Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/001,087

LANTHANUM/MOLYBDENUM COMPOSITE OXIDE, ANTIBACTERIAL SINTERED COMPACT, AND ANTIVIRAL SINTERED COMPACT

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Dec 08, 2022
Examiner
ABU ALI, SHUANGYI
Art Unit
1731
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
45%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
4y 3m
To Grant
83%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 45% of resolved cases
45%
Career Allow Rate
475 granted / 1057 resolved
-20.1% vs TC avg
Strong +38% interview lift
Without
With
+38.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 3m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
1108
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
53.9%
+13.9% vs TC avg
§102
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
§112
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1057 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by “Synthesis of La2Mo2O9 powders with nanodomains using polyol procedure” to Sellemi et al. Regarding claims 1, Sellemi et al. disclose a composite comprising primary La2Mo2O9 crystal phase and La2Mo3O12 crystal phase. Sellemi et al. disclose the intensity X of the diffraction peak largest among the diffraction peaks originating from said primary crystalline phase not overlapping the peaks of the secondary crystalline phase, and the ratio of the intensity Y of the diffraction peak largest among the diffraction peaks originating from said secondary crystalline phase not overlapping the peaks of the primary crystalline phase is Y/X<1. See Figure 8 and 3.2. PNG media_image1.png 276 378 media_image1.png Greyscale Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 3 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion 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 SHUANGYI ABU ALI whose telephone number is (571)272-6453. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am- 5:00 pm. 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, Amber Orlando can be reached at (571)270-3149. 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. /SHUANGYI ABU ALI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 08, 2022
Application Filed
Oct 14, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Dec 29, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 21, 2026
Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12590210
WATER DISPERSIBLE COMPOSITE PARTICLES, METHODS OF MAKING, AND COATINGS
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METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF METAL OXIDE PIGMENT COMPOSITE OF CONTROLLED AGGLOMERATING PROPERTIES AND RESPECTIVE PRODUCT
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 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
45%
Grant Probability
83%
With Interview (+38.0%)
4y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1057 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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