Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/778,826

METHOD FOR MAKING XUAN FLANNELETTE

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jul 19, 2024
Examiner
WALTERS JR, ROBERT S
Art Unit
1717
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Zhejiang Lifeshine Arts Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
51%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
3y 10m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 51% of resolved cases
51%
Career Allow Rate
558 granted / 1085 resolved
-13.6% vs TC avg
Strong +51% interview lift
Without
With
+50.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 10m
Avg Prosecution
63 currently pending
Career history
1148
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
47.7%
+7.7% vs TC avg
§102
14.5%
-25.5% vs TC avg
§112
31.5%
-8.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1085 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 . Status of Application Claims 1-6 are pending and presented for examination. Response to Arguments Applicant’s amendments have overcome the objections to the drawings, specification and claim 5. Additionally, Applicant’s amendment has overcome the previous 35 USC 112(b) rejections. However, Applicant’s amendment has necessitated the new rejections presented below. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. 1. Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites in step 2 drying at 80-170 ºC, but also recites “wherein in step 2, a drying temperature 2 is 70-130 ºC”. Therefore, it is unclear if the drying in step 2 is conducted at 80-170 ºC or 70-130 ºC. Thus, claim 1 is indefinite. Claims 2-6 depend from claim 1 and are indefinite for the same reasons. Conclusion Claims 1-6 are pending. Claims 1-6 are rejected. 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 ROBERT S WALTERS JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5351. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5. 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, Dah-Wei Yuan can be reached at 571-272-1295. 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. /ROBERT S WALTERS JR/ March 2, 2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1717
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 19, 2024
Application Filed
Nov 06, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Feb 10, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 02, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
51%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+50.8%)
3y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1085 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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