Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 04, 2026
Application No. 18/026,840

Process of preparing isocyanate compounds comprising non-chlorinated derivative and composition thereof

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 17, 2023
Priority
Sep 18, 2020 — nonprovisional of PCTKR2020012629
Examiner
SERGENT, RABON A
Art Unit
1765
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Keun Sik Kim
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
54%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 54% of resolved cases
54%
Career Allowance Rate
527 granted / 973 resolved
-10.8% vs TC avg
Strong +25% interview lift
Without
With
+24.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
54 currently pending
Career history
1027
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
52.6%
+12.6% vs TC avg
§102
8.0%
-32.0% vs TC avg
§112
19.7%
-20.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 973 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
Detailed Office Action Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. 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 § 112 2. 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. 3. Claims 31-50 are 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. With respect to claims 31, 41, 44, and 47, the language, “chlorinated derivative of Chemical Formula 1” and “non-chlorinated derivative of Chemical Formula 4”, is ambiguous, because the language can be interpreted as stating that Chemical Formulas 1 and 4 are further or additionally derivatized by chlorination or non-chlorination, respectively. In other words, the language is not necessarily equivalent to “chlorinated derivative represented by Chemical Formula 1” or “non-chlorinated derivative represented by Chemical Formula 4”. Allowable Subject Matter 4. Claims 31-50 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. 5. The claims are allowable over the most relevant prior art, considered to be Yamasaki et al. (US 2019/0292304 A1), because the reference fails to disclose the reduction reaction of independent claim 31. Furthermore, it is noted that it is this reduction reaction that converts the chlorinated derivative to the non-chlorinated derivative of the composition claims. Conclusion 6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rabon A Sergent whose telephone number is (571)272-1079. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, ET. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Heidi Riviere Kelley, can be reached at telephone number 571-270-1831. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center to authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to the USPTO patent electronic filing system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/InterviewPractice. /RABON A SERGENT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1765
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 17, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 26, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
54%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (+24.8%)
3y 7m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 973 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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