Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/296,167

RAPID DUMP OF PARTIALLY INSULATED SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET

Final Rejection §112
Filed
May 21, 2021
Examiner
WARTALOWICZ, PAUL A
Art Unit
1735
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Tokamak Energy Ltd
OA Round
3 (Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
4-5
OA Rounds
3y 5m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allow Rate
529 granted / 832 resolved
-1.4% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
863
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
§103
48.8%
+8.8% vs TC avg
§102
18.4%
-21.6% vs TC avg
§112
24.7%
-15.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 832 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 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 1-8 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. The recitation in claim 1, lines 12-13 of “wherein transport current in the HTS material during the ramp-up is in the same direction as transport current in the HTS material during the ramp-down” does not appear to have support in the specification as originally filed. It is requested that applicant point out what part of the specification lends support to this limitation. 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 PAUL A WARTALOWICZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5957. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 am - 5 pm. 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, Keith Walker can be reached at 571-272-3458. 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. /PAUL A WARTALOWICZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 21, 2021
Application Filed
Feb 22, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
May 27, 2025
Response Filed
Sep 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Dec 03, 2025
Response Filed
Mar 21, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12598921
THIN FILM HAVING SINGLE-CRYSTAL-LEVEL CRYSTAL ORIENTATION PROPERTY, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME, AND PRODUCT USING SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592332
HTS LINKED PARTIAL INSULATION FOR HTS FIELD COILS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12589993
METHODS FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC WATER SPLITTING OF PRODUCED WATERS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12584522
HTS BEARING AND FLYWHEEL SYSTEMS AND METHODS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12580109
SUPERCONDUCTING COIL
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 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
82%
With Interview (+18.6%)
3y 5m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 832 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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