Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/820,919

TEMPERATURE OFFSET AND ZONE CONTROL TUNING

Non-Final OA

Filed

Aug 30, 2024

Priority

Feb 04, 2019 — provisional 62/800,859 +1 more

Examiner

WOLFORD, KURT JOSEPH

Art Unit

3762

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Applied Materials Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +28.7% interview lift. Examiner has a relatively high allowance rate (75%); +28.7% interview lift. A written response may suffice.

Based on 154 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

WOLFORD, KURT JOSEPH View full profile →

Grants 75% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

115 granted / 154 resolved

+4.7% vs TC avg

Strong +29% interview lift

Without

With

+28.7%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 10m

Avg Prosecution

31 currently pending

Career history

167

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103

80.2%

+40.2% vs TC avg

§102

5.6%

-34.4% vs TC avg

§112

13.3%

-26.7% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 154 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 30, 2024

Application Filed

Apr 29, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/031,912

Patent 12680760

Rotary Kiln

3y 3m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/530,557

Patent 12680727

FLUID HEATING SYSTEM WITH COMBUSTION TRIM LEARNING

2y 7m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/317,627

Patent 12669287

MOLYBDENUM-LINED CRUCIBLE

3y 1m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/270,906

Patent 12649956

DEVICE FOR HEATING STEEL PRODUCTS

2y 11m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

17/944,823

Patent 12638192

BOILER AND METHOD FOR STAGE CHANGE CONTROL THEREOF

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

75%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+28.7%)

2y 10m (~11m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 154 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.