Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/231,622

POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITE RESIN COMPOSITION AND MOLDED ARTICLE CONTAINING SAME

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Aug 08, 2023
Examiner
NERANGIS, VICKEY M
Art Unit
1763
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Gs Caltex Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
56%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 56% of resolved cases
56%
Career Allow Rate
649 granted / 1152 resolved
-8.7% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+28.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
69 currently pending
Career history
1221
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
47.7%
+7.7% vs TC avg
§102
17.0%
-23.0% vs TC avg
§112
22.6%
-17.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1152 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 Objections Claims 6 and 9 are objected to because the use of “at least one” and “or a combination thereof” is redundant. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claim s 1- 6, and 8 -11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (CN 105778388, machine translation) in view of Moritomi (US 8,278,392) and Tamada (US 9,206,304 ) . With respect to claim s 1 and 9, Kim discloses a polypropylene resin composition comprising 30-69.8 wt % polypropylene, 10-25 wt % rubber, and 20-35 wt % inorganic fillers (abstract). Kim teaches that polypropylene can be a block copolymer of polypropylene (paragraph 0023) such as those based on propylene and ethylene (paragraph 0025). Kim discloses that the rubber preferably includes olefinic rubber such as ethylene butene and ethylene octene and styrene ethylene butene styrene rubber (paragraph 0029). Kim fails to disclose (i) a mixture of two polypropylene block copolymers having melt flow rate of 20-40 g/10 min and 5-15 g/10 min or (ii) the amount of nucleating agent. With respect to (i), Kim teaches that the melt index (at 230°C and under 2.16 kg) of the polypropylene resin composition is 0.2-150 g/10 min (paragraph 0040) but fails to disclose a mixture of two different propylene-ethylene block copolymers having claimed melt indexes. Moritomi teaches that for application which require impact resistance, propylene-ethylene block copolymers are used, however, the dispersibility of the ethylene-propylene copolymer portion is poor which causes fish eyes (col. 1, lines 19-35). Moritomi utilizes a polypropylene resin composition comprising a mixture of 5-50 wt % of a first propylene-ethylene block copolymer having relatively higher intrinsic viscosity and 50-95 wt % of a second propylene-ethylene block copolymer having relatively lower viscosity (col. 14, line 31 to col. 15, line 3). Exemplified copolymers of higher viscosity have melt index of 0.05-5.5 g/10 mins (reads on claimed second block copolymer), and exemplified copolymer of lower viscosity have melt index of 24-45 g/10 min (reads o claimed first block copolymer) (col. 12, lines 6-51). Given that Kim discloses a melt index of 0.2-150 g/10 min and further given that Moritomi discloses that a mixture of propylene-ethylene block copolymers having distinct melt indexes with the claimed ranges are suitable for forming polypropylene articles, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize an appropriate mixture of propylene-ethylene copolymers having melt index like claimed in order to mold articles with less fish eye defects. With respect to (ii), Kim discloses various additives (paragraph 0044) for its composition used to prepare automotive interior parts (paragraph 0075) but fails to disclose a nucleating agent. Tamada discloses an automotive interior compound comprising polypropylene copolymers and an elastomeric copolymer (abstract) and teaches adding nucleating agents as known additives in an amount of not more than 3.5 wt % (col. 12, line 65 to col. 13, line 6) . Given that both Kim and Tamada are drawn to automotive interior parts comprising propylene copolymers and further given that Kim is open to the use of known additives, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize a nucleating agent in an of 3.5 wt % which overlaps with claimed range of 0.2-2 wt % as taught by Tamada . With respect to claims 2 and 3, Kim teaches that the polypropylene block copolymer has a flexural modulus of 1000-2100 MPa (i.e., about 10000-21000 kg f /cm 2 ) (paragraph 0023). With respect to claim 4, Kim states that the polypropylene resin composition has excellent impact resistance and teaches that propylene block copolymer has improved cantilever beam impact strength of 16-40 kJ/m (paragraph 0022) . Kim fails to disclose Izod Impact in units of kg f /cm 2 . Even so, given that Kim teaches excellent impact strength and refers to the high impact strength at room temperature of the propylene block copolymer, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize a propylene block copolymer having an Izod impact property as claimed. With respect to claim 5, Kim discloses that the composition comprises 10-25 wt % rubber which is preferably olefinic rubber such as ethylene butene and ethylene octene and styrene ethylene butene styrene rubber (paragraph 0029). Exemplified ethylene-butene rubber has melt index (MI) of about 0.5 g/10 min (paragraph 0056), and exemplified ethylene octene rubber has MI of 27 g/10 min (paragraph 0057). Kim fails to discloses a single embodiment comprising the mixture of all three elastomers, however, i t is well settled that it is prima facie obvious to combine two ingredients, each of which is targeted by the prior art to be useful for the same purpose. In re Lindner 457 F,2d 506,509, 173 USPQ 356, 359 (CCPA 1972). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize a mixture of the three in equal amounts to provide an amount of each of 3.3-8.3 wt %. Regarding the MI of the styrene ethylene butene styrene rubber ( SEBS, i.e., styrenic thermoplastic elastomer), Kim is silent. Even so, Kim clearly teaches keeping the melt index of the polypropylene resin composition is 0.2-150 g/10 min (paragraph 0040) which allows for the composition to avoid defects and provide excellent fluidity (paragraph 0041). It is the examiner’s position that MI of the SEBS is a result effective variable because changing it will clearly affect the type of product obtained. See MPEP § 2144.05 (B). Case law holds that “discovery of an optimum value of a result effective variable in a known process is ordinarily within the skill of the art.” See In re Boesch , 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). In view of this, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize appropriate MI of the SEB, including those within the scope of the present claims , so as to produce desired end results , i.e., suitable overall MI of the polypropylene resin composition . With respect to claim 6, Kim discloses that the inorganic filler is selected from talc, glass fiber, mica, calcium carbonate, wollastonite, barium sulfate, and clay (paragraph 0027). With respect to claim 8, Tamada discloses that an especially preferred nucleating agent is 2,2’-methylene (bis-4,6-di-tert- butylphenyl)phosphate , i.e., a sodium phosphate (col. 14, lines 65-67). With respect to claim 10, Kim teaches that the polypropylene resin composition is used in automotive interior and exterior trim parts (paragraph 0075) . While it fails to disclose a sun visor, such parts are exposed to the sun and would be suitable to block the sun. With respect to claim 11, Kim states that the polypropylene resin composition has excellent impact resistance and teaches that the polypropylene resin composition has improved cantilever beam impact strength of 16-40 kJ/m (paragraph 0014). Kim also teaches that impact resistance is affected and can be controlled by adjusting the amounts of inorganic filler, thermoplastic rubber, and compatibilizer (paragraphs 0026, 0028, 0030, and 0036). Moritomi teaches that fish eyes reduce impact resistance in molded article (col. 1, lines 34-35). Kim fails to disclose Izod Impact in units of kg f /cm 2 . Even so, given that Kim teaches excellent impact strength and refers to the high impact strength at room temperature of the polypropylene resin composition and further given that reducing fish eyes improving impact resistance as taught by Moritomi , it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to expect or to optimize the Izod impact property as claimed at both room temperature and at -10°C. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (CN 105778388, machine translation) in view of Moritomi (US 8,278,392) and Tamada (US 9,206,304 ) and further in view of Kawai (US 4,626,565) . The discussion with respect to Kim, Moritomi , and Tamada in paragraph 3 above is incorporated here by reference. Kim does not disclose that its filler ha s an average particle size of 2 µm or less. Kawai discloses a polypropylene composition comprising ethylene-propylene block copolymers, a copolymer rubber, and an inorganic filler (abstract) and teaches that the inorganic filler has a particle size of 6 µm or less because if more than 6 µm the impact resistance is reduced (col. 2, lines 65-68). Given that an inorganic particle having a particle size of 6 µm or less reduces impact resistance in a polypropylene composition as taught by Kawai, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art utilize a particle size of 2 µm or less (which overlaps with 6 µm or less) in order to obtain improved impact resistance. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT VICKEY NERANGIS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-2701 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST, Monday - Friday . 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, Joseph Del Sole can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-11 30. 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. /Vickey Nerangis/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763 vn
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 08, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (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
56%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+28.5%)
3y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1152 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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