Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/566,072

ULTRAHIGH-STRENGTH STEEL SHEET WITH EXCELLENT BENDABILITY AND STRETCH FLANGEABILITY, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 30, 2023
Priority
Nov 12, 2021 — RE 10-2021-0155460 +1 more
Examiner
MORALES, RICARDO D
Art Unit
1738
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
POSCO Holdings Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
365 granted / 449 resolved
+16.3% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
474
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
87.5%
+47.5% vs TC avg
§102
4.8%
-35.2% vs TC avg
§112
5.4%
-34.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 449 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION 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 § 112 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. Claims 1-10 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. Regarding Claims 1 and 5, the limitation of “titanium (Ti): 48/14x[N]~0.1%” is considered indefinite as it is unclear if 48/14x[N] is intended to be the lower limit of the range and 0.1 an estimated upper limit, or if Ti, defined by 48/14x[N] is intended to be around 0.1. Claims 2-4, and 6-10 are rejected as indefinite from their dependency on claims 1 and 5. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The closest prior art of record is Hasegawa et al. (US20180023154A1) which teaches a composition similar to that of the claimed invention (See Abstract). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICARDO D MORALES whose telephone number is (571)272-6691. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9 am- 4 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, Sally Merkling can be reached at 5712726297. 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. /RICARDO D MORALES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 30, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12674223
LOWER TEMPERATURE PELLETIZING PROCESS OF IRON ORE FINES
3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12662716
Method and smelting unit for pyrometallurgical smelting of metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials
3y 0m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12662724
METHOD FOR PRODUCING GRAIN-ORIENTED ELECTRICAL STEEL SHEET
2y 6m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12655068
METAL BORIDE CERAMIC COMPOSITES AND USES THEREOF
3y 6m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12654412
A PRESS APPARATUS
3y 3m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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
81%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+17.2%)
2y 8m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 449 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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