Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/027,480

BASE-CATALYZED ISOMERIZATION OF MUCONIC ACID DERIVATIVES

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 21, 2023
Examiner
FANG, SHANE
Art Unit
1766
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allow Rate
1136 granted / 1491 resolved
+11.2% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
1542
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
43.9%
+3.9% vs TC avg
§102
24.3%
-15.7% vs TC avg
§112
16.5%
-23.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1491 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 . DETAILED ACTION All the references cited in the International Search Report have been considered. None is anticipatory to the elected claim. Election/Restrictions The applicant has elected Species IIIb (claim 40) without traverse. This restriction is made FINAL. See previous action for the reasons of applying restriction. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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) 40 is(are) rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Korori et al. (Derwent JP 61243045). As to claim 40, Korori (abs.) discloses a 3-methyladipic acid ester produced by reacting 4-methyl-3-pentene acid ester(A) or 3-methyl-3-pentene acid ester with an aliphatic alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol. The resultant 3-methyladipic acid ester would have the following structure: PNG media_image1.png 97 251 media_image1.png Greyscale terminated with methyl group or two similar structures terminated with ethyl or n-propyl. These esters meet the claimed structure, corresponding to the claimed R7=R8= methyl, ethyl or n-propyl, X=C, and R5=R6=H in formula IVb. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHANE FANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7378. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Thurs. 8am-6pm. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Randy Gulakowski can be reached on 571.572.1302. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /SHANE FANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1766
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 21, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600818
PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF STERICALLY HINDERED NITROXYL ETHERS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12595395
KIT-OF-PARTS FOR CURABLE POLYASPARTIC ACID ESTER-BASED COATING COMPOSITIONS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12595338
PROCESS FOR PREPARING A HYDROXY GROUP FUNCTIONALIZED THIOETHER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12577411
GAS-BARRIER COATING COMPOSITION AND GAS-BARRIER LAMINATE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12581846
ELECTROLUMINESCENT POLYMER BASED ON PHENANTHROIMIDAZOLE UNITS, PREPARATION METHOD THEREFOR, AND USE THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
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
76%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+19.0%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1491 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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