Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/613,330

NEUTRON DOSE MEASUREMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Mar 22, 2024
Priority
Dec 22, 2021 — CN 202111579846.1 +1 more
Examiner
KIM, KIHO
Art Unit
2884
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Neuboron Therapy System Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
1436 granted / 1681 resolved
+17.4% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1693
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
§103
79.8%
+39.8% vs TC avg
§102
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
§112
9.2%
-30.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1681 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 the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 1 – 3, 5 – 12, and 14 – 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Independent claims 1 and 10 recites “solely” in the limitation of “determining a first correction factor based solely on a number of rays emitted by a nonmetal unit to be activated after neutron activation and the unit to be corrected corresponding to the dose monitoring system”. This “solely” is not disclosed in the originally-filed Specification of the present application. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1 – 3, 5 – 12, and 14 – 17 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: See above. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIHO KIM, Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571)270-1628. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8-5 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, David Makiya can be reached at (571)272-2273. 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. KIHO KIM, Ph.D. Primary Examiner Art Unit 2884 /Kiho Kim/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 22, 2024
Application Filed
Nov 05, 2025
Non-Final Rejection (signed) — §112
Dec 08, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 07, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 17, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+4.3%)
1y 10m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1681 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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