Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/931,142

METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR ACCELERATED TRAIT INTROGRESSION

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Sep 12, 2022
Priority
Mar 19, 2015 — provisional 62/135,261 +2 more
Examiner
PAGE, BRENT T
Art Unit
1663
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Pioneer Hi-bred International Inc.
OA Round
4 (Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allowance Rate
1223 granted / 1484 resolved
+22.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+10.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
1516
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
28.0%
-12.0% vs TC avg
§102
11.1%
-28.9% vs TC avg
§112
40.5%
+0.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1484 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 . Applicant’s Reply, filed on 02/23/2026 is hereby acknowledged. Claims 35-39 are pending. Claims 36-39 remain withdrawn. Claim 35 is examined herein on the merits. The rejection of the claim under 35 USC 103 as being obvious over Zieler et al in view of Zhao et al is overcome in response to Applicant’s arguments when taken together with the claim amendments. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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. Claim 35 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim 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, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 35 is drawn to a method of accelerated trait introgression in “a native chromosome”. There is no support in the specification for the term “native chromosome” nor is there any support for this term in the claims as originally filed. The specification describes native genes, but does not describe native chromosomes and does not define what a native chromosome is. This is problematic because one of skill in the art would not be able to determine what a native chromosome is. The claim is therefore drawn to New Matter. Applicant must cancel the claim or amend the claim to delete the New Matter to overcome this rejection. No claims are allowed. 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 BRENT T PAGE whose telephone number is (571)272-5914. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4 EST. 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, Amjad Abraham can be reached at 5712707058. 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. /BRENT T PAGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1663
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 2 earlier events
Apr 23, 2025
Response Filed
Jun 11, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 31, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 28, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Sep 05, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 02, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Feb 23, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 12, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12677784
SOYBEAN VARIETY
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12677780
INBRED CORN LINE KW6FD0043
2y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12660780
INBRED CORN LINE KW6FD0032
2y 2m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12653119
NOVEL GENETIC LOCI ASSOCIATED WITH EAR ROT RESISTANCE IN MAIZE
4y 4m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12653132
SOYBEAN VARIETY 01106159
2y 6m 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

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+10.8%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1484 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