Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/565,348

MOLTEN STEEL DENITRIFICATION METHOD, SIMULTANEOUS DENITRIFICATION AND DESULFURIZATION TREATMENT METHOD, AND STEEL PRODUCTION METHOD

Non-Final OA

Filed

Nov 29, 2023

Priority

Jun 11, 2021 — JP 2021-098151 +1 more

Examiner

HILL, STEPHANI A

Art Unit

1735

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

JFE Steel Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 30% of cases after interview

— +44.3% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 383 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

HILL, STEPHANI A View full profile →

Grants only 30% of cases

Career Allowance Rate

113 granted / 383 resolved

-35.5% vs TC avg

Strong +44% interview lift

Without

With

+44.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

4y 4m

Avg Prosecution

70 currently pending

Career history

470

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103

75.0%

+35.0% vs TC avg

§102

0.7%

-39.3% vs TC avg

§112

3.1%

-36.9% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 383 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 29, 2023

Application Filed

Jun 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/564,634

Patent 12617016

SUB-MICRON PARTICLES OF RARE EARTH AND TRANSITION METALS AND ALLOYS, INCLUDING RARE EARTH MAGNET MATERIALS

4y 4m to grant Granted May 05, 2026

17/209,326

Patent 12603203

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING Sm-Fe-N MAGNET, Sm-Fe-N MAGNET, AND MOTOR HAVING Sm-Fe-N MAGNET

5y 0m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026

17/842,923

Patent 12580124

GRAIN BOUNDARY DIFFUSION METHOD FOR BULK RARE EARTH PERMANENT MAGNETIC MATERIAL

3y 9m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026

17/774,596

Patent 12565689

FERRITIC STAINLESS STEEL HAVING IMPROVED MAGNETIZATION, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR

3y 10m to grant Granted Mar 03, 2026

17/168,496

Patent 12540385

PRODUCTION METHOD FOR METAL PLATES FOR VAPOR DEPOSITION MASKS

4y 12m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026

Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

30%

Grant Probability

74%

With Interview (+44.3%)

4y 4m (~1y 8m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 383 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.