Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/391,870

HOOK APPLICATOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 21, 2023
Examiner
LUCCHESI, NICHOLAS D
Art Unit
3772
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
L'Oréal
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
646 granted / 821 resolved
+8.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+9.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
865
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
§103
34.0%
-6.0% vs TC avg
§102
26.9%
-13.1% vs TC avg
§112
32.2%
-7.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 821 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/12/26 has been entered. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Willat 20040248063 (newly cited). [AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Convex second application zone)] [AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Cylinder section)][AltContent: textbox (Concave first application zone)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow] PNG media_image1.png 217 610 media_image1.png Greyscale [AltContent: textbox (Radius of curvature gradually decreases from bottom to top)][AltContent: arrow] PNG media_image2.png 101 200 media_image2.png Greyscale With regard to claim 18, Willat et al discloses an applicator tip 16 (see above annotated figure 4) consisting of: a concave first application zone on a front side of the tip; a convex second application zone on a back side of the tip; and a cylinder section proximal to the first application zone, wherein the first application zone has a top and a bottom, the first application zone having a radius of curvature that gradually decreases from the bottom to the top. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-6,8,9,11-17 are allowed. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 18 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 The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI whose telephone number is (571)272-4977. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 800-430. 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, Eric Rosen can be reached at 571-270-7855. 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. /NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 21, 2023
Application Filed
Aug 25, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Nov 24, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 09, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102
May 20, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 12, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jun 23, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12702527
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3y 5m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12702215
AIRTIGHT COSMETIC COMPACT
2y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12696966
Atomizing Comb
1y 10m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12690955
FORMING APPARATUS FOR A DENTAL OBJECT
3y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12690954
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2y 4m to grant Granted Jul 28, 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
79%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+9.5%)
2y 7m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 821 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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