Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 35/523,964

Pizza crust

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Feb 05, 2024
Examiner
STOFKO, KATIE JANE
Art Unit
2911
Tech Center
2900
Assignee
Xing-Yi Lai
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
97%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 10m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 97% — above average
97%
Career Allow Rate
704 granted / 723 resolved
+37.4% vs TC avg
Minimal +1% lift
Without
With
+0.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
2 currently pending
Career history
725
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
3.1%
-36.9% vs TC avg
§102
7.6%
-32.4% vs TC avg
§112
74.2%
+34.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 723 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
OFFICE ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Group I is withdrawn from further consideration by the Examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being for the nonelected design. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on February 6, 2026. Objections to the Specification Per the above election, figure descriptions 1.1-1.8 must be canceled. Since Figure 1 has been removed, the following descriptive statements must be removed.: [FIG.1.1-1.6 are the first embodiment of my new design of the pizza crust; and, FIG.1.7-1.8 are the usage status reference views; and,] To correctly describe the Figures, the figure descriptions must be amended to read: --FIG. 2.1 is a perspective view of a pizza crust, showing my new design; FIG. 2.2 is a front perspective view thereof; FIG. 2.3 is a back perspective view thereof; FIG. 2.4 is a left side perspective view thereof; FIG. 2.5 is a right side perspective view thereof; and FIG. 2.6 is a top plan view thereof.-- Since Figures 2.1-2.6 have been properly described above and since the drawings define the design and a word descriptive is not necessary, the following descriptive statements must be removed: [FIG.2.1-2.6 are the second embodiment;] [The overall shape of the designs is crown-shaped; Viewed from the top view, the top surface has a plurality of acute angle shapes that measure less than 90 degrees, while the bottom surface is flat; FIG.1.7-1.8 are for reference purposes only and form no part of the claimed design; The views are presented in grayscale photographs, and the shades of each view only express the shape of the design and are not used to define the color.] Objection to the Drawings Per the above election, drawing Figures 1.1-1.8 must be canceled. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. If all the figures on a drawing sheet are canceled, a replacement sheet is not required. A marked-up copy of the drawing sheet (labeled as “Annotated Sheet”) including an annotation showing that all the figures on that drawing sheet have been canceled must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. When preparing new drawings, care must be exercised to avoid introduction of anything which could be construed to be new matter prohibited by 35 U.S.C. 132 and 37 CFR 1.121. Claim Rejection 35 USC 112(a) and (b) The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b), as the claimed invention is not described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same, and fails to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the applicant regards as the invention. The claim is indefinite and nonenabling because of the following inconsistencies: The descriptive statement reads, “and, the bottom views are the same as the top views thereof;” however the top and the bottom are not identical. To overcome this rejection the following descriptive statement must be removed: [and, the bottom views are the same as the top views thereof;] Conclusion In summary, the claim stands rejected under 35 USC 112(a) and (b). The references cited but not applied are considered cumulative art related to the claimed design. Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Katie Stofko whose telephone number is 571-272-7956. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Examiner can also be reached on alternate Fridays. 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, George Bugg can be reached on 571-272-2998. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/status/private_pair/index.jsp. If you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (in the USA or CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /KATIE JANE STOFKO/Examiner, Art Unit 2911 Date: March 3, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 05, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent D1111296
ICE CREAM CONE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Patent D1110672
Confectionery
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Patent D1110673
Confectionery
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
Patent D1108403
Earphone
2y 5m to grant Granted Jan 06, 2026
Patent D1104404
Heart Shaped Flower Lollipop
2y 5m to grant Granted Dec 09, 2025
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
97%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+0.7%)
1y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 723 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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