Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/023,196

EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS FOR SIMULATING SUBSTANCE EXCHANGE BETWEEN WELLBORE AND FORMATION

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 24, 2023
Examiner
FRISBY, KESHA
Art Unit
3715
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
China University Of Petroleum ( Beijing)
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
2-3
OA Rounds
3y 7m
To Grant
76%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allow Rate
397 granted / 755 resolved
-17.4% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
26 currently pending
Career history
781
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
23.1%
-16.9% vs TC avg
§103
34.0%
-6.0% vs TC avg
§102
24.6%
-15.4% vs TC avg
§112
14.4%
-25.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 755 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION 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) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN104196527B ]. Referring to claim 1, CN104196527B discloses comprises a wellbore simulation system, a wellbore liquid injection system, a formation simulation system, a formation fluid injection system and a data acquisition system (abstract and description of the drawings); the wellbore simulation system comprises a vertically arranged wellbore body for simulating the wellbore (description of the drawings); the formation simulation system comprises a horizontally arranged sealing body for simulating the formation, and a mortar filler filled in the sealing body (paragraph 0022, 0028, 0029 & 0041); the wellbore liquid injection system is connected to an upper end of the wellbore body and configured to inject a wellbore liquid into the wellbore body (Figs. 1 & 2); the formation fluid injection system is connected to one end of the sealing body and configured to inject a formation fluid into the sealing body (Figs. 1 & 2); the other end of the sealing body is communicated to a bottom end of the wellbore body (Figs. 1 & 2); the data acquisition system is electrically connected to the wellbore simulation system and the formation simulation system so as to acquire simulation data (Fig. 4). Referring to claim 2, CN104196527B discloses wherein the wellbore liquid injection system comprises: a liquid tank, a first booster pump, and a first valve (Fig. 1); the liquid tank, the first booster pump and the first valve are sequentially connected to the upper end of the wellbore body (Fig. 1). Referring to claim 3, CN104196527B discloses wherein the formation fluid injection system comprises: a fluid source, a second booster pump, and a second valve (Fig. 1); the fluid source, the second booster pump and the second valve are sequentially connected to one end of the sealing body (Fig. 1). Referring to claim 4, CN104196527B discloses wherein the fluid source comprises an oil source, a gas source and a water source (Figs. 1-3); the oil source, the gas source and the water source are all connected to inlets of a mixing valve, and an outlet of the mixing valve is connected to the second booster pump (Figs. 1-3). Referring to claim 5, CN104196527B discloses wherein fourth valves are each provided at outlets of the oil source, the gas source and the water source to control a mixing ratio of oil, gas and water (Figs 1-3). Referring to claim 6, CN104196527B discloses wherein the first booster pump and the second booster pump are constant pressure pumps (Figs. 1-3). Referring to claim 7, CN104196527B discloses wherein the first valve and the second valve are one-way valves (Figs. 1 & 2). Referring to claim 8, CN104196527B discloses wherein a third valve is arranged between the wellbore body and the sealing body (Figs. 1 & 2). Referring to claim 9, CN104196527B discloses wherein the wellbore simulation system further comprises a first pressure measuring unit arranged at the upper end of the wellbore body, and a second pressure measuring unit arranged at the bottom end of the wellbore body (Figures); the formation simulation system further comprises a plurality of third pressure measuring units evenly arranged on the sealing body, and the first pressure measuring unit, the second pressure measuring unit and the third pressure measuring units are all electrically connected to the data acquisition system (Figures). Referring to claim 10, CN104196527B discloses wherein the first pressure measuring unit, the second pressure measuring unit and/or the third pressure measuring units are pressure sensors or pressure gauges (Figs. 1-3). Referring to claim 11, CN104196527B discloses wherein a drain pipe is arranged at the bottom end of the wellbore body, and the drain pipe is provided with a discharge valve (Figs. 1-3). Referring to claim 12, CN104196527B discloses wherein the wellbore body comprises a plurality of transparent glass tubes (Fig. 3); the wellbore body is marked with a scale line (Fig. 3). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KESHA FRISBY whose telephone number is (571)272-8774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 730AM-4PM. 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, Xuan Thai can be reached at 571-272-7147. 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. /KESHA FRISBY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3715
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 24, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 15, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Jan 20, 2026
Response Filed
Feb 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
53%
Grant Probability
76%
With Interview (+23.7%)
3y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 755 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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