Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/483,221

OLEFIN POLYMERIZATION CATALYST COMPONENTS CONTAINING SILANE AND PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POLYPROPYLENE HAVING HIGH ISOTACTICITY AT HIGH MELT FLOW RATE

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Oct 09, 2023
Examiner
MCCAIG, BRIAN A
Art Unit
1772
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Formosa Plastics Corporation U S A
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
1057 granted / 1321 resolved
+15.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1351
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
42.9%
+2.9% vs TC avg
§102
17.1%
-22.9% vs TC avg
§112
31.3%
-8.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1321 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
CTNF 18/483,221 CTNF 85146 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status This Office action is based on the 18/483,221 application filed 9 October 2023, which is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claims 1-10 are pending and have been fully considered. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: dicyclopentyldiethoxysilane is recited twice . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Namito et al (JP 2019-137848) . Note: in the discussion that follows, reference will be made to the WIPO machine translation of the aforesaid document. With respect to claims 1-3, 5-6, and 8, Namito et al discloses “ catalyst used in the production of the propylene-based polymer composition of the present invention can be formed from a solid catalyst component containing magnesium, titanium, and halogen as essential components, an organometallic compound catalyst component such as an organoaluminum compound, and an electron donor compound catalyst component such as an organosilicon compound ” [paragraph 0029]. The reference further discloses “among the catalyst components, at least one organosilicon compound selected from the group consisting of dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane , cyclohexylmethyldimethoxysilane, diethylaminotriethoxysilane , diisopropyldimethoxysilane, and cyclohexylisobutyldimethoxysilane is used as the electron-donating compound component ” [paragraph 0039] and “[t]he solid catalyst component is obtained by further bringing an electron-donating compound into contact with the carrier. Di-n-butyl phthalate is used as the electron-donating compound ” [paragraph 0037; see also paragraph 0066 & claim 1: “a polymerization catalyst formed from (a) a solid catalyst component containing magnesium, titanium, and halogen as essential components obtained by bringing a carrier, a titanium compound, and di-n-butyl phthalate into contact with each other, (b) an organoaluminum compound, and (c) at least one organosilicon compound selected from the group consisting of dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane , cyclohexylmethyldimethoxysilane, diethylaminotriethoxysilane , diisopropyldimethoxysilane…”]. With respect to claim 4, note that the limitation is dependent upon claim 1 in which the recited internal electron donors are in the alternative only. Thus, clam 4 could be interpreted as “[a] solid catalyst component for the polymerization or co-polymerization of alpha-olefin comprising: one or more dicyclopentyldialkoxysilane compounds; one or more diakylaminotrialkoxysilane compounds; and one or more internal electron donors selected from urea compounds selected from the compound represented by Formula III:… , phthalate compounds, and 1,3-diether compounds.” Namito et al clearly discloses the phthalate compound as discussed above. The same applies to instant claim 7 . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-07 AIA 07-97 12-51-07 Claim s 9 and 10 are allowed. 13-03 AIA The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Namito et al does not disclose the “one or more urea compounds” in instant claim 9 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 BRIAN A MCCAIG whose telephone number is (571)270-5548. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30 Mountain Time. 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, In Suk Bullock can be reached at 571-272-5954. 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. /BRIAN A MCCAIG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772 18 March 2026 Application/Control Number: 18/483,221 Page 2 Art Unit: 1772 Application/Control Number: 18/483,221 Page 3 Art Unit: 1772 Application/Control Number: 18/483,221 Page 4 Art Unit: 1772
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 09, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
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
94%
With Interview (+13.6%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1321 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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