Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/864,582

COMPOSITIONS FOR CLEANING METALS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Nov 11, 2024
Priority
Jul 28, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTCN2022108498
Examiner
ELHILO, EISA B
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Dow Global Technologies LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
1205 granted / 1449 resolved
+23.2% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 9m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
1468
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
61.3%
+21.3% vs TC avg
§102
17.8%
-22.2% vs TC avg
§112
12.5%
-27.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1449 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application. DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1 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 2 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 6, 13 and 14 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. Claims 6, 13 and 14 recite the limitation “wherein component a is selected from the following structures: (1a), (1b), (1c), (1d), (1e) or (1f) each as shown above”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. Claims 1 and 10 do not recite the claimed formulae (1a) to (1f). Correction is required. Allowable Subject Matter 3 Claims 1-5, 7-12 and 15-20 are allowed. The closest prior art of record (US 20210339171 A1) teaches alkyl ether amine foam control compounds having a formula (I) (see page 1, paragraph, 0008, formula (1). However, the closest prior art of record (US’ 171 A1) does not teach or disclose a process for cleaning a metal surface, wherein the process comprises applying to the metal surface a cleaning composition comprising at least one ether amine of a claimed formula 1A) and/or a claimed formula 1B) and at least one chelate as claimed. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter as a whole would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art of cleaning metals. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EISA B ELHILO whose telephone number is (571)272-1315. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. 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, Angela Brown-Pettigrew can be reached at (571)272-2817. 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. /EISA B ELHILO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 11, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
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2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 07, 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
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+16.0%)
1y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1449 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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