Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/437,864

METHOD FOR RECYCLING AND REPROCESSING OF POLYURETHANE FOAMS BASED ON ACETOXIME

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 09, 2024
Priority
Dec 15, 2023 — CN 2023117297921
Examiner
HUSON, MONICA ANNE
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Zhejiang University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
1093 granted / 1375 resolved
+19.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 12m
Avg Prosecution
42 currently pending
Career history
1410
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
45.4%
+5.4% vs TC avg
§102
20.3%
-19.7% vs TC avg
§112
19.6%
-20.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1375 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 5, and 9-10 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. Claim 5 recites the limitation "the acetoxime phase" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 9 recites the limitation "the degradation system" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 10 recites the limitation "the degradation system" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-4 and 6-8 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record does not clearly show or suggest the claimed method for recycling and reprocessing of polyurethane foams based on acetoxime, especially including the step of performing vacuum sublimation on a mixture obtained by heating, melting, and cooling a product of acetoxime and polyurethane foam. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA HUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1198. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8a-4p. 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 571-272-1176. 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. MONICA ANNE HUSON Primary Examiner Art Unit 1742 /MONICA A HUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 09, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
80%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+13.6%)
2y 12m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1375 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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