Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/582,793

ARTICLE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, ARTICLE MANAGEMENT METHOD, ARTICLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA

Filed

Feb 21, 2024

Priority

Aug 25, 2021 — JP 2021-137226 +1 more

Examiner

BROTHERS, LAURENCE RAPHAEL

Art Unit

3655

Tech Center

3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce

Assignee

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +16.7% interview lift. Examiner has a relatively high allowance rate (88%); +16.7% interview lift. A written response may suffice.

Based on 74 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

BROTHERS, LAURENCE RAPHAEL View full profile →

Grants 88% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

65 granted / 74 resolved

+35.8% vs TC avg

Strong +17% interview lift

Without

With

+16.7%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 3m

Avg Prosecution

20 currently pending

Career history

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

2.9%

-37.1% vs TC avg

§103

82.1%

+42.1% vs TC avg

§102

4.3%

-35.7% vs TC avg

§112

10.0%

-30.0% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 74 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 21, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 29, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/320,374

Patent 12679652

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TAKING OUT AND PLACING GOODS, WAREHOUSING ROBOT AND WAREHOUSING SYSTEM

3y 1m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/342,862

Patent 12679651

WAREHOUSING MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS, DEVICE, MEDIUM, PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND SYSTEM

3y 0m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/793,299

Patent 12673823

METHOD AND ORDER-PICKING STORAGE FACILITY FOR STORING AND ORDER-PICKING GOODS

3y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/016,910

Patent 12668426

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSFERRING ITEMS USING MULTIPLE ROBOTIC DEVICES

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/147,258

Patent 12666912

ARTICLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING ARTICLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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

88%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+16.7%)

3y 3m (~10m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 74 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.