Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/854,260

MOLDING OPTIMIZATION METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 04, 2024
Priority
Apr 06, 2022 — JP 2022-063309 +1 more
Examiner
YI, STELLA KIM
Art Unit
1742
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Nissei Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 5m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
685 granted / 968 resolved
+5.8% vs TC avg
Strong +29% interview lift
Without
With
+28.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
984
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
71.9%
+31.9% vs TC avg
§102
17.2%
-22.8% vs TC avg
§112
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 968 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 04/30/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 11-14 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04/30/2026. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by TAKIZAWA et al. (5,518,671). Regarding claims 1 and 8, TAKIZAWA et al. discloses a molding optimization method for an injection molding machine comprising: obtaining basic molding conditions for an initial resin material used at the beginning of production of a predetermined molded product, and a basic melting property related to a molten state of the initial resin material based on the basic molding conditions beforehand (C6:L14-34; Fig.8); and when an additional resin material to which the initial resin material is switched to continue the production of the molded product is used, obtaining second molding conditions for the additional resin material (C6:L34-39), and a second melting property related to a molten state of the additional resin material based on the second molding conditions, and performing a conversion process, including at least conversion of a set temperature for the second molding conditions by a predetermined conversion mechanism such that the second melting property approximates the basic melting property (C3:L56-65; C6:L14-34). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-7 and 9-10 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. a) Kamiguchi et al. (US 5,611,975) discloses molding condition setting method for an injection molding machine. b) JP 2598745 discloses method and apparatus for setting molding conditions of injection molding machine. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STELLA KIM YI whose telephone number is (571)270-5123. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 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, Christina Johnson can be reached at 571-272-1176. 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. STELLA YI Examiner Art Unit 1742 /STELLA K YI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 04, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
71%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+28.8%)
3y 2m (~1y 5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 968 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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