Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/468,354

WATER ELECTROLYSIS SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 15, 2023
Examiner
COHEN, BRIAN W
Art Unit
1759
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
54%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 54% of resolved cases
54%
Career Allow Rate
343 granted / 633 resolved
-10.8% vs TC avg
Strong +47% interview lift
Without
With
+46.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
661
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
53.7%
+13.7% vs TC avg
§102
17.5%
-22.5% vs TC avg
§112
22.0%
-18.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 633 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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2022/0106695 of Uchino et al . As to claims 1 and 2, Uchino teaches of a system comprising: a water electrolysis device for performing water electrolysis ( Uchino, [0045] – [0052] ) ; a water supply device for supplying water to the water electrolysis device ( Uchino , [0062], [0070] – [0071], [0107] – [0108] and Figs. 1 and 3 ) ; a power supply for supplying a current to the water electrolysis device ( Uchino, [0070] , [0114] – [0119] ) ; and a control device for adjusting an amount of flow of water supplied from the water supply device to the water electrolysis device ( Uchino, [0053], [0070], [0093] – [0098], [0107] – [0108], [0161] – [0164] and Fig. 3 ) . As seen in Uchino, there is a water electrolyzer (50) that includes a water supply device (water from 72o/h supplied to pump 71) and a power supply (74) for supplying current and a control device. The control device is not shown in the figures, but is used to control the flow rate of the water from the supply devices to the electrolyzer . It is noted that the controller can control the flow rate in relation to monitored current density and other sensed parameters within the system . As to the specific language of the reduction of the flow rate in relation to a product of the viscosity and current density of the system, these do not differentiate the structure of the claimed invention to that of Uchino. There is no configured to, programmed to or process steps of the use of the controller to perform the flow rate reduction. Therefore the system of Uchino anticipates the claimed structure of the claims, see MPEP 2114 I and II. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT BRIAN W COHEN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-7961 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F: 9 am to 5 pm EST . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Curtis Mayes can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-1234 . 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. FILLIN "Examiner Stamp" \* MERGEFORMAT BRIAN W. COHEN Primary Examiner Art Unit 1759 /BRIAN W COHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 15, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (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
54%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+46.9%)
3y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 633 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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