Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/696,423

GAS-BARRIER LAMINATE, PACKAGING FILM, PACKAGING CONTAINER, AND PACKAGED PRODUCT

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Mar 28, 2024
Priority
Sep 30, 2021 — JP 2021-160341 +1 more
Examiner
MIGGINS, MICHAEL C
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Toppan Holdings Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
823 granted / 1020 resolved
+20.7% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
45 currently pending
Career history
1059
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
64.3%
+24.3% vs TC avg
§102
8.7%
-31.3% vs TC avg
§112
3.6%
-36.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1020 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 § 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 and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by JP2021-094750 (English machine translation provided herein). JP2021-094750 discloses a gas barrier laminated body, comprising: a base material layer including a thermoplastic resin; a metal oxide layer; and a gas barrier coating layer, in this order (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0007-0009], [0017-0018], [0019-0042], [0044], [0046], [0049] and Table 1). JP2021-094750 does not specifically disclose the limitation, “wherein on a surface of the gas barrier coating layer, a ratio (Si/C) of silicon atoms and carbon atoms as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is greater than 0 and less than 0.50.” However, said limitation is inherent in JP2021-094750 since JP2021-094750 discloses the same ratio of PVA containing two carbon to total silicon containing particles and materials (MB+MC)/MA (see Table 1, paragraphs [0040-0041] and Table 1). Claims 2-7 and 9-12 are disclosed by JP2021-094750 (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0007-0009], [0017-0018], [0019-0042], [0044], [0046], [0049] and Table 1). 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. Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2021-094750 (English machine translation provided herein). JP2021-094750 discloses a gas barrier laminated body, comprising: a base material layer including a thermoplastic resin; a metal oxide layer; and a gas barrier coating layer, in this order (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0007-0009], [0017-0018], [0019-0042], [0044], [0046], [0049] and Table 1). JP2021-094750 does not specifically disclose the limitation, “wherein on a surface of the gas barrier coating layer, a ratio (Si/C) of silicon atoms and carbon atoms as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is greater than 0 and less than 0.50.” However, said limitation is necessarily present in JP2021-094750 since JP2021-094750 discloses the same ratio of PVA containing two carbon to total silicon containing particles and materials (MB+MC)/MA (see Table 1, paragraphs [0040-0041] and Table 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant’s invention was made to have provided applicant’s recited limitation in order to provide improved gas barrier properties and/or mechanical properties. Claims 2-7 and 9-12 are disclosed by JP2021-094750 (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0007-0009], [0017-0018], [0019-0042], [0044], [0046], [0049] and Table 1). JP2021-094750 does not specifically disclose wherein the anchor coat layer has a thickness of 30 nm or greater and 300 nm or less. However, discovering the optimum range or value for a result effective variable is obvious and well within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.05). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided wherein the anchor coat layer has a thickness of 30 nm or greater and 300 nm or less in order to provide improved adhesion. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL C MIGGINS whose telephone number is (571)272-1494. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 1-9 pm 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, Aaron Austin can be reached at 571-272-8935. 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. /MICHAEL C MIGGINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1782 MCM May 29, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 28, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103
Jul 15, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jul 15, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary

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
81%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+16.5%)
2y 5m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1020 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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