Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/754,989

LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERY CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIAL, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR, AND LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERY COMPRISING SAME

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Apr 18, 2022
Priority
Oct 18, 2019 — RE 10-2019-0130033 +2 more
Examiner
USYATINSKY, ALEXANDER
Art Unit
1751
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Ecopro BM Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
740 granted / 893 resolved
+17.9% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
924
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
81.0%
+41.0% vs TC avg
§102
2.5%
-37.5% vs TC avg
§112
11.9%
-28.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 893 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 [ 1 ] has been entered. Information Disclosure Statement The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed 04/13/2026 hasbeen placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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. Claim1 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Instant claim 1 recites limitation: “primary particles [… ] are present in an amount of 50 to 100 vol% based on a total amount of the primary particles constituting the secondary particles” It is not clear in what units said total amount is expressed: in total amount of weight? total volume or something else. The specification must conclude with a claim particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention or discovery MPEP 608. 01 (i) Claims 4-5 and 7-15 depend from claim 1 directly or indirectly and fall therewith. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action. Claims 4-5 and 7-15 depend from claim 1 directly or indirectly and would be allowable as well The reason for allowance provided in the Office Action from 01/27/2026. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER USYATINSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7703. The examiner can normally be reached IFP. 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, Jonathan Leong can be reached at (571) 270-1292. 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. /Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Apr 18, 2022
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 26, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 26, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 24, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 24, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 13, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 16, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12683175
REDOX FLOW BATTERY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING REDOX FLOW BATTERY
3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12676388
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY WITH MOVABLE ELECTRODE
3y 8m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12676375
BATTERY CASE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND MANUFACTURING METHOD
3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12665261
CELL CONNECTOR FOR CONNECTING ROUND CELLS OF A BATTERY
3y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12665265
APPARATUS FOR MAGNETIC FLUX GENERATION ON BUSBARS OF A RECONFIGURABLE BATTERY
3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+19.3%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 893 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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