Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/038,246

SECONDARY BATTERY AND ELECTRIC APPARATUS

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jan 27, 2025
Priority
Feb 13, 2023 — continuation of PCTCN2023075695
Examiner
WEI, ZHONGQING
Art Unit
1727
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited
OA Round
4 (Final)
59%
Grant Probability
Moderate
5-6
OA Rounds
1y 11m
Est. Remaining
75%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 59% of resolved cases
59%
Career Allowance Rate
243 granted / 415 resolved
-6.4% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
460
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
86.7%
+46.7% vs TC avg
§102
2.3%
-37.7% vs TC avg
§112
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 415 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Status of Claims Claims 1-2, 4-7 and 9-22 are pending, wherein claims 1, 6-7, 9-12, 15-16 and 18-20 are amended, claim 13 is withdrawn, and claims 21 and 22 are newly added. Thus, claims 1-2, 4-7, 9-12 and 14-22 are being examined on the merits in this office action. Remarks Applicant’s amendments and arguments have been entered. A reply to the Applicant’s remarks/arguments is presented after addressing the claims. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 17, 2026 has been considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claims 12 and 14 are objected to because of the following: In claim 12, the semicolon after “… is A in µm” should be comma. The sentence at line two of claim 14 should be removed, because it has already been recited in claim 1 upon which claim 14 depends. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9-12 and 14-22 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. In claims 1 and 19, conjunctive words, such as “wherein”, “and”, etc. should be properly used in constructing the claim languages between different paragraphs. The scopes of claim 1 and claim 19 are unclear because of missing or improperly using of conjunctive word(s). The claims are indefinite. For example, at least a term “and” should be placed in front of the last paragraph of claims 1 and 19. In claim 6, the scope of the claim is unclear, because no conjunctive word(s) is/are present between different paragraphs. The scope of the claim is unclear, and the claim is indefinite. Similarly, in claim 7, conjunctive words, such as “wherein”, “and”, “or”, etc., is/are either missing or not properly placed between different paragraphs, rendering the scope of the claim unclear or ambiguous. The claim is indefinite. In claim 9, the two paragraphs after “wherein” lack a conjunctive term, rendering the scope of the claim indefinite. For example, the use of “or” or “and” will result in different scopes of the claim. In claim 18, a conjunctive term appears missing between different paragraphs. In claim 20, the two sentences after “wherein” lack a conjunctive term, rendering the scope of the claim indefinite. For example, the use of “or” or “and” will result in different scopes of the claim. In claim 21, the two paragraphs lack a conjunctive term, rendering the scope of the claim indefinite. For example, the use of “or” or “and” will result in different scopes of the claim. In claim 22, the five paragraphs lack a conjunctive term, rendering the scope of the claim indefinite. For example, the use of “or” or “and” will result in different scopes of the claim. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed April 16, 2026 have been fully considered. Applicant's arguments are based on the claims as amended. For example, Applicant argues that neither Choi nor Yu teaches the claimed three “a number proportion(s)” in claim 1. However, as addressed in the 112 rejection of claim 1 above, the scope of the claim is unclear. Once the 112 rejections presented above are overcome, the claimed subject matters may be allowable upon further consideration or/and search. Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 ZHONGQING WEI whose telephone number is (571)272-4809. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:30 - 6:00. 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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at (571)272-1330. 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. /ZHONGQING WEI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 6 earlier events
Oct 17, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Oct 20, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 21, 2026
Interview Requested
Apr 10, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Apr 11, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Apr 16, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §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

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
59%
Grant Probability
75%
With Interview (+16.4%)
3y 5m (~1y 11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 415 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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