Last updated: May 29, 2026

Application No. 17/582,615

LATCHING MECHANISM FOR IN-LINE ACTIVATED ELECTROSURGICAL DEVICE

Final Rejection

Filed

Jan 24, 2022

Priority

Feb 02, 2017 — provisional 62/453,602 +1 more

Examiner

PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN

Art Unit

3794

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Covidien LP

OA Round

4 (Final)

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

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

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 6 earlier events

Feb 21, 2025

Response Filed

Mar 19, 2025

Final Rejection mailed

May 13, 2025

Response after Non-Final Action

Jun 11, 2025

Request for Continued Examination

Jun 13, 2025

Response after Non-Final Action

Jul 03, 2025

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Sep 30, 2025

Response Filed

Jan 27, 2026

Final Rejection mailed (current)

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.