Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 17, 2026
Application No. 18/026,840

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

Non-Final OA §102§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
2 (Non-Final)
55%
Grant Probability
Moderate
2-3
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
79%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 55% of resolved cases
55%
Career Allowance Rate
550 granted / 1002 resolved
-10.1% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+24.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 7m
Avg Prosecution
41 currently pending
Career history
1034
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
35.3%
-4.7% vs TC avg
§102
15.4%
-24.6% vs TC avg
§112
37.6%
-2.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1002 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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. Claim 35 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. With respect to claim 35, the language, “the first step …” and “the second step …”, lacks antecedent basis. Prior Art Rejection 4. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 5. Claim 46 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pai et al. (US 2021/0171451 A1) Pai et al. disclose compositions comprising xylylene diisocyanate and methyl benzyl isocyanate, corresponding to applicants’ Chemical Formula 4, in an amount that meets applicants’ claimed amount. See paragraphs [0044], [0045], and [0062]-[0066]. The disclosure within foreign application priority document KR 10-2019-0161447, having a date of 06 December 2019, within at least paragraphs [0053]-[0055] was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the instantly claimed invention. Allowable Subject Matter 6. Claims 31-34, 36-45, and 47-50 are allowed. 7. Claim 35 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. 8. Claims 31-45 and 47-50 are allowable over 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 allowed composition claims. Conclusion 9. 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 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112
Apr 27, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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STORAGE-STABLE POLYISOCYANATE COMPOSITION AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREFOR
3y 7m to grant Granted Sep 01, 2026
Patent 12715954
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3y 9m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12715957
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3y 0m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12715955
POLYOL COMPOSITION FOR PRODUCING POLYURETHANE RESIN, POLYURETHANE RESIN-FORMING COMPOSITION, AND POLYURETHANE RESIN
1y 11m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Patent 12703771
BUILD MATERIALS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPLICATIONS
4y 7m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
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
55%
Grant Probability
79%
With Interview (+24.2%)
3y 7m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1002 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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