Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/716,990

Ion Milling Device

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jun 06, 2024

Priority

Dec 14, 2021 — nonprovisional of PCTJP2021045995

Examiner

CHOI, JAMES J

Art Unit

Tech Center

Assignee

Hitachi Ltd.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +46.6% interview lift. Examiner has a relatively high allowance rate (67%); +46.6% interview lift. A written response may suffice.

Based on 389 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

CHOI, JAMES J View full profile →

Grants 67% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

262 granted / 389 resolved

+7.4% vs TC avg

Strong +47% interview lift

Without

With

+46.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 10m

Avg Prosecution

32 currently pending

Career history

439

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103

98.2%

+58.2% vs TC avg

§102

1.0%

-39.0% vs TC avg

§112

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 389 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 06, 2024

Application Filed

Jun 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/147,455

Patent 12678108

ACQUISITION OF PROTON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES

3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/015,887

Patent 12676295

GAS CHROMATOGRAPH MASS SPECTROMETER

3y 5m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

19/005,582

Patent 12676282

Optical Probe System for the Electron Microscope

1y 6m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/121,931

Patent 12665158

Charged Particle Beam Source and Charged Particle Beam System

3y 3m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/956,021

Patent 12640341

CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM WRITING METHOD AND CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM WRITING APPARATUS

3y 8m to grant Granted May 26, 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

67%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+46.6%)

2y 10m (~8m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 389 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.