Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/278,493

TWO-COMPONENT-CURABLE POLYURETHANE RESIN COMPOSITION

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Aug 23, 2023
Examiner
LEONARD, MICHAEL L
Art Unit
1763
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
DKS CO., LTD.
OA Round
2 (Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
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

§103
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 § 103 The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. Claims 1-2 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP-2006199882 to Kenji et al. in view of U.S. Patent No. 6,121,354 to Chronister. As to claims 1-2 and 6, Kenji discloses a heat curable two component adhesive comprising an isocyanate component and a curing component that contains a polybutadiene polyol, a polyether polyol, and suitable tackifier additives (0024-0032) wherein the content of polybutadiene polyol is 85% (150/175, Example B3, B6, B9) or 70% (120/170, Example B2, B5). Kenji discloses suitable additives including tackifiers, but does not teach the use of terpene resins (0049). Chronister discloses the addition of polar tackifiers to two component polyurethane adhesives wherein the second component contains 7.5% or 7.8% of terpene resins including terpene resins, modified terpene resins, and terpene-phenolic resins (5:23-40, Examples 8-10) At the time of filing it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include the terpene resins taught in Chronister to composition of Kenji to provide strong mechanical adhesion to the substrate by allowing the adhesive to properly adhere to substrates prior to and during the period the prepolymer is crosslinking and developing chemical bonds to the substrate (5::23-28). As to claims 4-5, Hosokawa discloses uses of the adhesives wherein high water resistance is required, accordingly, electronic or electrical parts would be applicable to the adhesive composition of Hosokawa (0051). Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP-2006199882 to Kenji et al. in view of U.S. Patent No. 6,121,354 to Chronister that has been explained above and is applied here as such in view of U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2014/0248497 to Takei et al. As to claim 3, Kenji discloses a heat curable two component adhesive comprising an isocyanate component and a curing component that contains a polybutadiene polyol, a polyether polyol, and suitable tackifier additives (0024-0032) wherein the content of polybutadiene polyol is 85% (150/175, Example B3, B6, B9) or 70% (120/170, Example B2, B5). Kenji discloses suitable additives including tackifiers, but does not teach the use of terpene resins (0049). Kenji does not expressly disclose the addition of castor oil to the curing agent. However, Takei discloses polyurethane resin compositions containing a curing agent that includes polybutadiene polyols in admixture with castor oil (Table 1). At the time of filing it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to add castor oil taught in Takei to the curing agent of Kenji because the combination provides increased compatibility with the polyisocyanate component, lowers the viscosity of the polyurethane resin and achieves excellent operability (0077). Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. 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

Aug 23, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Feb 17, 2026
Interview Requested
Feb 26, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 26, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Mar 16, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 07, 2026
Final Rejection — §103 (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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
64%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (+8.0%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1319 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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