Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/603,186

COATING FILM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 12, 2021
Examiner
NELSON, MICHAEL B
Art Unit
1787
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
21%
Grant Probability
At Risk
3-4
OA Rounds
4y 1m
To Grant
58%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 21% of cases
21%
Career Allow Rate
114 granted / 537 resolved
-43.8% vs TC avg
Strong +37% interview lift
Without
With
+36.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 1m
Avg Prosecution
85 currently pending
Career history
622
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
57.4%
+17.4% vs TC avg
§102
3.7%
-36.3% vs TC avg
§112
32.6%
-7.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 537 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 . 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 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. Claims 1-8 are pending. Applicant’s previous election of Group I, claims 1-7 still applies and claims 8 remain withdrawn. Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/28/25 has been entered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)/first paragraph 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. Claim(s) 1-7 is/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 pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 1 recites that the mixed composition p is cured before or during curing of the composition q. This is not supported. There is support for the mixed composition p “is applied to the mixed composition (q) before or during curing…”. The rest of the rejected claims not specifically addressed above are rejected because they depend from one of the claims specifically addressed above and therefore include the same new matter issue(s) via their dependency. Response to Arguments Applicant’s remarks are moot in light of the new grounds of rejection. The previous 112 rejections are withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment. Conclusion References cited in any corresponding foreign applications have been considered but would be cumulative to the above. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL B NELSON whose direct telephone number is (571)272-9886 and whose direct fax number is (571)273-9886 and whose email address is Michael.Nelson@USPTO.GOV. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Sat, 7am - 7pm. 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, Callie Shosho can be reached on 571-272-1123. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300 (faxes sent to this number will take longer to reach the examiner than faxes sent to the direct fax number above). Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MICHAEL B NELSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 12, 2021
Application Filed
Aug 30, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Dec 02, 2024
Response Filed
Dec 06, 2024
Final Rejection — §112
Feb 28, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 12, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 14, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Dec 01, 2025
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12576187
ANTIADHESIVE SUPERHYDROPHOBIC SURFACES
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12545803
COATING AGENT, RESIN MEMBER, AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Patent 12545804
BIOCIDAL POLYMER FOR LONG-TERM SURFACE PROTECTION
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Patent 12540216
TWO-COMPONENT MOISTURE CURABLE THERMAL INTERFACE MATERIAL FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Patent 12534650
COMPOSITION FOR PREPARING A RELEASE COATING AND METHOD OF PREPARING COATED SUBSTRATE
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
21%
Grant Probability
58%
With Interview (+36.7%)
4y 1m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 537 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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