Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
19 pending office actions • 11 art units • 16 examiners • 0 of 19 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 27 patents granted in the last 365 days
Umicore S.A. currently handles 19 pending office actions in the Chemistry & Materials technology area. These matters are distributed across 15 distinct examiners and 10 distinct art units. This indicates a broad prosecution footprint where multiple examiners are often working within the same departments. The ratio of 19 actions to the 10 art units implies that Umicore frequently encounters the same departmental standards even when dealing with different examiners.
James Lee is the busiest examiner for the portfolio, managing 3 pending office actions. The presence of 10 distinct art units suggests that the company's chemical and material innovations are categorized across a wide array of technical specialties. With 15 examiners handling the 19 actions, there is some concentration of work, but the majority of the portfolio is spread across different individuals. Managing the 15 distinct examiners requires a coordinated approach to ensure consistency in arguments across the Chemistry & Materials sector. James Lee is the only examiner with 3 pending matters, making his specific feedback a key factor for those applications.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 7 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. 7 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 |
|---|---|
| §103 only | 6 (32%) |
| §102 only | 1 (5%) |
| §112 only | 1 (5%) |
| Double-patenting only | 2 (11%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 1 (5%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 8 (42%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| JACOBSON, SARAH JORDAN | 2 | 51.9% | +76.5% |
| LEE, JAMES | 2 | 74.2% | +19.5% |
| JONES, OLIVIA ANN | 2 | 58.6% | +52.3% |
| NGUYEN, KHANH TUAN | 1 | 74.6% | +18.7% |
| ZENG, LINGWEN R | 1 | 76.6% | +20.3% |
| APPLEGATE, SARAH ARIMINTIA | 1 | 43.5% | +7.9% |
| MCCOY, THOMAS WILSON | 1 | 87.5% | +11.0% |
| CHEN, NING | 1 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| CHOI, EVERETT TIMOTHY | 1 | 10.0% | -13.3% |
| LA RAIA III, LAWRENCE | 1 | 72.2% | +36.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18562058 | COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERED STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES FOR MAKING THE SAME | MCCOY, THOMAS WILSON | 8d overdue |
| 18268293 | A POLYMER ELECTROLYTE | CHEN, NING | 15d |
| 18873800 | POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL | NGUYEN, KHANH TUAN | — |
| 18562315 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR SOLID-STATE LITHIUM-ION RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES | APPLEGATE, SARAH ARIMINTIA | — |
| 18249621 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH A SPECIFIC LIQUID ELECTROLYTE | JONES, OLIVIA ANN | — |
| 17904496 | A POWDER FOR USE IN THE NEGATIVE ELECTRODE OF A BATTERY, A METHOD FOR PREPARING SUCH A POWDER AND A BATTERY COMPRISING SUCH A POWDER | CHOI, EVERETT TIMOTHY | — |
| 17904309 | A METHOD FOR PREPARING A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM ION BATTERIES | LA RAIA III, LAWRENCE | — |
| 18550836 | GASOLINE PARTICLE FILTER WITH INCREASED FRESH FILTRATION | VALENCIA, JUAN C | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18562058 | COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERED STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES FOR MAKING THE SAME | MCCOY, THOMAS WILSON | 8d overdue |
| 18277543 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | LEE, JAMES | 15d |
| 18873800 | POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL | NGUYEN, KHANH TUAN | — |
| 18721936 | A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR SECONDARY LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | ZENG, LINGWEN R | — |
| 18562316 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | JACOBSON, SARAH JORDAN | — |
| 18562318 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | JACOBSON, SARAH JORDAN | — |
| 18277393 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | LEE, JAMES | — |
| 18249606 | ELECTROLYTE FOR LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERIES | JONES, OLIVIA ANN | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1725 | 2 |
| 1789 | 2 |
| 2814 | 1 |
| 1723 | 1 |
| 1751 | 1 |
| 1727 | 1 |
| 1733 | 1 |
| 1692 | 1 |
| 1731 | 1 |
| 1717 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18873800 | POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL | NGUYEN, KHANH TUAN | — | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 11, 2024 |
| 18721936 | A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR SECONDARY LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | ZENG, LINGWEN R | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 20, 2024 |
| 18562315 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR SOLID-STATE LITHIUM-ION RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES | APPLEGATE, SARAH ARIMINTIA | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2023 |
| 18562316 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | JACOBSON, SARAH JORDAN | — | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2023 |
| 18562318 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | JACOBSON, SARAH JORDAN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2023 |
| 18562058 | COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERED STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES FOR MAKING THE SAME | MCCOY, THOMAS WILSON | 2814 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 8d overdue | Pending | Nov 17, 2023 |
| 18277393 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | LEE, JAMES | 1725 | DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 16, 2023 |
| 18277543 | LITHIUM NICKEL-BASED COMPOSITE OXIDE AS A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | LEE, JAMES | 1725 | DP | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Aug 16, 2023 |
| 18268293 | A POLYMER ELECTROLYTE | CHEN, NING | 1723 | §103§112Other | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Jun 19, 2023 |
| 18249606 | ELECTROLYTE FOR LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERIES | JONES, OLIVIA ANN | 1789 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 19, 2023 |
| 18249621 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH A SPECIFIC LIQUID ELECTROLYTE | JONES, OLIVIA ANN | 1789 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 19, 2023 |
| 17904496 | A POWDER FOR USE IN THE NEGATIVE ELECTRODE OF A BATTERY, A METHOD FOR PREPARING SUCH A POWDER AND A BATTERY COMPRISING SUCH A POWDER | CHOI, EVERETT TIMOTHY | 1751 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 18, 2022 |
| 17904309 | A METHOD FOR PREPARING A POSITIVE ELECTRODE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM ION BATTERIES | LA RAIA III, LAWRENCE | 1727 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 16, 2022 |
| 16500127 | PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF LITHIUM | PULLEN, NIKOLAS TAKUYA | 1733 | §112 | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Oct 02, 2019 |
| 18550836 | GASOLINE PARTICLE FILTER WITH INCREASED FRESH FILTRATION | VALENCIA, JUAN C | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 15, 2023 |
| 18262516 | METAL COMPLEXES HAVING 4-H,6-H OR 8-H DIHYDROAZULENYL LIGANDS AND USE THEREOF | HOU, FRANK S | 1692 | §102§112DP | Final Rejection | 21d | Pending | Jul 21, 2023 |
| 18256407 | CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE PARTICLE FILTER WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF FILTERING EFFICIENCY | FIORITO, JAMES A | 1731 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 5d | Pending | Jun 07, 2023 |
| 18302439 | Process and Apparatus for Curing Glass-fiber Paper Composites | DAGENAIS, KRISTEN A | 1717 | §103 | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Apr 18, 2023 |
| 18246071 | BISMUT CONTAINING DIESELOXIDATION CATALYST | PHAN, ANNETTE HOANG-ANH | 1736 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 21, 2023 |
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