Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals • Chemistry & Materials
181 pending office actions • 49 art units • 125 examiners • 0 of 181 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 139 patents granted in the last 365 days
Nestlé S.A. currently has 167 pending office actions within the Chemistry & Materials technology area. These matters are distributed across 113 distinct examiners, which suggests a diverse array of perspectives are being applied to the company's applications. The portfolio is active in 46 distinct art units, reflecting a broad technical scope that likely covers various aspects of food science and material compositions. Managing 167 pending office actions requires significant resources to maintain consistency across these many different examination groups.
The busiest examiner for the company is SMITH, CHAIM A, who is currently overseeing 9 busiest examiner pending office actions. While this is the highest concentration for any individual official, the workload is largely spread among the other distinct examiners. This distribution indicates that the portfolio is generally fragmented across the 46 distinct art units. Practitioners should be prepared for a wide variety of examiner behaviors given that 113 distinct examiners are currently reviewing the company's active filings.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 67 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. 67 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 only | 2 (1%) |
| §101 + other | 12 (7%) |
| §103 only | 54 (30%) |
| §102 only | 2 (1%) |
| §112 only | 7 (4%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (2%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 26 (14%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 73 (40%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (1%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMITH, CHAIM A | 10 | 39.1% | +51.0% |
| YOO, HONG THI | 6 | 45.8% | +25.5% |
| LACHICA, ERICSON M | 6 | 29.8% | +35.1% |
| AXTELL, ASHLEY | 5 | 13.2% | +25.7% |
| O'HERN, BRENT T | 4 | 78.5% | +19.6% |
| STULII, VERA | 4 | 32.8% | +24.8% |
| MUKHOPADHYAY, BHASKAR | 3 | 28.2% | +37.0% |
| CHAWLA, JYOTI | 3 | 52.7% | +30.3% |
| HAWKINS, AMANDA SALATA | 3 | 12.0% | +45.2% |
| CHEN, SIMPSON ABRAHAM | 3 | 62.1% | +42.4% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17416584 | NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION FOR INDUCING A FEELING OF SATIETY, A BETTER SLEEP AND/OR LIMITING NOCTURNAL AWAKING IN INFANTS OR YOUNG CHILDREN | SABILA, MERCY HELLEN | 161d overdue |
| 16691997 | EDIBLE CHEW FOR A HUMAN CHILD AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE EDIBLE CHEW | KERSHAW, KELLY P | 46d overdue |
| 18579392 | METHOD OF MAKING A POWDER EGG ANALOGUE | PRAKASH, SUBBALAKSHMI | 36d overdue |
| 19053861 | COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING NICOTINAMIDE AND VITAMIN B6 AND METHODS OF USING SUCH COMPOSITIONS FOR REHABILITATION | SEITZ, ANTHONY JOSEPH | 35d overdue |
| 18003170 | PROCESS FOR PREPARING SHELF-STABLE PLANT-BASED YOGURT ANALOGUES AND YOGURT ANALOGUES THEREOF | MERRIAM, ANDREW E | 30d overdue |
| 18258097 | SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS OF BEVERAGES PRECURSOR | KASZTEJNA, MATTHEW JOHN | 16d overdue |
| 18042858 | HYGIENIC WASTE INGREDIENT REMOVAL | DODSON, JUSTIN C | 10d overdue |
| 18259153 | ENZYMATIC RECYCLING OF POLYURETHANES BY A COMBINATION OF CUTINASES AND ESTERASES | EIX, EMILY FAY | 8d overdue |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18696849 | A NON-DAIRY CHEESE ANALOGUE COMPOSITION | CHAWLA, JYOTI | 31d overdue |
| 18254058 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PREDICT AN INDIVIDUALS MICROBIOME STATUS AND PROVIDE PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE THE MICROBIOME STATUS | O'HERN, BRENT T | 9d overdue |
| 18126692 | SMOOTH, SHELF-STABLE PRODUCT AND METHODS OF PRODUCING SAME | O'HERN, BRENT T | 3d overdue |
| 18697166 | BEVERAGE OR FOODSTUFF CONTAINER AND PREPARATION SYSTEM | LACHICA, ERICSON M | 8d |
| 18249327 | CAPSULE, FOOD OR BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE FOR PROCESSING A CAPSULE, AND FOOD OR BEVERAGE PREPARATION PROCESS IMPLEMENTING SUCH A FOOD OR BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE AND CAPSULE | SMITH, CHAIM A | 9d |
| 18257330 | SYNTHETIC NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITIONS TAILORED FOR CHINESE INFANTS | YOO, HONG THI | 13d |
| 18577113 | METHOD | O'HERN, BRENT T | 14d |
| 18005621 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A STRIP OF PACKAGES FOR STORING INDIVIDUAL PORTION OF FOOD OR BEVERAGE, AND STRIP OF PACKAGES THUS OBTAINED | SMITH, CHAIM A | 15d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1792 | 32 |
| 1791 | 28 |
| 3761 | 20 |
| 1793 | 16 |
| 3754 | 6 |
| 1629 | 5 |
| 1615 | 4 |
| 1655 | 4 |
| 1654 | 4 |
| 1627 | 3 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19477709 | A SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING AN INTEGRITY OF TUBE-FEED PACKAGING | HODGE, LINDA J | 3731 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 22, 2025 |
| 19265202 | METHODS OF MONITORING FEEDING BEHAVIORS OF PETS | PHAM, QUANG | 2685 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 10, 2025 |
| 19128411 | LOCKABLE TOP-OPENING FREEZER | MILEF, ELDA G | 3694 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 08, 2025 |
| 19108848 | BOTTLE FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES HAVING AN IMPROVED PETALOID BASE | KMET, LAUREN ELIZABETH | 3735 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 05, 2025 |
| 19103532 | A BULK DISPENSER | PANCHOLI, VISHAL J | 3754 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 12, 2025 |
| 18997732 | METHOD FOR IMPROVING FLOWERING OF A PLANT OF THE FAMILY RUBIACEAE | BELL, KENT L | 1661 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 22, 2025 |
| 18856438 | CENTRIFUGAL CHAMBER WITH CAPSULE POSITIONING GUIDE | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 |
| 18827346 | USE OF WHEY PROTEIN MICELLES FOR IMPROVING INSULIN PROFILE IN DIABETIC PATIENTS | MUKHOPADHYAY, BHASKAR | 1792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 06, 2024 |
| 18840745 | COMPLEX COACERVATES OF LACTOFERRIN AND OSTEOPONTIN | SCOTLAND, REBECCA LYNN | 1615 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 18717836 | PRENATAL SUPPLEMENT COMPOSITIONS FOR INCREASING BREASTMILK MICRONUTRIENT LEVELS | HOLT, ANDRIAE M | 1614 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 07, 2024 |
| 18710266 | A CAPSULE FOR THE PREPARATION OF A BEVERAGE AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAID CAPSULE | SMITH, CHAIM A | 1791 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 15, 2024 |
| 18705432 | SYMBIOTIC CULTURE OF BACTERIA AND YEAST FOR PRODUCTION OF WATER KEFIR | CHAWLA, JYOTI | 1791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 26, 2024 |
| 18638037 | METHODS AND COMPOSITION FOR PALATABLE PET FOODS | KOHLER, STEPHANIE A | 1791 | §103 | Final Rejection | 70d | Pending | Apr 17, 2024 |
| 18574816 | BIFIDOBACTERIUM LONGUM TRANSITIONAL MICROORGANISMS, COMPOSITIONS AND USES THEREOF | DICKENS, AMELIA NICOLE | 1645 | §101§102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2023 |
| 18396175 | MATERNAL VITAMIN B2 ADMINISTRATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF INCREASED ADIPOSITY, OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY IN THE OFFSPRING | BORI, IBRAHIM D | 1629 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 26, 2023 |
| 18545906 | AERATED CREAMERS, PACKAGED READY-TO-USE AERATED CREAMERS, AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SUCH CREAMERS | WATTS, JENNA A | 1791 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 4d overdue | Pending | Dec 19, 2023 |
| 18550744 | GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA CRUST WITH A LIGHT, AERATED AND CRISPY STRUCTURE | DEES, NIKKI H | 1791 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 15, 2023 |
| 18139588 | RECOVERY DIETARY SUPPLEMENT | FALKOWITZ, ANNA R | 1600 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 6d | Pending | Apr 26, 2023 |
| 18126692 | SMOOTH, SHELF-STABLE PRODUCT AND METHODS OF PRODUCING SAME | O'HERN, BRENT T | 1793 | — | Non-Final OA | 3d overdue | Pending | Mar 27, 2023 |
| 18006613 | COFFEE BEVERAGE PRODUCT AND METHOD OF PREPARING THEREOF | JACOBSON, MICHELE LYNN | 1793 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 24, 2023 |
| 18003170 | PROCESS FOR PREPARING SHELF-STABLE PLANT-BASED YOGURT ANALOGUES AND YOGURT ANALOGUES THEREOF | MERRIAM, ANDREW E | 1791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 30d overdue | Pending | Dec 23, 2022 |
| 17736496 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS USING AT LEAST ONE OF OLEUROPEIN OR A METABOLITE THEREOF TO TREAT OR PREVENT MUSCLE FATIGUE FROM EXERCISE AND/OR FOR RESISTANCE TO MUSCLE FATIGUE FROM EXERCISE | IVANOVA, SVETLANA M | 1627 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 04, 2022 |
| 17721813 | COMPOSITIONS AND THEIR USE | KUCHARCZK, JED A | 1623 | §103 | Final Rejection | 14d | Pending | Apr 15, 2022 |
| 17474273 | USE OF WHEY PROTEIN MICELLES FOR ENHANCING ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND SATIETY | MUKHOPADHYAY, BHASKAR | 1792 | §103 | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Sep 14, 2021 |
| 16691997 | EDIBLE CHEW FOR A HUMAN CHILD AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE EDIBLE CHEW | KERSHAW, KELLY P | 1791 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 46d overdue | Pending | Nov 22, 2019 |
| 19182768 | ACTUATOR NOZZLE FOR AEROSOL PACKAGING, AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SUCH ACTUATOR NOZZLES AND AEROSOL PACKAGINGS | WALCZAK, DAVID J | 3754 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 18, 2025 |
| 19053861 | COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING NICOTINAMIDE AND VITAMIN B6 AND METHODS OF USING SUCH COMPOSITIONS FOR REHABILITATION | SEITZ, ANTHONY JOSEPH | 1629 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 35d overdue | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 |
| 19020382 | SUSTAINED RELEASE MELATONIN COMPOSITIONS | TRUONG, QUANGLONG N | 1615 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 14, 2025 |
| 18869460 | SQUEEZABLE BOTTLE FOR ASEPTIC FILLING WITH VISCOUS FOOD, PACKAGED VISCOUS PRODUCT, PREFORM AND METHOD OF FILLING A SQUEEZABLE BOTTLE | LONG, DONNELL ALAN | 3754 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18866428 | METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF A NUTRITIONAL POWDER | SILVERMAN, JANICE Y | 1792 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 15, 2024 |
| 18866387 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS USING A COMBINATION OF FISETIN AND QUERCETIN FOR CELLULAR ENERGY | BARSKY, JARED | 1628 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 15, 2024 |
| 18862714 | CAPSULE FOR PRODUCING A BEVERAGE | THAKUR, VIREN A | 1792 | §103§112DPOther | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18856132 | BAG-IN-BOX PACKAGE | DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R | 3734 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 |
| 18855951 | TRANSPARENT CELLULOSIC PACKAGING | AHMED, SHEEBA | 1787 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 10, 2024 |
| 18855014 | PROCESS FOR TREATING PROTEIN-CONTAINING COMPOSITIONS | LI, CHANGQING | 1791 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2024 |
| 18843372 | CONFECTIONERY | HAWKINS, AMANDA SALATA | 1793 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 03, 2024 |
| 18843278 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS TO POTENTIATE MUSCULOSKELETAL EFFECT OF ONE OR MORE ANABOLIC AMINO ACIDS ON BONE HEALTH | YOO, HONG THI | 1792 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 02, 2024 |
| 18843065 | USE OF A COMPOSITION FOR MANAGING POSTPRANDIAL GLUCOSE RESPONSE AND ASSOCIATED DISORDERS | MOEHLMAN, ANDREW TERRY | 1655 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 30, 2024 |
| 18775601 | CAPSULE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREPARING A BEVERAGE BY CENTRIFUGATION | SMITH, CHAIM A | 1791 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2024 |
| 18722832 | SHELF-STABLE FERMENTED PLANT-BASED FOOD PRODUCT PACKAGED IN A FLEXIBLE CONTAINER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SUCH PRODUCT | YOO, HONG THI | 1792 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2024 |
| 18722117 | BEVERAGE PREPARATION WITH A FLEXIBLE OUTLET VALVE | EVANGELISTA, THEODORE JUSTINE | 1791 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 20, 2024 |
| 18722147 | BEVERAGE PREPARATION BY STABLE CAPSULE CENTRIFUGATION | WEN, KEVIN GUANHUA | 1791 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 20, 2024 |
| 18722325 | LOW SUGAR-BASED FOOD COMPOSITIONS WITH ROASTED INGREDIENT | LE, EMILY M | 1793 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 20, 2024 |
| 18721384 | FERMENTED VERBENA BEVERAGE | STULII, VERA | 1792 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18721362 | FERMENTED HEMP BEVERAGE | LE, EMILY M | 1793 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18721401 | FERMENTED CAMOMILE BEVERAGE | STULII, VERA | 1791 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18721391 | FERMENTED TEA BEVERAGE | STULII, VERA | 1792 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18721413 | FERMENTED READY TO DRINK HEMP BEVERAGE | STULII, VERA | 1791 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18720935 | BEVERAGE POD SYSTEM WITH POD CATCHER | CHEN, SIMPSON ABRAHAM | 3761 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2024 |
| 18720962 | BEVERAGE POD SYSTEM WITH IMPROVED SEAL | CHEN, SIMPSON ABRAHAM | 3761 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2024 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialNestlé S.A. has 181 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 49 art units and 125 examiners.
Chaim A Smith has the most, with 10 of Nestlé S.A.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.