Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/687,724

CERAMIC PRODUCT

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Feb 28, 2024
Priority
Aug 30, 2021 — JP 2021-140391 +1 more
Examiner
COHEN, STEFANIE J
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Noritake Co., Limited
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
740 granted / 981 resolved
+15.4% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
41 currently pending
Career history
999
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
59.6%
+19.6% vs TC avg
§102
10.9%
-29.1% vs TC avg
§112
20.0%
-20.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 981 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lukas et al (20120260822). Lukas teaches a bright noble metal preparation. Lukas, abstract, teaches the preparation has at least one organic noble metal compound including at least one of an organic gold, platinum, silver and palladium compound, at least one flux that consists of organometallic compounds including Cr in the form of at least one organic compound, such that a Cr content is 0.01 to 1.0 mole per mole of noble metal, and at least one vehicle. The bright noble metal preparation is rhodium-free and has a noble metal content of 6 to 20 wt. %, based on the preparation. Lukas, paragraph 25 of the PGPUB, teaches the preparation advantageously contains at least one other element from the group B, Al, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ge, Pb, Sr, Mo, Ru, In, Ba, Ta, W, Os, Ir, and Ce in the form of organic compounds, such that the content of B, Al, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ge, Pb, Sr, Mo, Ru, In, Ba, Ta, W, Os, Ir, and Ce is up to 0.3 mole each per mole of noble metal, since the luster and color properties can be readily modified in this way. Pt in the amount of 6-20 wt% as taught by Lukas reads a noble metal as claimed in claim 1. Ce as taught by Lukas reads on a rare earth metal as claimed in claim 1. If Ce is added in an amount of .15 mole of platinum, the mass ratio (.15 times 140)/(1 times 195) is about .11. Regarding claim 2, Lukas, paragraph 24 of the PGPUB, teaches it is advantageous for the preparation to contain at least one other element from the group Cu, Co, Sn, Zr, and Bi in the form of organic compounds, such that the content of Cu, Co, Sn, Zr, and Bi is up to 0.3 mole each per mole of noble metal, since certain properties, especially color, can be modified in this way. Regarding claim 3, Lukas, paragraph 24 of the PGPUB, teaches it is advantageous for the preparation to contain at least one other element from the group Cu, Co, Sn, Zr, and Bi in the form of organic compounds, such that the content of Cu, Co, Sn, Zr, and Bi is up to 0.3 mole each per mole of noble metal, since certain properties, especially color, can be modified in this way. If Zr is added in an amount of .3 mole of platinum, the mass ratio is (.3 times 91)/(1 times 195) about .14. Regarding claim 4, the reference teaches platinum. Regarding claim 5, the reference teaches platinum wherein the ratio of CPt/CN is 1. Regarding claim 6, the reference teaches Ce. Regarding claim 7, Lukas, paragraph 23 of the PGPUB, teaches to achieve especially high abrasion resistance and a modified noble metal color at the same time, it is advantageous for the preparation to contain at least one other element from the group Si and Ni in the form of organic compounds, such that the total content of Si, Cr, and Ni is 0.2 to 2.0 moles per mole of noble metal. This is especially the case, when the total content of Si, Cr, and Ni is 0.25 to 1.50 moles per mole of noble metal. Regarding claim 8, the reference contains no delimitation as to the ratio of each of the phases. Therefore, an amorphous crystal boundary phase is included. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US20170190867 teaches individual inorganic particles. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEFANIE J COHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5836. The examiner can normally be reached 10am- 6pm M-F. 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, Coris Fung can be reached at (571) 270-5713. 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. /STEFANIE J COHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 1732 9/23/26
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 28, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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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
75%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+2.5%)
2y 9m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 981 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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