Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/689,376

SEPARATION FUNCTIONAL LAYER, SEPARATION MEMBRANE, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEPARATION FUNCTIONAL LAYER

Non-Final OA

Filed

Mar 05, 2024

Priority

Sep 06, 2021 — JP 2021-144903 +1 more

Examiner

MCKENZIE, THOMAS B

Art Unit

1776

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

NITTO DENKO Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 57% of cases after interview

— +22.5% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 987 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

MCKENZIE, THOMAS B View full profile →

Grants 57% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

567 granted / 987 resolved

-7.6% vs TC avg

Strong +22% interview lift

Without

With

+22.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 3m

Avg Prosecution

69 currently pending

Career history

1060

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.8%

-39.2% vs TC avg

§103

79.1%

+39.1% vs TC avg

§102

10.0%

-30.0% vs TC avg

§112

3.6%

-36.4% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 987 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 05, 2024

Application Filed

May 21, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/561,566

Patent 12678735

CARBON DIOXIDE GAS SEPARATION/CONCENTRATION DEVICE CAPABLE OF FEEDING CONDITIONED AIR

2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/426,542

Patent 12673275

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEAERATION

4y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/178,093

Patent 12673287

FILTER FRAME ASSEMBLY FOR FILTER MEDIA, FILTRATION SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF

3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

17/088,047

Patent 12661663

Low Profile Dust Separator

5y 7m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/085,308

Patent 12643065

FILTER SYSTEMS WITH FILTER BAG ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING FILTER BAGS WITH RADIAL SEAL GASKETS

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

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

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

57%

Grant Probability

80%

With Interview (+22.5%)

3y 3m (~10m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 987 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.