Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 14, 2026
Application No. 19/137,367

SELF ALIGNMENT AGENT AND LIQUID CRYSTAL COMPOSITION THEREOF

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 10, 2025
Priority
Dec 15, 2022 — CN 202211618868.9 +3 more
Examiner
VISCONTI, GERALDINA
Art Unit
1737
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Jiangsu Hecheng Display Technology Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1y 0m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
1160 granted / 1341 resolved
+21.5% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+1.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1375
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
§103
24.1%
-15.9% vs TC avg
§102
25.4%
-14.6% vs TC avg
§112
30.9%
-9.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1341 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . This office action is responsive to the Amendment and Remarks filed 24 July 2026. Claims 1-14 remain pending and presently under consideration in this application. Response to Amendment The rejection of claims under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112(pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as set forth in each of paragraphs 6 and 8-17 of the previous office action on the merits, are hereby withdrawn in view of applicant’s amendments to the same. Applicant’s have failed to satisfactorily address the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112(pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as set forth in paragraph 7 of the previous office action on the merits. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 24 July 2026 in response to the rejection of claims under U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112(pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as set forth in paragraph 7 of the previous office action on the merits, said arguments to the effect that “the amendments presented herewith obviate all concerns raised by the Examiner”, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Examiner notes that neither the amendment nor applicant’s arguments address said rejection. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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 1-14 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. Claim 1 is rejected as being vague and indefinite when it recites “wherein one or more than two nonadjacent -CH2- in the above groups” (emphasis added); the scope of the protection sought by and antecedent basis of “the above groups” is not clear. Claim 1 fails to particularly point out and distinctly claim the ring substituent So2 in the claimed compound of formula O. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. Claims 2-14 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 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 Geraldina Visconti whose telephone number is (571)272-1334. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. 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, Anthony J Zimmer can be reached at (571)270-3591. 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. GERALDINA VISCONTI Primary Examiner Art Unit 1737 /GERALDINA VISCONTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 10, 2025
Application Filed
Apr 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 24, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 05, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12698444
LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE MEDIUM
1y 11m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12692441
LIQUID-CRYSTAL MEDIUM
4y 9m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12692439
COMPOSITION, POLARIZER LAYER, LAMINATE, AND IMAGE DISPLAYING DEVICE
4y 4m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12692440
LIQUID CRYSTAL ALIGNING AGENT, LIQUID CRYSTAL ALIGNMENT FILM AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY ELEMENT
1y 8m to grant Granted Jul 28, 2026
Patent 12686820
POLYMERISABLE LIQUID CRYSTAL MATERIAL AND POLYMERISED LIQUID CRYSTAL FILM
4y 10m to grant Granted Jul 21, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+1.5%)
2y 2m (~1y 0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1341 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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