Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/037,093

APPARATUS COMPRISING INDUCTION HEATING ELEMENTS FOR PREPARING A POLYAMIDE POLYMER

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
May 16, 2023
Examiner
SINGH, DAPINDER
Art Unit
3746
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Inv Nylon Polymers Americas LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allow Rate
715 granted / 869 resolved
+12.3% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
894
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
§103
35.6%
-4.4% vs TC avg
§102
36.2%
-3.8% vs TC avg
§112
20.5%
-19.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 869 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. 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. 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claims 1-10 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. Regarding claim 1, the term "optionally" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05. It cannot be ascertained from the claim whether the limitation (a power source) following the term is required or not. Applicant is advised to remove the term and claim the “a power source” positively and clearly e.g. --the heating elements each comprising a susceptor and an induction coil connected to a power source--. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 1, the closest prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the combination including: “ the heating elements are positioned in an array that provides one or more channels between the two or more heating elements through which liquid can flow, and the one or more channels comprise at least one channel that is circumferential about an axis of the chamber, and at least one channel that is parallel to the axis of the chamber; and the axis of the chamber is a vertical axis, or an axis corresponding to a predominant direction of liquid flow through the vessel. ” Claims 2-10 would be allowable if either claim 1 is rewritten or claims 2-10 are rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 9,944,753 to Marchildon et al. US 9,834,643 to Marchildon et al. US 6,315,972 to Mehdizadeh et al. US 4,614,439 to Brunt et al. US 3,844,490 to Schold et al. US 3,802,633 to Schold US 2022/0212215 to Ishii et al. All references above describe general state of art. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT DAPINDER SINGH whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-1774 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Mark Laurenzi can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 270-7878 . 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. /DAPINDER SINGH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 26, 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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+18.9%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 869 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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