Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 17/170,986

ORAL PRODUCTS WITH CONTROLLED RELEASE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 09, 2021
Priority
Dec 09, 2019 — provisional 62/945,413 +1 more
Examiner
MAYES, DIONNE WALLS
Art Unit
1747
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Nicoventures Trading Limited
OA Round
4 (Non-Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
4-5
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allowance Rate
351 granted / 548 resolved
-0.9% vs TC avg
Strong +27% interview lift
Without
With
+27.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
574
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
82.1%
+42.1% vs TC avg
§102
4.9%
-35.1% vs TC avg
§112
10.3%
-29.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 548 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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1-18 and 20-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Regarding independent claims 1 and 24 (and, therefore, those that depend therefrom), Applicant has amended the claims to now recite “wherein the active ingredient is bound to at least a portion of the filler so as to provide release of about 50% or less by weight of the active ingredient…”; however, there does not appear to be adequate support in the instant written specification for this amendment. While it is clear that “products according to the present disclosure may comprise an active ingredient and a filler and can be adapted to or configured to release about 50% or less by weight of the active ingredient” (see instant para. [0006]), this disclosure in no way is supportive of the current amended claim language as recited above because there is no instant teaching of the active ingredient being bound to the filler so as to provide release of the active ingredient in the claimed amount. Correction is requested. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIONNE WALLS MAYES whose telephone number is (571)272-5836. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays and Thursdays, 8:00AM - 4:00PM (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, Michael H Wilson can be reached at 571-270-3882. 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. /DIONNE W. MAYES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1747
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 4 earlier events
Feb 19, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 20, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 11, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Oct 13, 2025
Response Filed
Dec 18, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 18, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 18, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 20, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12622456
HEAT-NOT-BURN PRODUCT AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
4y 2m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12622455
BANDED PAPERS, SMOKING ARTICLES AND METHODS
3y 4m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12610989
ELECTRICALLY HEATED SMOKING SYSTEM
5y 3m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12575610
ELECTRONIC VAPOR PROVISION DEVICE
9m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12564217
NICOTINE INHALER
3y 3m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
64%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+27.4%)
3y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 548 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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