§102
48.9%
+8.9% vs TC avg
§112
18.8%
-21.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1008 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Specification The specification is objected to because it does not has section headings. The following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use. Arrangement of the Specification As provided in 37 CFR 1.77(b), the specification of a utility application should include the following sections in order. Each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as a section heading. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading: (a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION. (b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS. (c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT. (d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. (e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM. (f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. (g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION. (1) Field of the Invention. (2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. (h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION. (i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S). (j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION. (k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS (commencing on a separate sheet). (l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (commencing on a separate sheet). (m) SEQUENCE LISTING. (See MPEP § 2422.03 and 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825). A “Sequence Listing” is required on paper if the application discloses a nucleotide or amino acid sequence as defined in 37 CFR 1.821(a) and if the required “Sequence Listing” is not submitted as an electronic document either on read-only optical disc or as a text file via the patent electronic system. Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 1 is not positively recited a claimed limitation by using the phrase “can be” in line 9, the examiner suggests applicant to replace “can be” by –is--. Appropriate correction is required. 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 1-13 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. In claim 1, line 5, recitation “which comprises at least two fastening elements” renders the claim indefinite for being unclear because it is unclear as to whether “which” is referred to “at least one fastening device” or “the spring link”. In claim 1, line 8, recitation “which comprises at least one first bearing location” renders the claim indefinite for being unclear because it is unclear as to whether “which” is referred to “abutment surface”, “fastening device” or “the spring link”. In claim 1, lines 11, 14, and 18, recitation “which” renders the claim indefinite for being unclear because it unclear as to what element is “which” referred to. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Claims 2-13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art either alone or in combination fails to disclose, teach or suggest a wheel suspension comprising: with at least one spring link which is formed as a leaf spring element; at least one fastening device comprises at least two fastening elements, at least one holding device formed separately from the spring link and the fastening device, which comprises at least two holding parts, wherein each of the holding part comprise a respective support surface, between which the spring link is arranged and connected to the holding device via the support surfaces in force-fitting manner, wherein the first fastening element comprises at least one receiving opening and the second fastening element comprises at least one connection part different from a screw element, which is arranged in the receiving for forming a form- fitting connection between the fastening elements, and/or wherein the holding parts are formed separately from each other and at least the support surface of one of the holding parts is connected to the spring link in form-fitting manner, and/or wherein at least one of the respective fastening elements comprises at least one respective receiving area, in which a respective receiving element of the leaf spring element is received, whereby the leaf spring element and the respective fastening element are connected to each other in form-fitting manner. These structures in combination with other structures as recited in claim 1 define over prior art of record. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOAN C TO whose telephone number is (571)272-6677. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5, Monday-Friday. 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, JASON D SHANSKE can be reached at (571)270-5985. 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. /TOAN C TO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614 August 20, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 03, 2025
Application Filed
Aug 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12741499
VEHICLE MOTION CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD
1y 4m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12722442
USER ACCESSIBLE SHOCK TRAVEL SPACER
2y 3m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12716542
TOOL CARRIER COMPRISING A WHEEL DRIVING MODULE, AND TOOL CARRIER TRAIN
1y 5m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12709153
VEHICLE WITH E-AXLE
2y 12m to grant Granted Aug 18, 2026
Patent 12709243
AIRBAG DEVICE FOR VEHICLE
11m to grant Granted Aug 18, 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
92%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (-3.5%)
1y 11m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1008 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