Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 21, 2026
Application No. 18/551,745

FAT COMPOSITION, FAT BLEND AND WATER-IN-OIL EMULSION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Sep 21, 2023
Priority
Mar 24, 2021 — EU 21164710.2 +2 more
Examiner
ZILBERING, ASSAF
Art Unit
1792
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Bunge SA
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
35%
Grant Probability
At Risk
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
63%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 35% of cases
35%
Career Allowance Rate
234 granted / 663 resolved
-29.7% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+27.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 2m
Avg Prosecution
57 currently pending
Career history
730
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
§103
63.4%
+23.4% vs TC avg
§102
7.9%
-32.1% vs TC avg
§112
22.4%
-17.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 663 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 . DETAILED ACTION Status of Claims Note: The amendment of June 2nd 2026 has been considered. Claims 1-20 are pending in the current application. Claims 9-20 are withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-8 are examined in the current application. Any rejections not recited below have been withdrawn. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The text of those sections of Title 35 of the U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Happe et al., (WO 2015/110388 A1). Regarding claim 1: Happe discloses a fat blend composition comprising between 10-50% stearic acid (see Happe abstract; page 2, lines 14-21), 31-44wt% SAFA (see Happe Example 1, Table), less than 3% SSS and no mention of UUU (see Happe page 4, lines 4-11; page 5, lines 21-24). Happe also discloses the ratios S2U:SSS and S2O:S2L of not greater than 5 (see Happe page 5, lines 29-32). Since the claimed values overlap the values in Happe, a prima facie case of obviousness exists (see MPEP §2144.05). Regarding claims 2-8: The table in Example 1 on pages 10-11 of Happe, delineates fat blends that comprise triglycerides with the fatty acid ratios, contents and sn-2 fatty acids that overlap or encompass the fatty acid ratios, contents and sn-2 fatty acids recited in claims 2-8. Conclusion The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Ma (USPatPub. 20210022362) discloses a non-hydrogenated fat composition comprises: from 3.2% to 10% by weight of total caprylic acid (C8:0) and capric acid (C10:0); from 13% to 32% by weight lauric acid; and from 20% to 45% by weight stearic acid (C18:0) fatty acid residues; the percentages of acids referring to acids bound as acyl groups in glycerides in the fat composition and being based on the total weight of C8 to C24 fatty acids; and from 7% to 15% by weight CN46 triglycerides; from 4% to 30% by weight CN54 triglycerides; and from 15% to 28% by weight of total CN42 triglycerides and CN44 triglycerides with similar profiles to the claimed profile (see Ma Examples 1 and 3). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASSAF ZILBERING whose telephone number is (571)270-3029. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:30-5:00. 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, Erik Kashnikow can be reached on (571) 270-3475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ASSAF ZILBERING/Examiner, Art Unit 1792
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 21, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §103
Mar 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jun 02, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12760241
PROCESS OF PRODUCTION OF A FAT COMPOSITION COMPRISING A STEP OF ESTERIFICATION
4y 4m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12751475
PROTEIN-COMPLEXED MCT OIL, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE, AND FOOD PRODUCTS MADE THEREFROM
3y 2m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Patent 12745786
Compositions with novel cannabinoid and terpene profiles
5y 3m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12745782
OIL/FAT COMPOSITION
3y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12740575
Method Of Efficiently Separating Solid Fat From Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Grease
3y 3m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
35%
Grant Probability
63%
With Interview (+27.6%)
4y 2m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 663 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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