Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 05, 2026
Application No. 18/042,309

PHOTOSENSITIVE RESIN PRINTING PLATE PRECURSOR, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PRINTING PLATE USING SAID PRECURSOR

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 21, 2023
Priority
Sep 14, 2020 — JP 2020-153534 +1 more
Examiner
ROBINSON, CHANCEITY N
Art Unit
1737
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Toray Industries Inc.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
59%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allowance Rate
773 granted / 1070 resolved
+7.2% vs TC avg
Minimal -13% lift
Without
With
+-13.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1098
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
66.2%
+26.2% vs TC avg
§102
17.7%
-22.3% vs TC avg
§112
6.5%
-33.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1070 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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/19/2026 has been entered. Claims 15-17 and 20-29 are currently pending. Claims 1-14 and 18-19 have been canceled. Claim 15 has been amended. 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 applicant regards as his invention. Claim 24 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. Claim 24 recites “ The photosensitive printing plate precursor according to claim 15, wherein said photosensitive resin layer comprises a polyvinyl alcohol, …, as said component (A).” The claim as written is indefinite and unclear. The limitation of “said component (A)’ is not positively recited in claim 24 or claim 15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Applicants only have support for the terms “polymer (A) or component (A-1) or (A2)’. Appropriate correction is required. REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Claims 15-17, 20-23 and 25-29 are allowed. The closest prior art , Kawahara et al. (CN 107924129 A1), fails to explicitly disclose a photosensitive resin printing plate precursor comprising at least a support and photosensitive resin layer as instantly claimed. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHANCEITY N ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)270-3786. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (8:00 am-6:00 pm; IFP; PHP). 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, Anthony Zimmer can be reached at 571-270-3591. 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. /CHANCEITY N ROBINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 21, 2023
Application Filed
Oct 27, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jan 09, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 09, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 15, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 19, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 22, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12662629
LIQUID CRYSTAL COMPOSITIONS AND DISPLAY PANELS USING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12663723
WASHOUT PROCESSOR AND WASHING METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12662631
LIQUID CRYSTAL COMPOSITION AND LIQUID DISPLAY DEVICE
1y 0m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12655349
LIQUID CRYSTAL COMPOUNDS
2y 6m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12637619
LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYESTER RESIN COMPOSITION, MOLDED ARTICLE, AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENT COMPRISING THE SAME
1y 8m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
72%
Grant Probability
59%
With Interview (-13.4%)
2y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1070 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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