Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/173,445

SYNTHESIS OF TETRADECANOIC MODIFIED GRAPHENE AS A CORROSION INHIBITOR

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Feb 23, 2023
Examiner
WARD, PAUL V
Art Unit
1622
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
OA Round
2 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
72%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1408 granted / 1692 resolved
+23.2% vs TC avg
Minimal -12% lift
Without
With
+-11.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
36 currently pending
Career history
1716
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
29.6%
-10.4% vs TC avg
§102
8.5%
-31.5% vs TC avg
§112
42.9%
+2.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1692 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 STATUS OF THE CLAIMS: Claims 1-4, 7, 9-10 and12-16 are pending in this application. Claim Objections Claim1 is objected to because of the following informalities: (a) Formula I is faded and not legible, the bonds are fuzzy and the substituents, e.g., -OH, are not clear; and (b) the claim does not end with a period (“.”). Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112, 2nd paragraph. 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 1 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential steps, such omission amounting to a gap between the steps. See MPEP § 2172.01. The claim does not show how the product was made. Applicant shows the product but no reactants and no mention of any of the conditions. Appropriate correction is required. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-4, 7, 9-10 and12-16 will be allowed if amended to overcome the objections and rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph. The prior art does not teach or suggest the methods of synthesis in the manner claimed by the Applicant. Therefore, these claims will be allowed, if amended to overcome the objections and rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph. EXAMINER NOTES On June 7, 2026 Examiner reached out to Applicant to discuss the objections and rejection of claims under 35 USC 112, 2nd paragraph, and to have applicant submit a supplemental amendment to address both the objections and the rejection, but Applicant could not be reached. Conclusion Claims 1-4, 7, 9-10 and12-16 are pending. Claims 1-4, 7, 9-10 and12-16 are rejected. No claims are allowed. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL V WARD whose telephone number is (571)272-2909. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm. 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, James Alstrum-Acevedo can be reached at 571-272-5548. 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. /PAUL V WARD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1622
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 23, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 12, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 09, 2025
Interview Requested
Jan 06, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 06, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 05, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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SANITIZING COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING IONIC LIQUID
3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12679810
METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF SULFINPYRAZONE
3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12673057
RIPK2 INHIBITION FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER
3y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12661432
MULTIFUNCTIONAL, HYDROGEL HYBRID MATERIAL, THE METHOD OF ITS PREPARATION AND THE USE IN THE TREATMENT OF BONE LOSSES
3y 3m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12655141
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4y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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
83%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (-11.5%)
2y 4m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1692 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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