Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/027,767

COLORED COMPOSITION

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 22, 2023
Examiner
HON, SOW FUN
Art Unit
1782
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Sumika Technology Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
58%
Grant Probability
Moderate
2-3
OA Rounds
3y 4m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 58% of resolved cases
58%
Career Allow Rate
449 granted / 777 resolved
-7.2% vs TC avg
Strong +64% interview lift
Without
With
+63.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
815
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
54.7%
+14.7% vs TC avg
§102
15.0%
-25.0% vs TC avg
§112
23.2%
-16.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 777 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Response to Amendment Withdrawn Rejections The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claims 1-2, 4-6 over Feiler in view of Li, is withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment filed on December 12, 2025. The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claims 1-4 over Hunger in view of Li, is withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment filed on December 12, 2025. New Rejection 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. Claims 1-2, 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. It is unclear in claim 1, for the formula (ph1) in line 9, what the label “**” also represents, aside from representing a point of attachment to B, if the label “*” represents a point of attachment to A, together with a point of attachment to L1, because there is no “**” label in any of the formulas (t1), (t2), (t3) and (t5), just “*”. Furthermore, in claim 1, it is unclear in lines 21-22, whether the recitation of “a hydrocarbon group optionally having a substituent, a heterocyclic group, a cyano group, or a halogen group” means that it is the hydrocarbon group that optionally has a substituent, a heterocyclic group, a cyano group, or a halogen group, or that the hydrocarbon group optionally having a substituent, is a separate member of a Markush group further consisting of a heterocyclic group, a cyano group, or a halogen group. Claims 2, 4-6 depend on and contain all the subject matter of claim 1, but all fail to provide any solutions for the indefinite issues described above. Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Sow-Fun Hon whose telephone number is (571)272-1492. The examiner is on a flexible schedule but can usually be reached during a regular workweek between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Aaron Austin, can be reached at (571)272-8935. 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 the Patent Center (https://patentcenter.uspto.gov). Should you have any questions on the Patent Center 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. /Sophie Hon/ Sow-Fun Hon Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1782
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 22, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 13, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Dec 12, 2025
Response Filed
Mar 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
58%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+63.7%)
3y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 777 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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