Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 17/825,230

Mass Spectrometer Utilizing Mass Spectral Database Search for Compound Identification

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 26, 2022
Priority
Jun 01, 2021 — provisional 63/195,519
Examiner
CHOI, JAMES J
Art Unit
2878
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Thermo Finnigan LLC
OA Round
4 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
4-5
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allowance Rate
273 granted / 402 resolved
At TC average
Strong +45% interview lift
Without
With
+45.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
440
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
70.1%
+30.1% vs TC avg
§102
9.0%
-31.0% vs TC avg
§112
17.9%
-22.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 402 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/7/26 has been entered. Status of the Application Claim(s) 1-5, 7-12, 14-15, 17-20 is/are pending. Claim(s) 3, 9, 17 is/are rejected. Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-12, 14-15, 18-20 is/are allowed. Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): PNG media_image1.png 120 1248 media_image1.png Greyscale The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: PNG media_image2.png 89 869 media_image2.png Greyscale Claim(s) 3, 9, 17 is/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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claim 3 recites “wherein the action includes adjusting operational parameters of a fragmentation cell and fragmenting the precursor ions or the product ions with the fragmentation cell using the operational parameters“ but it is unclear if “with the fragmentation cell using the operational parameters” refers to just the product ions alternative or both the precursor and product ions alternatives. The claim is read to mean the latter—i.e. “wherein the action includes adjusting operational parameters of a fragmentation cell and fragmenting, , the precursor ions or the product ions”. Claim 9, 17 are rejected for similar reasons as claim 3. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to James Choi whose telephone number is (571) 272 – 2689. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:30 am – 6:00 pm M-F. 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, Georgia Epps can be reached on (571) 272 – 2328. 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. /JAMES CHOI/Examiner, Art Unit 2878
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 12 earlier events
Dec 23, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Feb 18, 2026
Interview Requested
Mar 05, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Mar 05, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Mar 19, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 07, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Aug 10, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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4y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
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3y 11m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12738442
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3y 6m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12739963
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3y 4m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12712092
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3y 8m to grant Granted Aug 18, 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
68%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+45.0%)
2y 10m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 402 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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