Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/851,370

PAPER CONTAINER

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 26, 2024
Priority
Mar 30, 2022 — JP 2022-057591 +1 more
Examiner
DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R
Art Unit
3734
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
69%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
83%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 69% — above average
69%
Career Allowance Rate
1134 granted / 1646 resolved
-1.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
67 currently pending
Career history
1709
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
43.7%
+3.7% vs TC avg
§102
31.6%
-8.4% vs TC avg
§112
16.7%
-23.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1646 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 . 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. Claims 1-2 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 the limitation "the left" in line 31; and “the right” in line 34. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim; therefore, the metes and bounds of the limitations are not readily understood. Claim 2 fails to cure the deficiencies. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-2 are allowable in view of the prior art. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The nearest prior art fails to disclose or make obvious a gable top carton comprising a body panel with a first and second auxiliary curved fold line that curves such that a lowest point of each auxiliary curved fold line is positioned below the ends of each respective auxiliary curved fold line. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER R DEMEREE whose telephone number is (571)270-1982. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. 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, NATHAN J NEWHOUSE can be reached at (571)272-4544. 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. /CHRISTOPHER R DEMEREE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3734
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 26, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12747088
BOX DEFINING WALLS WITH INSULATION CAVITIES
1y 3m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12741782
COLLAPSIBLE TRAY AND METHODS THEREFOR
1y 5m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12741780
TELESCOPING INSULATED BOXES
1y 0m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12735232
DISPENSING VALVE
1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12729038
CONTAINER FOR FOODSTUFFS AND MANUFACTURING METHOD
2y 4m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
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
69%
Grant Probability
83%
With Interview (+14.1%)
2y 6m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1646 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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