Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/308,485

CONTACTS OF SOLAR CELLS AND OTHER OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Aug 25, 2025
Priority
Jan 06, 2022 — provisional 63/297,111 +1 more
Examiner
GONZALEZ RAMOS, MAYLA
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Arizona State University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
54%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 1m
Est. Remaining
68%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 54% of resolved cases
54%
Career Allowance Rate
356 granted / 656 resolved
-5.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 12m
Avg Prosecution
44 currently pending
Career history
693
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.4%
-39.6% vs TC avg
§103
85.4%
+45.4% vs TC avg
§102
5.0%
-35.0% vs TC avg
§112
5.3%
-34.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 656 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
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 . Status of Claims Claim(s) 1 is currently pending. 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. Claim 1 is 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 recites the limitation "as described herein". However, there is no prior (or subsequent) description of the device in the claim. One of ordinary skill could not reasonably ascertain what the features of the device are. Accordingly, there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2020/0157125, Irwin et al.* *Cited in IDS. Regarding claim 1 Irwin teaches a device (corresponding to PV cell 1000 comprising a junction between photoactive layer 1040 and any of IFLs 1030 and/or 1050) [Fig. 1 and paragraph 0103]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. *Cited in IDS. “The effect of MoS2 modulated doping with molybdenum-oxide on the photovoltaic performance for MoS2/n-Si heterojunction solar cells” (2020), Zhang et al. * teaches a device (corresponding to a solar cell comprising an optoelectronic junction between n-type Si layer and p-type MoS2 layer) [Fig. 1, Page 1049, Col. 2, second paragraph]. PNG media_image1.png 353 480 media_image1.png Greyscale Zhang et al., cut-out of Fig. 1 US 2015/0255661, Liang et al.* teaches a photovoltaic device comprising a two-dimensional layered material forming a p-n junction and an ITO layer formed over the two-dimensional layered material [Fig. 12E, paragraphs 0075-0083]. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAYLA GONZALEZ RAMOS whose telephone number is (571)272-5054. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 9:00-5:00 - EST. 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, Allison Bourke can be reached at (303)297-4684. 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. /MAYLA GONZALEZ RAMOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 25, 2025
Application Filed
Jun 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §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

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
54%
Grant Probability
68%
With Interview (+13.8%)
2y 12m (~2y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 656 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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