Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
93 pending office actions • 36 art units • 70 examiners • 0 of 93 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 43 patents granted in the last 365 days
Eastman Chemical Company maintains a presence in the Chemistry & Materials technology area with 82 pending office actions. This volume of active prosecution is distributed among 65 distinct examiners, which suggests a broad and diverse set of interactions with the patent office. The portfolio spans 26 distinct art units, reflecting a wide range of chemical and material science innovations that require specialized review across many different internal departments.
KAHN, RACHEL is the busiest examiner for this portfolio, currently overseeing 4 pending office actions. While this is the highest concentration for any single individual, it represents a small fraction of the 82 total pending office actions. This distribution indicates that the company's prosecution strategy must account for the varied perspectives of 65 distinct examiners rather than focusing on a few key individuals. The 26 distinct art units involved further emphasize the technical breadth of the applications currently under review.
Managing this workload across many departments requires significant coordination. The fact that so many distinct examiners are involved means that the outcomes of these actions are likely to be independent of one another. Practitioners should note that even the busiest examiner, KAHN, RACHEL, only handles 4 pending office actions, reinforcing the decentralized nature of Eastman Chemical Company's current patent prosecution efforts.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 29 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 29 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 + other | 2 (2%) |
| §103 only | 30 (32%) |
| §102 only | 1 (1%) |
| §112 only | 7 (8%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 21 (23%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 30 (32%) |
| No statute on record | 2 (2%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| KAHN, RACHEL | 5 | 27.9% | +17.3% |
| NELSON, MICHAEL B | 4 | 21.4% | +37.2% |
| DOYLE, BRANDI M | 3 | 62.6% | +12.1% |
| BLEDSOE, JOSHUA CALEB | 3 | 44.2% | +44.1% |
| WU, ANDREA | 3 | 68.4% | +20.1% |
| DU, SURBHI M | 2 | 66.9% | +29.1% |
| BONAPARTE, AMY C | 2 | 79.2% | +23.3% |
| RIETH, STEPHEN EDWARD | 2 | 45.8% | +32.9% |
| KARST, DAVID THOMAS | 2 | 64.8% | +9.7% |
| FANG, SHANE | 2 | 76.6% | +18.6% |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18832093 | INTERLAYERS AND LAMINATED GLAZINGS WITH LIGHT-REFLECTING BODIES | RUMMEL, IAN A | 28d overdue |
| 18257692 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL AND CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING LITHIUM AND ALUMINUM ATOMS | LISTVOYB, GREGORY | 17d overdue |
| 18704081 | RECOVERING POLY(VINYL BUTYRAL) POLYMER | NGUYEN, BOI-LIEN THI | 15d overdue |
| 17754628 | CATALYST SYSTEMS FOR CRYSTALLIZABLE REACTOR GRADE RESINS | JONES JR., ROBERT STOCKTON | 2d overdue |
| 18257678 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL AND 1,4-CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING TITANIUM AND ZINC | KAHN, RACHEL | 16d |
| 18571978 | HIGH POPULATION OF CLOSED C-SHAPED FIBERS | LEE, EDMUND H | 26d |
| 18687018 | POLYMER INTERLAYER WITH BLOCKED CORE LAYER | POWERS, LAURA C | 26d |
| 18688831 | POLYMER INTERLAYERS WITH LOW MOTTLE AND REDUCED ICEFLOWER DEFECTS | ZHANG, MICHAEL N | 27d |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17759047 | BIODEGRADABLE COMPOSITIONS AND ARTICLES MADE FROM CELLULOSE ACETATE | BLEDSOE, JOSHUA CALEB | 56d overdue |
| 18257678 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL AND 1,4-CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING TITANIUM AND ZINC | KAHN, RACHEL | 16d |
| 17594969 | HIGH SOLVATING MIXED TEREPHTHALATE ESTER PLASTICIZER COMPOSITIONS | BLEDSOE, JOSHUA CALEB | 23d |
| 18686036 | FILMS COMPRISING ALIPHATIC THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES THAT ARE USEFUL AS AUTO WRAPS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 83d |
| 18686010 | FILMS COMPRISING ALIPHATIC THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES AND POLYVINYL ACETALS USEFUL AS AUTO WRAPS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 84d |
| 19100211 | RECYCLED CONTENT HYDROCARBON FROM A RESIN FACILITY TO RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE | DOYLE, BRANDI M | — |
| 19100206 | RECYCLED CONTENT HYDROCARBON FROM A RESIN FACILITY TO RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE | DOYLE, BRANDI M | — |
| 19099831 | RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE AND RELATED CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS FROM WASTE PLASTIC | DOYLE, BRANDI M | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1787 | 10 |
| 1766 | 8 |
| 1762 | 7 |
| 1765 | 7 |
| 1771 | 6 |
| 1692 | 5 |
| 1767 | 5 |
| 1763 | 5 |
| 1764 | 4 |
| 1781 | 4 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19119133 | PVC-FREE VESSEL CAPS AND METHODS OF MAKING THEREOF | COLLINS, RAVEN | 3733 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 08, 2025 |
| 19107070 | COPOLYESTER BLOW MOLDED ARTICLES WITH A TRANSPARENT VIEW STRIPE | LAWLER, JOHN VINCENT | 1787 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2025 |
| 19100211 | RECYCLED CONTENT HYDROCARBON FROM A RESIN FACILITY TO RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE | DOYLE, BRANDI M | 1771 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 31, 2025 |
| 19100206 | RECYCLED CONTENT HYDROCARBON FROM A RESIN FACILITY TO RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE | DOYLE, BRANDI M | 1771 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 31, 2025 |
| 19100011 | WASTE PLASTIC PYROLYSIS VAPORS AND RESIDUE AS FEEDSTOCK TO FLUIDIZED CATALYTIC CRACKER | VASISTH, VISHAL V | 1771 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 30, 2025 |
| 19099845 | RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE FROM WASTE PLASTIC | HINES, LATOSHA D | 1771 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 30, 2025 |
| 19099831 | RECYCLED CONTENT PARAXYLENE AND RELATED CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS FROM WASTE PLASTIC | DOYLE, BRANDI M | 1771 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 30, 2025 |
| 19099077 | NITROGEN REMOVAL FROM REFORMER FEEDSTOCK COMPRISING RECYCLED CONTENT | MCAVOY, ELLEN M | 1771 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 28, 2025 |
| 19099062 | METHOD FOR CONVERTING MELTED OR DISSOLVED WASTE PLASTIC IN A FLUIDIZED CATALYTIC CRACKER AND/OR IN A HYDROCRACKING UNIT | ROBINSON, RENEE E | 1772 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 28, 2025 |
| 18709118 | Freshwater Biodegradable Mixed Ester Cellulose Esters | BLEDSOE, JOSHUA CALEB | 1762 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 10, 2024 |
| 18709180 | Freshwater Biodegradable Mixed Ester Cellulose Esters | CREWS, JARET JAMES | — | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 10, 2024 |
| 18708362 | RECYCLABLE COPOLYESTERS ARTICLES WITH LIVING HINGES | DU, SURBHI M | 1765 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 08, 2024 |
| 18703825 | PROCESSES FOR RECOVERING DIALKYL TEREPHTHALATES FROM POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS | BAHTA, MEDHANIT W | 1692 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 23, 2024 |
| 18703842 | PROCESSES FOR RECOVERING DIALKYL TEREPHTHALATES FROM FEEDSTOCKS | HUSON, MONICA ANNE | 1742 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 23, 2024 |
| 18703806 | LOW TEMPERATURE PROCESSES FOR RECYCLING POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) | BONAPARTE, AMY C | 1692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 23, 2024 |
| 18698998 | ARTICLES CONTAINING MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ACETATE COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ALKALINE FILLER | LEE, DORIS L | 1764 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2024 |
| 18698403 | PROCESS FOR MAKING MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING AMORPHOUS BIOFILLER | ILLING, CAITLIN NORINE | 1767 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2024 |
| 18698400 | ARTICLES CONTAINING MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ALKALINE FILLER | HEINCER, LIAM J | 1767 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2024 |
| 18698405 | ARTICLES CONTAINING MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRING AMORPHOUS BIOFILLER | WU, ANDREA | 1763 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2024 |
| 18698396 | PROCESS FOR MAKING MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ALKALINE FILLER | BERRY, LAYLA D | 1693 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2024 |
| 18698256 | MELT PROCESSABLE CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING AMORPHOUS BIOFILLER | PHILLIPS, SAVANNAH GRACE | 1763 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 03, 2024 |
| 18697882 | PRODUCTION OF VIRGIN-QUALITY PET AND COPOLYESTER RAW MATERIALS FROM POLYESTER CARPET FIBERS | RIETH, STEPHEN EDWARD | 1759 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 02, 2024 |
| 18688147 | COPOLYESTERS COMPRISING 1,4-CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL PRODUCED WITH GERMANIUM CATALYST | KARST, DAVID THOMAS | 1767 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18688160 | PROCESS OF MAKING A COPOLYESTER WITH GERMANIUM CATALYST | KARST, DAVID THOMAS | 1767 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18688078 | ARTICLES COMPRISING COPOLYESTERS PRODUCED WITH GERMANIUM CATALYST | KAHN, RACHEL | 1766 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18688090 | COPOLYESTER BLENDS | KAHN, RACHEL | 1766 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18688068 | PROCESS OF MAKING ARTICLES COMPRISING COPOLYESTERS PRODUCED WITH GERMANIUM CATALYSTS | DANIELS, MATTHEW J | 1742 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 8d overdue | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18688059 | COPOLYESTERS PRODUCED WITH GERMANIUM CATALYST | KAHN, RACHEL | 1766 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18686010 | FILMS COMPRISING ALIPHATIC THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES AND POLYVINYL ACETALS USEFUL AS AUTO WRAPS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 1787 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | 84d | Pending | Feb 23, 2024 |
| 18686024 | FILMS COMPRISING POLYURETHANES AND PLASTICIZED POLYVINYL ACETALS THAT ARE USEFUL AS AUTO WRAPS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 1787 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 23, 2024 |
| 18686036 | FILMS COMPRISING ALIPHATIC THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES THAT ARE USEFUL AS AUTO WRAPS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 1787 | §112Other | Final Rejection | 83d | Pending | Feb 23, 2024 |
| 18686033 | FILMS COMPRISING ALIPHATIC THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES AND POLYVINYL ACETALS USEFUL AS PAINT PROTECTION FILMS | NELSON, MICHAEL B | 1787 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 23, 2024 |
| 18293923 | INTEGRATED PROCESS FOR 5-(METHOXYCARBONYL)FURAN-2-CARBOXYLIC ACID (MCFC) | AULAKH, CHARANJIT | 1621 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 31, 2024 |
| 18293501 | FLAME RETARDANT COPOLYESTER COMPOSITIONS | BHUSHAN, KUMAR R | 1766 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 30, 2024 |
| 18578336 | MELT-PROCESSABLE, BIODEGRADABLE CELLULOSE ACETATES, COMPOSITIONS, MELTS AND MELT-FORMED ARTICLES MADE THEREFROM | RIOJA, MELISSA A | 1764 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 11, 2024 |
| 18577763 | WATERBORNE COATING COMPOSITIONS BASED ON ACRYLIC GRAFTED TMA- MODIFIED UNSATURATED POLYESTERS | FROST, ANTHONY J | 1782 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2024 |
| 18577758 | WATERBORNE COATING COMPOSITIONS BASED ON ACRYLIC GRAFTED UNSATURATED POLYESTERS CONTAINING DMPOA | KRYLOVA, IRINA | 1764 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2024 |
| 18577762 | COATING COMPOSITIONS BASED ON UNSATURATED POLYESTER AND PHENOLIC RESIN | STRAH, ELI D | 1782 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2024 |
| 18577766 | UNSATURATED POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS FOR METAL PACKAGING COATINGS | FOSS, DAVID ROGER | 1764 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2024 |
| 18571978 | HIGH POPULATION OF CLOSED C-SHAPED FIBERS | LEE, EDMUND H | 1744 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 26d | Pending | Dec 19, 2023 |
| 18569246 | POLYESTER/POLYESTER ELASTOMER COMPOSITIONS | XU, JIANGTIAN | 1762 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2023 |
| 18560961 | PURGE PROCESS FOR 5-(ALKOXYCARBONYL)FURAN-2-CARBOYLIC ACID (ACFC) | BONAPARTE, AMY C | 1627 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 15, 2023 |
| 18558447 | RECYCLED CONTENT DIOCTYL TEREPHTHALATE | CARR, DEBORAH D | 1691 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2023 |
| 18556383 | TEREPHTHALATE AND BENZOATE BASED ESTERS AND EPOXIDIZED OIL COMPOSITIONS | YOON, TAE H | 1762 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 20, 2023 |
| 18553740 | OPHTHALMIC ARTICLES MADE FROM CELLULOSE ESTER COMPOSITIONS HAVING HIGH TOUGHNESS AND DIMENSIONAL STABILITY | FANG, SHANE | 1766 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 03, 2023 |
| 18552465 | COMPUTER MODEL BASED HEAT TRANSFER FLUID LIFE AND QUALITY ESTIMATIONS | HAGOS, EYOB | 2857 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2023 |
| 18257729 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING LITHIUM AND ALUMINUM | KELLEY, HEIDI RIVIERE | 1765 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | 38d overdue | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
| 18257678 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL AND 1,4-CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING TITANIUM AND ZINC | KAHN, RACHEL | 1766 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 16d | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
| 18257714 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL-CYCLOBUTANEDIOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING LITHIUM AND GALLIUM ATOMS | KELLEY, HEIDI RIVIERE | 1765 | §103 | Final Rejection | 29d overdue | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
| 18257703 | POLYESTER COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING TETRAMETHYL CYCLOBUTANEDIOL HAVING AN IMPROVED CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING TITANIUM AND ZINC ATOMS | KAHN, RACHEL | 1766 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
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Start Free TrialEastman Chemical Company has 93 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 36 art units and 70 examiners.
Rachel Kahn has the most, with 5 of Eastman Chemical Company's pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.