Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/266,729

COMPOSITION COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF TWO PARTICULAR OXIDATION DYE PRECURSORS, AN ALKYL(POLY)GLYCOSIDE AND A SULFATED ANIONIC SURFACTANT

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 12, 2023
Priority
Dec 17, 2020 — FR 2013471 +1 more
Examiner
ELHILO, EISA B
Art Unit
1761
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
L'Oréal
OA Round
4 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
4-5
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1205 granted / 1449 resolved
+18.2% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1468
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
61.3%
+21.3% vs TC avg
§102
17.8%
-22.2% vs TC avg
§112
12.5%
-27.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1449 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 1 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 5/26/2026 has been entered. 2 The rejection of claims 19-38 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US’ 519 A1) in view of Wang Jeffrey (US’ 832 A1) is maintained for the reasons set forth in the previous Office action mailed on April 29,2025, 3 The rejection of claims 19-38 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nicou et al. (US’ 851 A1) in view of Wang Jeffrey (US’ 832 A1) is withdrawn because of the comparative data presented in the claimed specification, pages 45-47, Example 1, Table 3, that shows the criticality of 2-amino-5-ethylphenol in the claimed invention A over the comparative composition C that does not comprise 2-amino-5-ethylphenol. Response to the applicant’s Arguments 4 Applicant's arguments filed on 05/26/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. With respect to applicant’s argument based on the unexpected results of the claimed invention, the examiner would like to mention that, the examples in Table A and Table C are not recited in the claimed specification and therefore, are of no probative value in determining patentability of the claims. Further, claims 19, 37 and 38 as independent claims, do not recite or disclose the percentage amounts of the claimed ingredients that recite in Table A provided by applicant as a comparative data to overcome the rejection. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EISA B ELHILO whose telephone number is (571)272-1315. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 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, Angela Brown-Pettigrew can be reached at (571)272-2817. 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. /EISA B ELHILO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 5 earlier events
Apr 14, 2025
Interview Requested
Apr 16, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 22, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Apr 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 24, 2025
Notice of Allowance
May 26, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 28, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12677921
DEVICE FOR THE OXIDATION DYEING OF KERATIN FIBRES
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12680055
ANTHRACENE-9,10-DIONE DERIVATIVES AS PHOTOACTIVATORS IN DETERGENTS
2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12674059
VIOLET EXCITABLE TANDEM DYES, AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING THE SAME
3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12674119
WATER-SOLUBLE MULTICOMPARTMENT UNIT DOSE ARTICLE
2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12674117
WATER-SOLUBLE UNIT DOSE ARTICLE COMPRISING A FIBROUS NON-WOVEN SHEET AND A SURFACTANT SYSTEM
2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

4-5
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+16.0%)
1y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1449 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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