Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 35/523,409

Fire water nozzle

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 25, 2023
Examiner
BIRD, MATTHEW D
Art Unit
2974
Tech Center
2900
Assignee
Tokyo Siren Inc.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
96%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 9m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 96% — above average
96%
Career Allow Rate
52 granted / 54 resolved
+36.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
1 currently pending
Career history
55
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
7.3%
-32.7% vs TC avg
§102
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
§112
65.0%
+25.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 54 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. Applicant Amendments Applicant’s amendments of 02/19/2026 have been received and fully considered. The amended specification clarifies the various uses of broken line, and successfully overcomes the 11/28/2025 objection. Replacement reproductions present the claim consistently, successfully overcoming the 11/28/2025 objections. The cancellation of reproduction 1.15 has removed conflicting representations of the claim which necessitated a claim rejection under 35 USC § 112 (b), and that rejection is therefore withdrawn. However, with the claim now cl arified , the following rejection is necessitated. Claim Rejection - 35 USC § 112(a) and (b) The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) as the claimed invention is not described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same, and fails to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The claim is indefinite and nonenabling as the presentation of the claim in section views cannot be understood as disclosed. The specification states that portions of articles shown in red form no part of the claimed design. However, section views present only outlines in red , with internal hatching in black. This presentation has multiple possible interpretations ; it is not clear if the internal surfaces are intended to be claimed or unclaimed. See annotated image below to identify an example of this showing. Because this application contains so many sections views, and they are crucial to a complete understanding of the claim, a clear distinction between claimed and unclaimed surfaces is especially important in these views. Representation 11 identifying areas combining red and black lines To overcome this rejection, it is recommended applicant amend the drawings to identify the internal surfaces as part of the unclaimed forms. Examiner suggests using a red fill to identify unclaimed areas as demonstrated below. Representation 11 amended to identifying unclaimed areas Corrected drawing sheets are suggested in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. If all the figures on a drawing sheet are canceled, a replacement sheet is not required. A marked-up copy of the drawing sheet (labeled as “Annotated Sheet”) including an annotation showing that all the figures on that drawing sheet have been canceled must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office Action. Any amendment to the claim must meet the written description requirement of 35 USC 112(a). That is, it must be apparent that applicant was in possession of the scope now being asserted at the time of filing. This pertains to the addition or removal of parts of the design, as well as the conversion of solid lines to broken lines and vice versa. When preparing new or replacement drawings, be careful to avoid introducing new matter. New matter is prohibited by 35 U.S.C. 132 and 37 CFR 1.121(f). Conclusion The Claim stands rejected under 35 § USC 112(a) and (b). Communication Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW BIRD whose telephone number is (703)756-1071. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm. 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, Eric Goodman can be reached on 571-272-4734. 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. /MB/ Examiner, Art Unit 2974 /RACHEL A. VOORHIES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2953
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 25, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Feb 19, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Patent D1105360
SINK FAUCET
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 09, 2025
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
96%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+4.1%)
1y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 54 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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