Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/194,605

BACKGROUND THEORY-BASED METHOD FOR REFINEMENT AND EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL MODELS EXTRACTED FROM NUMERICAL DATA

Non-Final OA

Filed

Mar 31, 2023

Examiner

ALHIJA, SAIF A

Art Unit

Tech Center

Assignee

International Business Machines Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +18.9% interview lift. Examiner has a relatively high allowance rate (72%); +18.9% interview lift. A written response may suffice.

Based on 595 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

ALHIJA, SAIF A View full profile →

Grants 72% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

430 granted / 595 resolved

+12.3% vs TC avg

Strong +19% interview lift

Without

With

+18.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 10m

Avg Prosecution

26 currently pending

Career history

640

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

9.5%

-30.5% vs TC avg

§103

54.6%

+14.6% vs TC avg

§102

26.7%

-13.3% vs TC avg

§112

7.0%

-33.0% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 595 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 31, 2023

Application Filed

Aug 01, 2023

Response after Non-Final Action

Aug 03, 2023

Response after Non-Final Action

Jun 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/760,583

Patent 12663638

DYNAMIC JOINT DISTRIBUTION ALIGNMENT NETWORK-BASED BEARING FAULT DIAGNOSIS METHOD UNDER VARIABLE WORKING CONDITIONS

4y 3m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/664,897

Patent 12657254

PRIME-NUMBER-BASED PARALLEL SOLVER FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS OF POLYNOMIAL FORMS WITH INTEGER VARIABLES

4y 0m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

17/722,115

Patent 12651104

Aligning Polygon-like Representations With Inaccuracies

4y 1m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

17/760,545

Patent 12650683

Spray drying plant operator training system

4y 2m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

17/814,714

Patent 12632619

DROP TEST ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION

3y 9m to grant Granted May 19, 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.

Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

72%

Grant Probability

91%

With Interview (+18.9%)

3y 10m (~7m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 595 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.