Last updated: May 29, 2026

Application No. 17/769,985

DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR MODULATING TISSUE TEMPERATURE

Final Rejection

Filed

Apr 18, 2022

Priority

Oct 18, 2019 — provisional 62/923,081 +1 more

Examiner

PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN

Art Unit

3794

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Duke University

OA Round

2 (Final)

This examiner grants 27% of cases after interview

— +64.8% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

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

Apr 18, 2022

Application Filed

Jul 30, 2025

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Oct 29, 2025

Response Filed

Feb 18, 2026

Final Rejection mailed

Apr 17, 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

3-4

Expected OA Rounds

27%

Grant Probability

92%

With Interview (+64.8%)

3y 6m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Moderate

PTA Risk

Based on 22 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.