Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/274,403

NOVEL CURABLE COMPOSITION CONTAINING CYCLIC MONOMER

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 26, 2023
Examiner
LEONARD, MICHAEL L
Art Unit
1763
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Tokuyama Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
72%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allow Rate
839 granted / 1319 resolved
-1.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
64 currently pending
Career history
1383
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
50.5%
+10.5% vs TC avg
§102
19.2%
-20.8% vs TC avg
§112
18.7%
-21.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1319 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO-2020096010 to Shimizu et al. (Cited on IDS and ISR). As to claims 1 and 11, Shimizu discloses a curable composition comprising (A) a rotaxane monomer having a composite molecular structure consisting of a cyclic molecule and an axial molecule wherein the cyclic molecule has both a polymerizable functional group and an ionic functional group and (B) a polymerizable monomer having a polymerizable functional group that can polymerized with the polymerizable functional group of the (A) rotaxane monomer (0017). As to claims 2 and 4-5, Shimizu discloses (A) comprises side chain (0196) hydroxy, thiol, epoxy, radically polymerizable, and amino functional groups and ions selected from carboxyl, sulfonate, phosphate, phosphanate, and quaternary ammonium cations (0018) and (B) comprises isocyanate functional groups (0104) derived from the reaction of an isocyanate compound and an bifunctional active hydrogen containing compound (0113). As to claim 3, Shimizu discloses a proportion of ionic functional groups of (A) is 2 to 25 mol% (0092-0093). As to claim 7, Shimizu discloses wherein the urethane prepolymer has an isocyanate equivalent of 300 to 5,000 (0131). As to claim 8, Shimizu discloses wherein the composition further comprises hollow particles having an outer shell made of a urethane resin and a hollow portion surrounded by the outer shell (0180). As to claims 9-10, Shimizu discloses a polishing pad comprising a cured article obtained by curing the curable composition (0184-1085). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L LEONARD whose telephone number is (571)270-7450. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 7:00-4:00. 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 571-272-1130. 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. /MICHAEL L LEONARD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 26, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 14, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600811
CROSSLINKING AGENT COMPOSITION FOR WATER-COMPATIBLE RESIN, AND WATER-COMPATIBLE RESIN COMPOSITION
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12583819
POLYTHIOL COMPOSITION, OPTICAL POLYMERIZABLE COMPOSITION, AND OPTICAL PRODUCT
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12583993
RECYCLED POLYOL
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12570789
CURABLE COMPOUND, CURABLE COMPOSITION, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING CURABLE COMPOSITION
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12565561
HEAT-SHRINKABLE POLYESTER-BASED FILM, HEAT-SHRINKABLE LABEL, AND PACKAGING BODY
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026
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
64%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (+8.0%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1319 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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