Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 15, 2026
Application No. 17/311,451

NON-ALKALI GLASS

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Jun 07, 2021
Priority
Dec 10, 2018 — JP 2018-230609 +2 more
Examiner
ABU ALI, SHUANGYI
Art Unit
1731
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.
OA Round
4 (Final)
45%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
83%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 45% of resolved cases
45%
Career Allowance Rate
485 granted / 1069 resolved
-19.6% vs TC avg
Strong +38% interview lift
Without
With
+37.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 1m
Avg Prosecution
37 currently pending
Career history
1124
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
56.1%
+16.1% vs TC avg
§102
12.8%
-27.2% vs TC avg
§112
20.2%
-19.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1069 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. Claim(s) 1-4, and 6-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable US20180044223A1. Regarding claims 1-3, 6, and 10, US20180044223A1 discloses a glass substrate such as a glass sheet, which comprises as a glass composition, in terms of mol %, 65% to 75% of SiO2, 11% to 15% of Al2O3, 0% to 5% of B2O3, 0% to 5% of MgO, 0% to 10% of CaO, 0% to 5% of SrO, 0% to 6% of BaO, and 0.01% to 5% of P2O5, and has a molar ratio (MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO)/Al2O3 of from 0.7 to 1.5. The BaO/P2O5 ratio is in the claimed range. The thermal expansion coefficient is preferably from 28×10−7/° C. to 45×10−7/° C. See abstract, [0033] and [0068]. The reference differs from Applicant's recitations of claims by not disclosing identical ranges. However, the reference discloses "overlapping" ranges, and overlapping ranges have been held to establish prima facie obviousness (MPEP 2144.05). Regarding claims 4, 7-9, the substrate has a strain point of 710° C. or more See [0023]. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4 and 6-10 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. 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 SHUANGYI ABU ALI whose telephone number is (571)272-6453. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am- 5:00 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, Amber Orlando can be reached at (571)270-3149. 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. /SHUANGYI ABU ALI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Sep 24, 2024
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Mar 04, 2025
Response Filed
Jun 18, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 16, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Oct 17, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Nov 04, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Feb 04, 2026
Response Filed
May 20, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12703663
BIO-CATALYTIC CALCIUM CARBONATE CEMENTATION
7y 7m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12703664
NANOPOROUS CERAMIC FOR ATOMIZATION CORE AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREOF
3y 1m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12698237
BUILDING MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME
2y 6m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12686620
NEAR INFRARED TRANSMITTING COPPER OXIDE NANOPARTICLES
6y 0m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Patent 12686793
FREEZE-THAW STABLE WATER-IN-OIL EMULSION CLEANER AND/OR POLISH COMPOSITIONS
4y 5m to grant Granted Jul 21, 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

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
45%
Grant Probability
83%
With Interview (+37.9%)
4y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1069 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