Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/013,866

METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN EVAPORATION RATE OF SOURCE MATERIAL, DETECTOR FOR MEASURING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION REFLECTED ON A SOURCE SURFACE AND SYSTEM FOR THERMAL EVAPORATION WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 29, 2022
Priority
Jun 30, 2020 — nonprovisional of PCTEP2020068404
Examiner
BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH
Art Unit
1794
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Max-planck-gesellschaft Zur Förderung der Wissenschaften E.v.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
48%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
4m
Est. Remaining
70%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 48% of resolved cases
48%
Career Allowance Rate
339 granted / 709 resolved
-17.2% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 10m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
745
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
86.8%
+46.8% vs TC avg
§102
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§112
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 709 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 . 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 April 6, 2026 has been entered. Claim Objections Claim 35 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 35 should be amended to recite “radiation, light”. 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. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 50 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 50 recites a system, which the Examiner interprets as an apparatus, with requirements for its structure and then incorporates the method of claim 31. As claim 31 also claims a system that employs its desired method the Examiner is unable to determine whether claim 50 requires the system of claim 31 or the system of claim 50. Therefore claim 50 is undefined. The Examiner recommends deleting “wherein the system is adapted to carry out a method according to claim 31” and amending claim 50 to include all the structural and functional requirements of claim 31. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 31-34, 37 and 38 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claim 31, no prior art teaches a method for controlling an evaporation rate of source material in a system for thermal evaporation with electromagnetic radiation with a method comprising b) measuring electromagnetic radiation reflected on the source surface by the main detector by measuring and/or monitoring an absolute temperature and/or a change of a temperature of the absorption body for measuring and/or monitoring an amount of energy deposited into the absorption body by the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the main detector. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN J BRAYTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3084. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST 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, James Lin can be reached at 571 272 8902. 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. JOHN J. BRAYTON Primary Examiner Art Unit 1794 /JOHN J BRAYTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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Prosecution Timeline

Dec 29, 2022
Application Filed
Oct 16, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jan 05, 2026
Response Filed
Jan 22, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 23, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 06, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 07, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 20, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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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
48%
Grant Probability
70%
With Interview (+22.3%)
3y 10m (~4m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 709 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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