Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/101,043

DATA PROTECTION THROUGH COLLABORATIVE ASSOCIATION

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jan 24, 2023

Examiner

GIDDINS, NELSON S

Art Unit

2408

Tech Center

2400 — Computer Networks

Assignee

International Business Machines Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +10.3% interview lift. Interview lift (+10.3%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 544 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

GIDDINS, NELSON S View full profile →

Grants 85% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

460 granted / 544 resolved

+26.6% vs TC avg

Moderate +10% lift

Without

With

+10.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 3m

Avg Prosecution

13 currently pending

Career history

567

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.7%

-39.3% vs TC avg

§103

86.7%

+46.7% vs TC avg

§102

2.6%

-37.4% vs TC avg

§112

3.1%

-36.9% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 544 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 24, 2023

Application Filed

Oct 18, 2023

Response after Non-Final Action

Apr 17, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/148,273

Patent 12682102

Data storage server and client devices for securely storing data

3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/274,606

Patent 12682237

COLLABORATIVE MACHINE LEARNING WHOSE RESULT IS STORED IN A SHARED MEMORY CONTROLLED BY A CENTRAL DEVICE

2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/829,976

Patent 12677149

ACCESS CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS

1y 10m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

17/975,142

Patent 12670242

PRE-OS AUTHENTICATION

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/835,398

Patent 12651056

INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

1y 10m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

85%

Grant Probability

95%

With Interview (+10.3%)

2y 3m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 544 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.