Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/255,754

LAMINATED STRUCTURE FOR SOLAR RADIATION SHIELDING

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 02, 2023
Priority
Dec 24, 2020 — JP 2020-215132 +1 more
Examiner
QURESHI, MARIAM
Art Unit
2871
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
500 granted / 663 resolved
+7.4% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
46 currently pending
Career history
695
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
58.8%
+18.8% vs TC avg
§102
26.4%
-13.6% vs TC avg
§112
13.0%
-27.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 663 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 . 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 5/13/26 has been entered. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 5/13/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding the applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that Okada fails to disclose a general environment to arrive at the tungsten lattice constant. However, the applicant fails to claim these formulas. The applicant claims a range for the tungsten lattice constant, which is disclosed by Okada in Table 1, as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 below. 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, 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. Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Garware (US Publication No.: US 2022/0143963 A1 of record, “Garware”) in view of Okada et al (US Publication No.: US 2019/0225503 A1 of record, “Okada”). Regarding Claim 1, Garware discloses a laminated structure for solar radiation shielding (Paragraph 0108), the laminated structure comprising: Two laminated plates elected form glass plates and plate-shaped plastics (Paragraph 0108; Table 5 discloses two laminated plastic plates); and An intermediate layer provided between two laminated plates (Paragraph 0108; Table 5 disclose an intermediate layer), wherein One or more members selected from the laminated plates and the intermediate layer contain solar radiation shielding function material particles contain particles of a complex tungsten oxide represented by General Formula: MXWyOZ (where an element M is one or more elements selected from H, He, alkali metals, alkaline-earth metals, rare-earth elements, Cs, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cu, Ag, Ca, Sr, Ba, In, TI, Sn, Yn, and Si, W represents tungsten, O represents oxygen, 0.001<x/y≤1, and 3.0<z/y<3.4) (Paragraph 0110 discloses nano particles, where Paragraphs 0043-0045 disclose a tungsten oxide using the claimed materials, such as TI, Sn, and if x is taken to be 0.01, y=0.7 and z=2.2, then x/y=.014 and z/y=3.14, both of which fall under the claimed ranges). Garware fails to disclose that a lattice constant of a-axis of the complex tungsten oxide is 7.4099 angstroms or greater and 7.4149 angstroms or less, and a lattice constant of c-axis of the complex tungsten oxide is 7.5955 angstroms or greater and 7.6090 angstroms or less. However, Okada discloses a similar structure where a lattice constant of a-axis of the complex tungsten oxide is 7.3850 angstroms or greater and 7.4186 angstroms or less, and a lattice constant of c-axis of the complex tungsten oxide is 7.5600 angstroms or greater and 7.6240 angstroms or less (Okada, Table 1 discloses a lattice constant of a-axis of the complex tungsten oxide to be 7.4097 and a lattice constant of c-axis of the complex tungsten oxide to be 7.6033, both of which fall within the claimed range). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the structure as disclosed by Garware to include a particular lattice constant as disclosed by Okada. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of achieving optimal conditions for solar radiation protection (Okada, Paragraphs 0284-00290). Regarding Claim 2, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to wherein the element M contains one or more elements selected from Cs, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cu, Ag, Ba, In, and Sn (Paragraph 0043 discloses at least Sn). Regarding Claim 3, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminate structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the particles of the complex tungsten oxide contain a crystal having one or more crystal structures selected from a hexagonal crystal, a tetragonal crystal, and a cubic crystal (Paragraph 0045 discloses hexagonal crystal). Regarding Claim 4, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the element M contains one or more elements selected from Cs and Rb (Paragraph 0043 discloses alkali metals which includes Cs and Rb), the complex tungsten oxide has a hexagonal crystal structure (Paragraph 0045 discloses hexagonal crystal). Regarding Claim 5, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer includes at least one intermediate film containing a synthetic resin, and the intermediate layer includes, as the intermediate film, at least one solar radiation shielding intermediate film containing the synthetic resin and the solar radiation shielding function material particles provided in the synthetic resin (Table 5 discloses PET which is a synthetic resin, where Paragraphs 0043-0045 disclose nanoparticles within the synthetic resin). Regarding Claim 6, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer includes at least one intermediate film containing a synthetic resin (Table 5 discloses a PET layer which is a synthetic resin), and the intermediate layer includes, as the intermediate film, a supporting intermediate film containing the synthetic resin, and a solar radiation shielding intermediate film formed on at least one surface of the supporting intermediate film and containing the synthetic resin and the solar radiation shielding function material particles provided in the synthetic resin (Paragraphs 0043-0045 disclose disposing a solar radiation shielding intermediate film on the support intermediate film, where it contains a synthetic resin). Regarding Claim 7, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 6, wherein the supporting intermediate film is a resin film having ductility (Table 5 discloses a PET supporting intermediate film which is known to have ductility). Regarding Claim 8, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer includes at least one intermediate film containing a synthetic resin, and the intermediate layer includes, as the intermediate film, a solar radiation shielding intermediate film, which is a resin film having ductility, and which contains the solar radiation shielding function material particles in the resin film (Table 5 discloses a PET synthetic resin film, where Paragraphs 0043-0045 disclose a resin film having ductility disposed on a surface of the PET synthetic resin film containing the solar radiation shielding function material particles). Regarding Claim 9, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 5. Garware fails to disclose that the synthetic resin is a vinyl-based resin or an ionomer resin. However, Okada discloses a similar structure where the synthetic resin is a vinyl-based resin or an ionomer resin (Okada, Paragraph 0196). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the structure as disclosed by Garware to include a vinyl-based resin as disclosed by Okada. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of optimizing productivity and device cost (Okada, Paragraph 0197). Regarding Claim 10, Garware in view of Okada discloses the laminated structure for solar radiation shielding according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped plastics contain one or more resins selected from polycarbonate resins, acrylic resins, and polyethylene terephthalate resins (Table 5 discloses PET and acrylic resins). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARIAM QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)272-4434. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F. 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, Michael Caley can be reached at 571-272-2286. 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. /MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 02, 2023
Application Filed
Jul 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 01, 2025
Response Filed
Feb 24, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103
May 13, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 19, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+22.2%)
2y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 663 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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