Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/302,062

MOLD MANUFACTURING METHOD AND MOLD

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Apr 18, 2023
Examiner
LIU, XUE H
Art Unit
1742
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Seiko Epson Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 5m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allow Rate
622 granted / 854 resolved
+7.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
882
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
47.4%
+7.4% vs TC avg
§102
22.0%
-18.0% vs TC avg
§112
24.3%
-15.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 854 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 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. Claims 1-9 are 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. Regarding claim 1, the claim recites a second step of removing the second member from the base plate on which at least a part of the laminated body has been shaped, and a third step of producing the mold by assembling the plate on which the laminated body was shaped or the base plate on which the laminated body was shaped and the second member was removed. It’s not clear if the step of removing the second member from the base plate on which the laminated body was shaped is optional since it’s recited in the second step but optional in the third step. Claims 2-9 are rejected for depending from claim 1. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-9 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 1, the prior art does not teach a first member with a first opening and a second member that is assembled into the first opening, and a step of removing the second member from the base plate on which at least a part of the laminated body has been shaped. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XUE H LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-5522. The examiner can normally be reached 1PM - 10PM. 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, Christina Johnson can be reached at 5702721176. 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. /X.H.L/Examiner, Art Unit 1742 /CHRISTINA A JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1742
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 18, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 30, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Apr 06, 2026
Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600070
A MOLD TOOL FOR INJECTION MOLDING
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12594704
MOLD STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING MOLDED PRODUCT
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12594365
IONIC COMPOUNDS FOR MEDICAL DEVICE APPLICATIONS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12594730
METHOD OF FORMING A WIND TURBINE ROTOR BLADE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12583167
Cooling Ring for Cooling a Film Tube
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 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
73%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+12.4%)
3y 5m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 854 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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