Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 19/132,073

FILM-FORMING AUXILIARY AGENT FOR CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION, COATING SOLUTION FOR CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION, METAL OXIDE FILM, AND FILM-FORMING METHOD FOR METAL OXIDE FILM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 22, 2025
Priority
Jan 24, 2023 — JP 2023-008576 +1 more
Examiner
MELLOTT, JAMES M
Art Unit
1759
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
NOF Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
51%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 12m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 51% of resolved cases
51%
Career Allowance Rate
290 granted / 568 resolved
-13.9% vs TC avg
Strong +44% interview lift
Without
With
+44.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
49 currently pending
Career history
610
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
53.0%
+13.0% vs TC avg
§102
15.0%
-25.0% vs TC avg
§112
24.5%
-15.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 568 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 . Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-2 in the reply filed on 6/22/26 is acknowledged. Claims 3-5 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected product and process, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/22/26. 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)(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. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moller et al. (US PG Pub 2008/0140052; hereafter ‘052). Claims 1 & 2: ‘052 discloses a solution comprising urea, NaCl, and water (see Example 1, ¶ 103, and pg 7). Applicant is advised that the preamble “film-forming auxiliary agent for chemical vapor deposition” is intended use and does not further limit the composition of claims 1-2. Intended use has been continuously held not to be germane to determining the patentability of the apparatus, In re Finsterwalder, 168 USPQ 530. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US PG Pub 2009/0112009; hereafter ‘009). Claims 1-2: ‘009 discloses a coating solution for chemical vapor deposition (abstract and ¶s 159 & 266), comprising urea (a pre-reaction-combating agent, i.e. a film-forming auxiliary agent for CVD; ¶s 239-242) and a solution of a metal complex (¶ 266 & claim 1). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M MELLOTT whose telephone number is (571)270-3593. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-4:30PM CST. 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, Curtis Mayes can be reached at 571-272-1234. 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. /James M Mellott/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 22, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12734546
COATING EQUIPMENT
2y 10m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
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2y 11m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12693450
PROCESSING OF SUPERHYDROPHILIC, INFRARED TRANSMISSIVE, ANTI-REFLECTIVE NANOSTRUCTURED SURFACES
5y 7m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12692412
METHOD FOR SUPPRESSING COLLAPSE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE
2y 10m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12658409
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4y 5m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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
51%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+44.2%)
3y 4m (~1y 12m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 568 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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