Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/276,303

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING BAS(2-HYDROXYETHYL) TEREPHTHALATE IN LIQUID FORM BY DEPOLYMERIZATION OF POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET)

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 08, 2023
Examiner
HUSON, MONICA ANNE
Art Unit
1742
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Chempet S R I
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allow Rate
1073 granted / 1352 resolved
+14.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
43 currently pending
Career history
1395
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
44.8%
+4.8% vs TC avg
§102
24.4%
-15.6% vs TC avg
§112
20.4%
-19.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1352 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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. Claim(s) 1, 7-9, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a1 as being anticipated by Inada et al. (U.S. Patent 7,030,264) . Regarding Claim s 1, 11, and 12, Inada et al., hereafter “Inada,” show that it is known to carry out a process for producing BHET in liquid form by depolymerization of PET (Column 1, lines 8-15), the process comprising depolymerizing a PET by glycolysis with MEG to obtain a crude BHET solution (Column 2, lines 37-40; Column 7, lines 59-67), subjecting the crude BHET solution to purification to obtain a purified BHET solution (Column 7, lines 2-3); subjecting the purified BHET solution to crystallization by cooling to obtain BHET in crystalline form impregnated with a solvent (Column 7, lines 13-20), and preparing, by melting the BHET in crystalline form, a solution of BHET in the solvent at a temperature higher than 70C (Column 7, lines 21-31: 135C). Regarding Claim 7, Inada shows the process of claim 1 above, including one wherein the PET in the depolymerization step is a recycled PET obtained by recover from post-consumer waste (Column 2, lines 40-41). Regarding Claim 8, Inada shows the process of claim 1 above, including one wherein the purification comprises filtration to separate insoluble contaminants (Column 7, lines 2-3). Regarding Claim 9, Inada shows the process of claim 1 above, including one wherein the BHET in crystalline form is impregnated with an amount of solvent from 15-50% (Column 1, line 21: 37%). Regarding Claim 13, Inada shows the process of claim 1 above, including one comprising producing PET by polycondensation using the BHET as a main monomer (Column 7, lines 39-48). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-6 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT MONICA HUSON whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-1198 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 8a-4p . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Christina Johnson can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-1176 . 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. FILLIN "Examiner Stamp" \* MERGEFORMAT MONICA ANNE HUSON Primary Examiner Art Unit 1742 /MONICA A HUSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 08, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (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
79%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+13.6%)
3y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1352 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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