Last updated: July 05, 2026

Application No. 18/631,310

POLISHING HEAD FOR SUBSTRATE POLISHING

Non-Final OA

Filed

Apr 10, 2024

Priority

Dec 21, 2023 — IN 202341087672

Examiner

CRANDALL, JOEL DILLON

Art Unit

3723

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +21.9% interview lift. Interview already conducted in this application's prosecution history. This examiner has a 59% grant rate with +21.9% interview lift. Since an interview has already been tried, recommend written response with narrowed claims based on precedent claim evolution patterns.

Based on 770 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

CRANDALL, JOEL DILLON View full profile →

Grants 59% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

452 granted / 770 resolved

-11.3% vs TC avg

Strong +22% interview lift

Without

With

+21.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 5m

Avg Prosecution

23 currently pending

Career history

797

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.2%

-39.8% vs TC avg

§103

72.0%

+32.0% vs TC avg

§102

14.8%

-25.2% vs TC avg

§112

12.2%

-27.8% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 770 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 10, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jun 11, 2026

Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Jun 12, 2026

Examiner Interview Summary

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/475,998

Patent 12667927

Electric Knife Sharpener for Elastically Grinding Double Edges

2y 9m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/548,732

Patent 12667928

UNIT FOR DEBURRING AND ROUNDING EDGES IN A SURFACE GRINDING MACHINE

2y 10m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/097,540

Patent 12661757

POLISHING APPARATUS FOR A SUBSTRATE AND POLISHING METHOD FOR A SUBSTRATE USING THE SAME

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/601,670

Patent 12661754

ZONE-BASED CMP TARGET CONTROL

2y 3m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

16/473,539

Patent 12654285

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TREATING A METAL PART

6y 11m to grant Granted Jun 16, 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

59%

Grant Probability

81%

With Interview (+21.9%)

3y 5m (~1y 2m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 770 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.