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Office Actions › Covidien LP › 17398547
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 17/398,547

SHAFT RETENTION FEATURES FOR SHAFT-BASED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

Final Rejection
Filed
Aug 10, 2021
Examiner
PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN
Art Unit
3794
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Covidien LP
OA Round
4 (Final)
27%
Grant Probability
At Risk
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Interview Optional

— +64.8% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 27% grant rate with +64.8% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.
Based on 22 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN View full profile →
Grants only 27% of cases
27%
Career Allowance Rate
6 granted / 22 resolved
-42.7% vs TC avg
Strong +65% interview lift
Without
With
+64.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 6m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
79
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
6.5%
-33.5% vs TC avg
§103
8.1%
-31.9% vs TC avg
§102
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§112
58.1%
+18.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 22 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Show 5 earlier events
Jan 07, 2025
Final Rejection mailed
Feb 27, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 07, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 08, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
May 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed
Jul 31, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 01, 2025
Final Rejection mailed
May 01, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/504,879
Patent 12558150
INTEGRATED SENSORS FOR ENERGY TOOLS
4y 4m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
17/577,089
Patent 12539065
INPUT CIRCUITRY FOR RECEIVING ELECTRODE SIGNALS, A BIOPOTENTIAL SIGNAL SENSOR SYSTEM, A NEURAL PROBE, AND A METHOD FOR AMPLIFYING ELECTRODE SIGNALS
4y 0m to grant Granted Feb 03, 2026
17/645,818
Patent 12369829
ELECTRIC APPARATUS AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD
3y 7m to grant Granted Jul 29, 2025
17/569,345
Patent 12318131
REDUCED SIZE FORCE SENSOR
3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 03, 2025
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 4 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
27%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+64.8%)
3y 6m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 22 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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Data sourced from USPTO Patent File Wrapper (daily) and Office Action Archive (weekly). Analysis generated by IP Author.

Data: USPTO Patent File Wrapper (daily) • Office Action Archive (weekly) • 89M+ prosecution events

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