Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 17, 2026
Application No. 17/910,657

SUNFLOWER PHOSPHOLIPID COMPOSITION CONTAINING PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Sep 09, 2022
Priority
Mar 12, 2020 — EU 20162785.8 +1 more
Examiner
ZILBERING, ASSAF
Art Unit
1792
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Lipoid GmbH
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
35%
Grant Probability
At Risk
2-3
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
63%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 35% of cases
35%
Career Allowance Rate
227 granted / 651 resolved
-30.1% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+28.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 2m
Avg Prosecution
41 currently pending
Career history
717
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
§103
63.2%
+23.2% vs TC avg
§102
7.9%
-32.1% vs TC avg
§112
22.5%
-17.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 651 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 . DETAILED ACTION Status of Claims Note: The amendment of May 4th 2026 has been considered. Claims 3-25, 27 and 28 are pending in the current application. Claims 9-25 and 28 are withdrawn from consideration. Claims 3-8, 21-23 and 27 are examined in the current application. Any rejections not recited below have been withdrawn. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The text of those sections of Title 35 of the U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claims 3-8, 21-23 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Greeve et al. (WO 2008/113421 A1) in view of NPL “Amazon” (from https://www.amazon.com/Lekithos%C2%AE-Organic-Sunflower-Lecithin-Liquid/dp/B07F45KWD5?th=1) Regarding claims 21, 22, 27, 3, 4 and 6-8: Greeve discloses a method of preparing an oil-in-water emulsion to be used for parenteral (i.e., subcutaneous) administration by homogenizing an aqueous and an oil phase using a phospholipid composition comprising phosphatidylcholine and an anionic phospholipid compound that is phosphatidylglycerol (e.g., 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phophorylglycerol (‘PMPG’)), or phosphatidylethanolamine (see Greeve paragraphs 1, 4 and 5 on page 4, and paragraphs 1 and 2 on page 5, paragraphs 1 and 2; claim 9 on page 3). Greeve discloses sunflower lecithin may be one of the sources of the phospholipid composition (see Greeves paragraphs 4 and 5 on page 4), which is known to comprise about 2100 mg of phosphotidylcholine in about 15g (see Amazon pages 1, 2, 4 and 5), which meets the phosphatidylcholine content in claim 7. Regarding claim 5: Greeve discloses the phospholipid composition may comprise a phospholipid compound (e.g., phosphatidylcholine) and an anionic phospholipid compound (e.g., PMPG) or any combination thereof (see Greeve claim 9 on page 3), which encompasses the claimed ratio. Regarding claim 23: Greeve discloses autoclaving the resulting composition (see Greeve paragraph 1 on page 14; Embodiments section on page 17). Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with regards to Lekithos publication date, see “Remarks”, filed on May 4th 2026, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made under 35 USC §103 over Greeve in view of Amazon (see discussion, above). Applicant argues the prior art references fail to render the claimed invention obvious, because neither Greeve, nor Lekithos disclose using less than 0.1% chlorogenic acids. The examiner respectfully disagrees. To clarify, given the fact Greeve and Lekithos fail to disclose chlorogenic acids, Greeve and/or Lekithos meet claim 21: “…less than 0.1% chlorogenic acids…”, as the claim does not require chlorogenic acids be present, only that they are present at less than 0.1wt%, which reads on 0%. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASSAF ZILBERING whose telephone number is (571)270-3029. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00. 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, Erik Kashnikow can be reached at (571) 270-3475. 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. /ASSAF ZILBERING/Examiner, Art Unit 1792
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 09, 2022
Application Filed
May 15, 2023
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 11, 2025
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §103
Feb 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
May 04, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12696909
A VEGETABLE FAT COMPOSITION COMPRISING C14 FATTY ACIDS AND OTHER SATURATED FATTY ACIDS
3y 5m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12672658
OIL-AND-FAT COMPOSITION
5y 5m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12672663
STABILIZED SEMISOLID FOOD PRODUCTS
4y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12660835
STABILIZED OIL AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME
3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12654148
THERMALLY ACTIVATED BLEACHING CLAY PRODUCT FOR OIL BLEACHING
3y 11m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
35%
Grant Probability
63%
With Interview (+28.0%)
4y 2m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 651 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