Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 17/489,866

ADDITIVES FOR BINDER COMPOSITIONS IN FIBROUS INSULATION PRODUCTS

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Sep 30, 2021
Priority
Oct 01, 2020 — provisional 63/086,271
Examiner
IMANI, ELIZABETH MARY COLE
Art Unit
1789
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Paroc Group OY
OA Round
6 (Final)
34%
Grant Probability
At Risk
7-8
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
58%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 34% of cases
34%
Career Allowance Rate
318 granted / 950 resolved
-31.5% vs TC avg
Strong +25% interview lift
Without
With
+24.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 6m
Avg Prosecution
73 currently pending
Career history
1035
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
54.1%
+14.1% vs TC avg
§102
15.5%
-24.5% vs TC avg
§112
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 950 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 . 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 1-3, 5-7, 9-21, 23, 26 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. Each of the independent claims recites “at least 54% by weight of a polymeric crosslinking agent” and also recites 10-50% by weight of a polyol, 5-15% by weight of an additive blend, and 0.5-3% by weight of a silane coupling agent. There is no way that there can be 50% by weight of a polyol if the polymeric crosslinking agent is present in an amount of at least 54% by weight. Further, the other components as claimed are also required to be present. The scope of the claim is not clear. Applicant’s amendments filed 7/7/26 have overcome the art rejections of record. New rejections are set forth above in view of the amendments to the claims. 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 ELIZABETH M IMANI whose telephone number is (571)272-1475. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Wednesday 7AM-7:30; Thursday 10AM -2 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, Marla McConnell can be reached at 571-270-7692. 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. /ELIZABETH M IMANI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1789
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 9 earlier events
May 30, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Aug 06, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 23, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jan 09, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 12, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 07, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 17, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12768085
POLYETHYLENE MULTIFILAMENT INTERLACED YARN AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
5y 5m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12766818
CORK-BASED TEXTILE ARTICLE AND PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURING THEREOF
3y 1m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12723177
WATER-BASED HOT MELT ADHESIVE AND NONWOVEN COATED WITH THE WATER-BASED HOT MELT ADHESIVE
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12697754
METHOD OF RECYCLING FIBERS FROM POST-CONSUMER NYLON FABRICS
2y 10m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12686955
2D NANOMATERIAL FIBER AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME
5y 0m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

7-8
Expected OA Rounds
34%
Grant Probability
58%
With Interview (+24.9%)
4y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 950 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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