Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/276,721

SCALABLE, FIRE-RESISTANT, AND SPECTRALLY ROBUST MELAMINE-FORMALDEHYDE PHOTONIC BULK FOR EFFICIENT DAYTIME RADIATIVE COOLING

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 10, 2023
Examiner
HINES, LATOSHA D
Art Unit
1771
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Northeastern University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
51%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 6m
To Grant
73%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 51% of resolved cases
51%
Career Allow Rate
478 granted / 944 resolved
-14.4% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
73 currently pending
Career history
1017
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
62.0%
+22.0% vs TC avg
§102
12.9%
-27.1% vs TC avg
§112
15.2%
-24.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 944 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . DETAILED ACTION This Office action is based on the 18/276721 application originally filed August 10, 2023. Claims 1-20, filed August 10, 2023, are pending and have been fully considered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The phrase “Phenolic plastic photonic cooling bulk” in claim 20 is unclear making claim 20 indefinite. “Phenolic plastic” is unclear due to there are various forms of “phenolic plastic” including phenol formaldehyde resin or phenolic materials such as sheets, tubes, rods, or blocks. Therefore, the phrase “phenolic plastic” has numerous interpretations which have not been defined in the current specification (see paragraph 0060 of current specification). In view of this, the phrase should be further defined through explanation in applicants remarks, amended or canceled from the claimed invention. Information Disclosure Statement The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-19 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The present invention is allowable over the applied prior art of record, references cited on the submitted IDS and references listed on the PTO-892 because the teachings of the references taken as a whole do not show or render obvious over the combination set forth a method, comprising the steps of: (a) hydraulically pressing Melamine Formaldehyde (MF) microparticles; and (b) thermally annealing the pressed MF microparticles to form a fire-resistant, corrosion-resistant, cross-linked MF photonic cooling bulk configured for covering outer surfaces of a building to reflect incident solar irradiation on the building and radiate heat from the building to the outer space, as presently claimed in independent claim 1 of the present invention; and melamine Formaldehyde (MF) photonic cooling bulk for covering outer surfaces of a building comprising a mass of hydraulically pressed MF microparticles that has been thermally annealed to form a fire-resistant, corrosion-resistant, cross-linked photonic cooling bulk configured to reflect incident solar irradiation and radiate heat from the building to the outer space, as presently claimed in independent claim 11 of the present invention. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhang et al. (US 2018/0249593) discloses in the abstract, a process for making a thermal interface article comprises shaping a flowable composite comprising a flowable matrix composition, a plurality of magnetic, thermally conductive particles having an average length greater than a thickness or diameter, wherein the plurality of magnetic, thermally conductive particles have magnetic or superparamagnetic nanoparticles attached thereto, to provide the flowable composite in a shape comprising a first surface and an opposing second surface, and having a Z-axis perpendicular to the first surface and the opposing second surface; subjecting the flowable composite to a rotating magnetic field and to a vibrational force in an amount and for a time effective to align the average length of the plurality of magnetic, thermally conductive particles along the Z-axis; and solidifying the flowable matrix composition to provide the thermal interface, wherein the thermal interface has a Z-direction thermal conductivity of at least 1.0 W/mK. Kuebelbeck et al. (US 2005/0204958) discloses in the abstract, coated platelet-shaped carrier material composed of an inorganic substrate provided with at least one coating, each layer comprising at least one cured melamine-formaldehyde resin or being composed of such a resin, and also a process for preparing the coated carrier material and its use as effect pigment. Young et al. (US 2011/0217544) discloses in the abstract, methods for incorporating additives, such as chemically active particles, into the surfaces of articles or into coatings disposed atop articles. The disclosed methods are also applicable to conventional molding techniques, and can be performed in batch or continuous fashion. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LATOSHA D HINES whose telephone number is (571)270-5551. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM - 6:00 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, Prem Singh can be reached at 571-272-6381. 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. /Latosha Hines/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1771
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 10, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (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
51%
Grant Probability
73%
With Interview (+22.5%)
3y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 944 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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