Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/898,578

NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY DEVICE AND COLLIMATOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 26, 2024
Priority
Mar 29, 2022 — JP 2022-053834 +1 more
Examiner
IPPOLITO, NICOLE MARIE
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
1495 granted / 1726 resolved
+26.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+9.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1733
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
52.0%
+12.0% vs TC avg
§102
19.5%
-20.5% vs TC avg
§112
8.8%
-31.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1726 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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, 7-8 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mukawa (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 20200001113, from hereinafter “Mukawa”). In regards to claims 1 and 12, Mukawa teaches a neutron capture therapy device (abstract) comprising an accelerator that generates a particle beam, a target that generates a neutron ray by reacting with the particle beam (paragraphs 0022 and 0025-0027 at least), a collimator that includes a hole portion penetrating in the irradiation direction of the neutron ray and forms and irradiation field of the neutron ray generated from the target (FIG. 2, collimator 31, paragraph 0029 at least) and a deceleration member that decelerates the neutron ray generated from the target wherein a part of the deceleration member is disposed in the hole portion of the collimator (FIG. 2, deceleration member 21, paragraphs 0027-0029 at least). In regards to claim 7, Mukawa teaches a gamma ray blocking member disposed on a side facing an irradiation target in the hole portion of the collimator (paragraphs 0027, 0029-0030). In regards to claim 8, Mukawa teaches that a shield member including the gamma ray blocking member and a neutron blocking member is provided to surround the deceleration member (paragraphs 0027, 0029-0030). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-6 and 9-11 are 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 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICOLE M IPPOLITO whose telephone number is (571)270-7449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:00am-4:00pm Mountain Time. 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, Robert H Kim can be reached at 571-272-2293. 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. /NICOLE M IPPOLITO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 26, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 08, 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
87%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+9.5%)
2y 0m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1726 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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