Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/404,025

ZONE ASSIGNMENT FOR HOSTS IN DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jan 04, 2024

Examiner

LU, KEVIN X

Art Unit

2199

Tech Center

2100 — Computer Architecture & Software

Assignee

International Business Machines Corporation

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +44.5% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 75% grant rate with +44.5% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 305 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

LU, KEVIN X View full profile →

Grants 75% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

229 granted / 305 resolved

+20.1% vs TC avg

Strong +44% interview lift

Without

With

+44.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 10m

Avg Prosecution

10 currently pending

Career history

323

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

2.9%

-37.1% vs TC avg

§103

90.7%

+50.7% vs TC avg

§102

0.9%

-39.1% vs TC avg

§112

4.5%

-35.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 305 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 04, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 08, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jun 26, 2026

Interview Requested

Jul 06, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Jul 06, 2026

Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Jul 07, 2026

Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/821,815

Patent 12632276

COORDINATED HOOKING MECHANISM FOR CHECKPOINTING VIRTUAL MACHINES

3y 8m to grant Granted May 19, 2026

17/864,447

Patent 12632278

PROCESSING UNIT AND PROCESSING SYSTEM

3y 10m to grant Granted May 19, 2026

17/752,790

Patent 12625729

PACKET PROCESSING COMPUTATIONS UTILIZING A PRE-ALLOCATED MEMORY FUNCTION

3y 11m to grant Granted May 12, 2026

17/810,910

Patent 12596563

PHYSICAL HARDWARE DEVICE ACCESS VIA EMULATION

3y 9m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026

18/005,739

Patent 12596566

Operating System Performance Interference Preventing Apparatus of Hypervisor System

3y 2m to grant Granted Apr 07, 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

75%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+44.5%)

3y 10m (~1y 3m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 305 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.