Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/665,631

DRAGLINE BUCKET AND WORK MACHINES, SYSTEMS, AND ASSEMBLIES THEREOF

Non-Final OA

Filed

May 16, 2024

Examiner

BUCK, MATTHEW R

Art Unit

3679

Tech Center

3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce

Assignee

Caterpillar Global Mining LLC

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +14.5% interview lift. Interview lift (+14.5%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1826 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

BUCK, MATTHEW R View full profile →

Grants 83% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

1520 granted / 1826 resolved

+31.2% vs TC avg

Moderate +14% lift

Without

With

+14.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Fast prosecutor

2y 0m

Avg Prosecution

47 currently pending

Career history

1859

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.2%

-39.8% vs TC avg

§103

67.1%

+27.1% vs TC avg

§102

8.3%

-31.7% vs TC avg

§112

21.1%

-18.9% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1826 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2024

Application Filed

May 13, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed

Jul 07, 2026

Response Filed

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/415,064

Patent 12677729

PLANTING DISC FOR A DISC PLANTER

2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/592,778

Patent 12680966

METHOD FOR NON-CONTACT GROUND MOISTURE LEVEL ESTIMATION AT VARIOUS DEPTHS USING REFLECTED ENERGY AT A WORK MACHINE

2y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/776,157

Patent 12680416

DOWNHOLE TOOL AND METHOD OF USE

1y 12m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/364,114

Patent 12672593

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT HITCHES WITH ROTATIONAL MOTION

2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/435,096

Patent 12672599

MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR A HOPPER OF AN AGRICULTURAL ROW UNIT

2y 5m to grant Granted Jul 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.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

83%

Grant Probability

98%

With Interview (+14.5%)

2y 0m (~0m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1826 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.