Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/348,185

INDUSTRIAL PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF HEXANOIC ACID, 6-(NITROOXY)-, (1S,2E)-3-[(1R,2R,3S,5R)-2-[(2Z)-7-(ETHYLAMINO)-7-OXO-2-HEPTEN-1-YL]-3,5-DIHYDROXYCYCLOPENTYL]-1-(2-PHENYLETHYL)-2-PROPEN-1-YL ESTER AND HIGH PURE PRODUCT

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Jul 06, 2023
Priority
Jul 07, 2022 — EU 22290046.6
Examiner
SAEED, KAMAL A
Art Unit
1626
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Nicox SA
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
1008 granted / 1199 resolved
+24.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+9.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
1221
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
4.9%
-35.1% vs TC avg
§102
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
§112
2.9%
-37.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1199 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
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 . Claims 1-13 are currently pending in this Application. Claims 7-13 are withdrawn from further consideration by the Examiner, 37 C.F.R. § 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention. The withdrawn subject matter is patentably distinct from the elected subject matter as it differs in structure and element and would require separate search considerations. In addition, a reference, which anticipates one group, would not render obvious the other. Information Disclosure Statement Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement, filed on July 06, 2023 has been considered. Please refer to Applicant’s copies of the 1449 submitted herewith. Response to Restriction Applicants’ election, with traverse, the invention of Group I, claims 1-6, drawn to a process of preparing product of Formula I, PNG media_image1.png 225 279 media_image1.png Greyscale , in response filed December 23, 2025 is acknowledged. Applicants traversal of the restriction requirement was fully considered but was not found to be persuasive because of the following reasons: the elected invention was not found to be allowable and the prior art applicable to the invention of Group II would not likely be applicable to the invention of Group I. In the instant case, there is a prior art that applies to the invention of Group II. Therefore, the restriction requirement is considered proper and is maintained. Applicant is reminded that upon the cancellation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be amended in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(b) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. Any amendment of inventorship must be accompanied by a petition under 37 CFR 1.48(b) and by the fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i). Double Patenting A rejection based on double patenting of the "same invention" type finds its support in the language of 35 U.S.C. 101 which states that "whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process ... may obtain a patent therefor ..." (Emphasis added). Thus, the term "same invention," in this context, means an invention drawn to identical subject matter. See Miller v. Eagle Mfg. Co., 151 U.S. 186 (1894); In re Ockert, 245 F.2d 467, 114 USPQ 330 (CCPA 1957); and In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970). A statutory type (35 U.S.C. 101) double patenting rejection can be overcome by canceling or amending the conflicting claims so they are no longer coextensive in scope. The filing of a terminal disclaimer cannot overcome a double patenting rejection based upon 35 U.S.C. 101. Claims 1-6 are provisionally rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as claiming the same invention as that of claims 1-6 of the copending U.S. Patent Application No. 18/881,613. This is a provisional statutory double patenting rejection. It is suggested that Applicants delete or amend the conflicting claims in the copending Application. Telephone Inquiry Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAMAL A SAEED whose telephone number is (571) 272-0705. 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, Adam C Milligan can be reached at (571)270-7674. 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. /Kamal A Saeed/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1626
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 06, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12624002
DIMERS FOR USE IN SYNTHESIS OF PEPTIDOMIMETICS
3y 6m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12624034
NON-COVALENT MODIFIERS OF AKT1 AND USES THEREOF
11m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12612380
NON-LYSOSOMAL GLUCOSYLCERAMIDASE INHIBITORS AND USES THEREOF
4y 6m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12612410
MULTI-CYCLIC IRAK AND FLT3 INHIBITING COMPOUNDS AND USES THEREOF
2y 10m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026
Patent 12612361
SUBSTITUTED PYRROLIDONES AND PIPERIDONES AS SMALL MOLECULE INHIBITORS OF EZH2 AND EED PROTEIN BINDING
2y 1m to grant Granted Apr 28, 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
84%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+9.3%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1199 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