Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/337,343

POSITIVE ELECTRODE FOR ALKALINE SECONDARY BATTERY AND ALKALINE SECONDARY BATTERY HAVING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 19, 2023
Priority
Jun 21, 2022 — JP 2022-099625
Examiner
ARCIERO, ADAM A
Art Unit
1727
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Fdk Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
65%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
47%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 65% — above average
65%
Career Allowance Rate
587 granted / 903 resolved
At TC average
Minimal -18% lift
Without
With
+-17.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 9m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
963
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
85.3%
+45.3% vs TC avg
§102
7.1%
-32.9% vs TC avg
§112
2.6%
-37.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 903 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 . POSITIVE ELECTRODE FOR ALKALINE SECONDARY BATTERY AND ALKALINE SECONDARY BATTERY HAVING THE SAME Examiner: Adam Arciero S.N. 18/337,343 Art Unit: 1727 January 10, 2026 DETAILED ACTION The Application filed on June 19, 2023 has been received. Claims 1-7 are currently pending and have been fully considered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tani et al. (JP 2004-273138 A; as found in IDS dated 01/18/2024 and using machine translation for citation purposes). As to Claims 1-2 and 6-7, Tani discloses an alkaline secondary battery comprising: an outer can housing an electrode assembly; a positive electrode comprising 100 parts by mass of a nickel hydroxide 102 having an alpha-phase single phase and 2 wt% yttrium oxide as an additive; and a negative electrode comprising a hydrogen storage alloy configured to perform the claimed functions (Abstract, Fig. 1, 5-6, and paragraphs [0006, 0023, 0050] and Embodiment 1). As to Claim 3, Tani discloses wherein the additive can further comprise ytterbium (paragraph [0017]). As to Claims 4-5, Tani discloses a cobalt compound as a conductive additive that forms a conductive net on the surface of the nickel hydroxide powder (paragraph [0023]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM ARCIERO whose telephone number is (571)270-5116. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5 ET. 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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at (571)272-1330. 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. /ADAM A ARCIERO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 19, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12633549
SEPARATOR FOR FUEL CELL
3y 2m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12626935
Residual Water Drain System and Method of Fuel Cell Vehicle
3y 6m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12627164
PORTABLE POWER CASE WITH HEAT-RESISTANT MATERIAL
9m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12620681
BATTERY
4y 0m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12620604
Fuel Cell and Method for Producing Same
3y 6m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
65%
Grant Probability
47%
With Interview (-17.7%)
3y 9m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 903 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month