Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/685,043

MULTILAYER FILMS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 20, 2024
Priority
Dec 16, 2021 — nonprovisional of PCTCN2021138743
Examiner
KRUER, KEVIN R
Art Unit
1787
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Dow Global Technologies LLC
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
27%
Grant Probability
At Risk
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 7m
Est. Remaining
56%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 27% of cases
27%
Career Allowance Rate
218 granted / 813 resolved
-38.2% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+29.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 2m
Avg Prosecution
50 currently pending
Career history
874
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
52.7%
+12.7% vs TC avg
§102
14.5%
-25.5% vs TC avg
§112
29.5%
-10.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 813 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 . Drawings The drawings filed 2/20/2024 are accepted. 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 1-9, 10 and 15 (all pending claims) 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. There is no support in the original disclosure for the claimed “a spray-dried particulate solid consisting essentially of hydrophobic fumed silica, MgCl2, and tetrahydrofuran, the catalyst system further comprising Ti(OPr)4 and ethyl aluminum dichloride.” Applicant points to paragraph 0040—0041 of the specification. However, the disclosure in said paragraphs does not agree in scope with the amendments made to claim 1. For instance, the proposed amendment reads on any catalyst system of the claimed elements, whereas the disclosure is much more specific/narrower; e.g. it specified the catalyst is prepared in accordance with the preparation method disclosed in a WO application requiring specific amounts, order of addition, the presence of a mineral oil, processing conditions, etc. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 3/26/2026 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection. 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 KEVIN R KRUER whose telephone number is (571)272-1510. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm. 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, Callie Shosho can be reached at (571) 272-1123. 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. /KEVIN R KRUER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 20, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 31, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 26, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 16, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

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

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
27%
Grant Probability
56%
With Interview (+29.4%)
4y 2m (~1y 7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 813 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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