Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/532,735

COMPOSITIONS FOR PRE-SURGICAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Dec 07, 2023
Priority
Dec 08, 2022 — provisional 63/431,092 +1 more
Examiner
TRAN, SUSAN T
Art Unit
1615
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Tm Nutrition LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
63%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 63% of resolved cases
63%
Career Allowance Rate
641 granted / 1021 resolved
+2.8% vs TC avg
Strong +36% interview lift
Without
With
+36.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1067
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
78.2%
+38.2% vs TC avg
§102
13.0%
-27.0% vs TC avg
§112
4.3%
-35.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1021 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 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. Claims 1, 4, 7-9, 33, 39 and 42-46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Giampapa US 20040001817 A1, in view of Westerlund US 20110293759 A1. Giampapa teaches a supplement composition comprising: i) vitamins including vitamin A, ii) vitamin C, iii) vitamin D, iv) vitamin E, v) pantothenic acid, vi) calcium, vii) zinc, viii) copper, ix) selenium such as selenomethionine, x) magnesium, xi) potassium. See Abstract, Claims and pages 5-7. The composition further comprises microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, stearic acid, calcium silicate, magnesium stearate, and silica. Giampapa does not expressly teach trehalose. Westerlung teaches supplement composition comprising vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to strengthen bones and/or joints, thereby inhibiting and/or ameliorating the symptoms associated with osteoporosis. In addition, such strengthening of the bones and/or joints is important for pre-operative and post-operative patients, and for general health and maintenance. Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a dietary supplement formulation that includes vitamins, such as vitamin D3, vitamin K1, and vitamin K2; and minerals, such as calcium and copper. In one embodiment, the vitamin D3 present in an amount of about 2000 IU, the vitamin K1 is present in an amount of about 100 mcg, the vitamin K2 is present in an amount of about 20 mcg, the calcium is present in an amount of about 1000 mg, and the copper is present in an amount of about 1200 mcg. See paragraph 0008. The composition further comprising chromium, manganese, citrulline, and sugar. See paragraphs 0017-0033. Sugar includes trehalose. See paragraph 0040. Composition can be in the form of solid for reconstitution in water and for human consumption. See paragraphs 0044-0058. Thus, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the teaching in Giampapa to include the supplement ingredients in view of the teaching of Westerlund with the expectation to obtain a supplement composition useful for health improvement. This is because Westerlund teaches a dietary supplement composition comprising well known vitamins, minerals, and supplements useful for health improvement, and this is because Giampapa teaches the desirability for the same, namely, a dietary supplement comprising well known vitamins, supplements and sweetening agent such as sugar. Claims 1-9, 33 and 37-46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Giampapa US 20040001817 A1, in view of Westerlund US 20110293759 A1 and Greenberg US 20140037601 A1. Giampapa teaches a supplement composition comprising: i) vitamins including vitamin A, ii) vitamin C, iii) vitamin D, iv) vitamin E, v) pantothenic acid, vi) calcium, vii) zinc, viii) copper, ix) selenium such as selenomethionine, x) magnesium, xi) potassium. See Abstract, Claims and pages 5-7. The composition further comprises microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, stearic acid, calcium silicate, magnesium stearate, and silica. Giampapa does not expressly teach compositions comprising trehalose and arabinogalactan. Greenberg teaches a nutritional composition include branched chain fatty acids and other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to probiotics, nucleotides and amino acids for health improvement. See Abstract. The nutritional compositions further include a prebiotic selected from the group consisting of acacia gum, alpha glucan, arabinogalactans, beta glucan, dextrans, fructooligosaccharides, fucosyllactose, galactooligosaccharides, galactomannans, gentiooligosaccharides, glucooligosaccharides, guar gum, inulin, isomaltooligosaccharides, lactoneotetraose, lactosucrose, lactulose, levan, maltodextrins, milk oligosaccharides, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, pecticoligosaccharides, resistant starches, retrograded starch, sialooligosaccharides, sialyllactose, soyoligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, xylooligosaccharides, their hydrolysates, or combinations thereof. See paragraph 0014. Various vitamins, citrulline and methionine are also found in the composition. See paragraphs 0016-0018. Composition in the form of sachet is found in paragraph 0020. Thus, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the teaching in Giampapa to include the supplement ingredients in view of the teaching of Westerlund and Greenberg with the expectation to obtain a supplement composition useful for health improvement. This is because Westerlund and Greenberg teach supplement compositions comprising well known vitamins, minerals, and supplements useful for health improvement, and this is because Giampapa teaches the desirability for the same, namely, a dietary supplement comprising well known vitamins, supplements and sweetening agent such as sugar. Correspondence Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUSAN T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-0606. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm. 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, ROBERT A. WAX can be reached at 571-272-0623. 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. /SUSAN T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1615
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 07, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (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
63%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+36.0%)
3y 1m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1021 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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