Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/547,998

A PROCESS FOR ISOLATION OF SAPONINS UTTROSIDE B AND UTTROSIDE A FROM SOLANUM NIGRUM LINN

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Aug 25, 2023
Examiner
BERRY, LAYLA D
Art Unit
1693
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research An Indian Registered Body Incorporated Under
OA Round
2 (Final)
66%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 8m
To Grant
74%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 66% — above average
66%
Career Allow Rate
939 granted / 1427 resolved
+5.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+8.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
44 currently pending
Career history
1471
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.7%
-37.3% vs TC avg
§103
34.8%
-5.2% vs TC avg
§102
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
§112
23.3%
-16.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1427 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
CTNF 18/547,998 CTNF 83455 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. CONTINUING DATA This application is a 371 of PCT/IN2023/050453 05/15/2023 FOREIGN APPLICATIONS INDIA 202211028459 05/17/2022 Claims 1-10 are pending. Claim Objections Claim 8 is objected to because uttroside A is misspelled. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 Claims 5, 7, 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 depends from claim 1 and refers to “the gradient mixture.” Claim 1 does not recite a gradient mixture, so there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 7 recites that the entire process is carried out within 48 hours which include extraction, precipitation and reverse phase chromatographic purification. The claim is unclear because it first states that the “entire process” is carried out, and then it recites three steps which do not include all of the steps of claim 1. Claims 9 and 10 depend from claim 1 and recite “the mixture of uttroside A and uttroside B.” Claim 1 does not specifically mention a mixture of uttroside A and uttroside B, so there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Furthermore, it is unclear at which point in the process the treatments recited in claims 9 and 10 are carried out. For example, the claim could mean that the treatment is carried out on a mixture of uttrosides before purification or after purification. After purification, claim 1 implies that the uttrosides are obtained separately because both are in pure form, so a mixture of the two uttrosides is not obtained at that point. Claims 9 and 10 do not recite any active step, so it is unclear what is required by the claims. 07-36 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d): (d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph: Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. 07-36-01 AIA Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 8 depends from claim 1 and recites that the uttroside A and uttroside B are interconvertible. Claim 8 does not further limit claim 1 because the interconvertibility of uttroside A and uttroside B is an inherent property of the compounds . Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. Allowable Subject Matter 13-03-01 AIA The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art is Guo (Asian Journal of Chemistry: Vol. 26, No. 15 (2014), 4615-4618, cited on IDS). Guo teaches a process for obtaining uttroside A and B from Solanum nigrum. Dried plant material was extracted three times using 90% ethanol and then isolated by macroporous resin column. Guo does not teach steps (ii)-(v) in claim 1. Majinda ((2012) “Extraction and Isolation of Saponins,” pp. 415, in Natural Products Isolation, Methods in molecular Biology, vol. 864). Majinda teaches that extraction and isolation of saponins poses a serious challenge, and it is difficult to use a single technique for isolation of saponins. See abstract . Conclusion 12-151-07 AIA 07-97 12-51-07 Claim s 5 and 7-10 are rejected. Claims 1-4 and 6 are allowed. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAYLA D BERRY whose telephone number is (571)272-9572. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00-3:00 CST, M-F. 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, Scarlett Goon can be reached at 571-270-5241. 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. /LAYLA D BERRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1693 Application/Control Number: 18/547,998 Page 2 Art Unit: 1693 Application/Control Number: 18/547,998 Page 3 Art Unit: 1693 Application/Control Number: 18/547,998 Page 4 Art Unit: 1693 Application/Control Number: 18/547,998 Page 5 Art Unit: 1693 Application/Control Number: 18/547,998 Page 6 Art Unit: 1693
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 25, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 18, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Mar 13, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 10, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
66%
Grant Probability
74%
With Interview (+8.6%)
2y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1427 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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