Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/562,638

CROSSLINKED BIORESORBABLE POLYESTER NETWORKS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 20, 2023
Priority
May 21, 2021 — EU 21175197.9 +1 more
Examiner
LEONARD, MICHAEL L
Art Unit
1763
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
UNIVERSITEIT GENT
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
64%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
72%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 64% of resolved cases
64%
Career Allowance Rate
845 granted / 1327 resolved
-1.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
45 currently pending
Career history
1387
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
85.1%
+45.1% vs TC avg
§102
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
§112
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1327 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 16-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN-101294046 to Yang et al. with evidence provided by CN-110885663 to Jianfeng et al. and U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2018/0118900 to Thevenieau et al. As to claims 16-25, Yang discloses a UV-curable polyurethane waterborne coating composition comprising a polyurethane dispersion containing polythiols and a polyurethane acrylate containing unsaturated double bonds that are mixed at a mercapto:double bond ratio of 0.8:1 (0024, range from 0.2-1:1, 0013) in the presence of a crosslinking agent and a polyacrylate thickener. Yang discloses a polyurethane comprising a polyester backbone derived from adipic acid, 2,2-dimethylolpropionic acid, and isophorone diisocyanate that is reacted with a 1,2,3-trimercaptopropane to prepare the thiol containing polyurethane with a polyester backbone. Yang discloses a content of mercapto groups of 1.05 x 102 to 1.26 x 103 mol/g and a solids content of 15-65% (0011). Yang discloses a polyurethane acrylate comprising the reaction or 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or trimethylolpropane diacrylate and a polyisocyanate wherein the double bond concentration is 1.0 x 104 to 1.05 x 10 mol/g with a solids content of 15-65% (0012). Yang does not expressly disclose a crystalline polyester polyol. However, Jianfeng teaches polyester polyols with a weight average molecular weight of 1000-20000 (0011) prepared from adipic acid and at least one diol or polycaprolactone diols are crystalline polyester polyols (0033). Accordingly, based on Jianfeng the polyester polyols used in Yang would be classified as crystalline. Further, the use of crystalline polyester polyols enhances initial bonding performance (0033). At the time of filing it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the crystalline polyester polyol to improve initial bonding of the coating composition to a desirable substrate. As to claim 26, Yang discloses the polythiols such as 1,2,3-trimercaptopropane and pentaerythritol or 2,3-di(2,2’mercaptoethyl) propanetiol (0015). As to claims 27-31, Yang discloses crosslinking the composition in the presence of suitable photoinitiators (See Examples) to prepare a crosslinked composition (0018) that are green, environmentally friendly and that can be applied in environmental protection, construction, home appliances, and optical fibers (0008). Further, the use of crosslinked polymers comprising polymers with thiol functional groups and polymers with unsaturated groups in the use of medical implants was known at the time of filing. This is supported by Thevenieau et al. (Abstract, 0251, 0252). Therefore, it is maintained that it would have been obvious to one have ordinary skill in the art to have produced an implant, per the teachings of Thevenieau using the crosslinked composition of Yang with the reasonable expectation of success. This is because teaching of “desired final products” implicity suggest the production of any conventional product, inclusive of medical implants as presently claimed, to one having ordinary skill in the art. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L LEONARD whose telephone number is (571)270-7450. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 7:00-4:00. 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, Joseph Del Sole can be reached at 571-272-1130. 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. /MICHAEL L LEONARD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 20, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12637535
Non-Ionic Hydrophilized Polyisocyanates Having a Very Low Monomer Content
2y 11m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12624154
XYLYLENEDIISOCYANATE COMPOSITION AND OPTICAL POLYMERIZABLE COMPOSITION COMPRISING SAME
3y 2m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12624149
POLYTHIOL COMPOSITION AND OPTICAL COMPOSITION COMPRISING SAME
3y 2m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12617892
APPLICATION OF THE RING-OPENING OF URETDIONES AT LOW TEMPERATURE AND AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE
3y 3m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Patent 12612485
CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF POLYURETHANE PREPOLYMERS
4y 7m to grant Granted Apr 28, 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
64%
Grant Probability
72%
With Interview (+7.9%)
3y 1m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1327 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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