Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/566,959

CARTRIDGE AND AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 04, 2023
Examiner
JORDAN, RONNIE KIRBY
Art Unit
1747
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Kt&G Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allow Rate
85 granted / 125 resolved
+3.0% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+16.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
153
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
49.5%
+9.5% vs TC avg
§102
24.8%
-15.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.0%
-22.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 125 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis ( i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale , or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim s 1 , 7 -8 , and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by L iu et al. (WO 2018/112766) FILLIN "Insert the prior art relied upon." \d "[ 4 ]" . Regarding claim 1, L iu discloses a cartridge , ( [0043] an atomizer) comprising: a container 101 (an outer cover) comprising an outer wall surrounding a space and an inner wall configured to partition the space surrounded by the outer wall into a first chamber C (oil storage chamber) opened at one side and an insertion space B (accommodation chamber) opened at both sides ([0046]-[0047]; annotated Fig s . 3 and 4 below ) ; a lower case 109 (oil guiding member) coupled to the outer wall of the container 101 (by the frame) at the open side of the first chamber C ([0056]-[0059]; Fig. 4); a first frame 102 (lower cover) covering the open side of the first chamber , wherein the first frame is coupled at one side thereof to the lower case ([0046]-[0047], [0053]-[0054]; Fig. 4) ; a second frame 107 (atomizing base) extended from another side of the first frame, and defines a second chamber A (atomizing chamber) in communication with the insertion space B in the lower case 109 , wherein one side of the second frame 107 is supported by the lower case 109, wherein another side of the second frame 107 supports the inner wall of the container ([0057]-[0060]; see partial annotated Fig. 4 below) . The second chamber A is provided with oil from the first chamber C through the lower case 109 which supplies the oil onto the adsorption member 1081 ([ 0048], [0050], [ 0057]-[0058]); Figs. 3 and 4). Therefore, first chamber C and second chamber A are fluidly communicated with one another. L iu further discloses adsorbing member 1081 disposed in the second chamber A (Fig. 4) that receives oil (anticipates a wick) from lower case 109 ( anticipates is communicated with the first chamber ) and a heater 1082 wound around the adsorption member 1081 ([0048], [0055]) to heat the adsorption member and atomize the oil (see annotated partial Fig. 4 below). Regarding claim 7, Liu discloses a sealing member 114 inserted into a gap between the open side of the first chamber and the first frame to block the open side of the first chamber C ([0046], [0051]-[0054]; elastic seal; Fig. 4). Regarding claim 8, Liu discloses the sealing member 114 comprises: a first sealing portion extending along the outer wall of the container 101; and a second sealing portion extending from the first sealing portion along the inner wall of the container 101 (see annotated Fig s . 3 and 4 below). Regarding claim 14, Liu discloses the second sealing portion is interposed between the inner wall of the container 101 and the second frame 107 (see annotated Fig. 4 above). Allowable Subject Matter Claim s 2-6, 9-13, and 1 5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 2, the prior art does not explicitly disclose the claimed latching recess on the first frame, and the latching hook protruding from the lower case. Regarding claim 6, the prior art does not explicitly disclose the second frame comprises a second inclined wall extending toward the first frame to be inclined in an outward direction of the second chamber , and the lower case comprises a support bar protruding toward the inside of the lower case with the claimed support bar inclined slope configuration . Regarding claim 9, the prior art do es not explicitly disclose the sealing member comprises at least one sealing link extending from an inner wall of the container toward the outer wall of the container. Regarding claim 15, the prior art does not explicitly disclose a frame rim protruding upwards from an edge of the first frame extending along an edge and the first sealing portion fitting groove to allow the frame rim to be inserted into the fitting groove. Claims 3-5 and 10-13 are objected to based on dependency on an objected base claim. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT RONNIE KIRBY JORDAN whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-5214 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 8AM - 4PM (EST) . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Michael H. Wilson can be reached on FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-270-3882 . 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. /RONNIE KIRBY JORDAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 1747 /Michael H. Wilson/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1747
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 04, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12599165
TRAY LOADING AND UNLOADING SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12582158
A CONVERGENT AEROSOL-GENERATOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12582165
AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12569005
An Article
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Patent 12564212
AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE HAVING BRIDGING ELEMENT WITH REFLECTANCE FACTOR
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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
68%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+16.6%)
3y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 125 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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