Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/821,052

LATCH RELEASE FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

Non-Final OA

Filed

Aug 30, 2024

Priority

Mar 17, 2014 — provisional 61/954,502 +10 more

Examiner

ABOUELELA, MAY A

Art Unit

3791

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Intuitive Surgical Operations Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +36.5% interview lift. Examiner has a relatively high allowance rate (75%); +36.5% interview lift. A written response may suffice.

Based on 759 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

ABOUELELA, MAY A View full profile →

Grants 75% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

570 granted / 759 resolved

+5.1% vs TC avg

Strong +36% interview lift

Without

With

+36.5%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 1m

Avg Prosecution

35 currently pending

Career history

787

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

2.1%

-37.9% vs TC avg

§103

59.1%

+19.1% vs TC avg

§102

14.3%

-25.7% vs TC avg

§112

9.9%

-30.1% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 759 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 30, 2024

Application Filed

Feb 21, 2025

Response after Non-Final Action

May 14, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/910,985

Patent 12661064

BODY MOTION SENSOR, PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION PRESENTATION SYSTEM

3y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/997,087

Patent 12660997

System and Method for Dynamic Optical Contrast Imaging

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/154,085

Patent 12661014

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

3y 5m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/575,735

Patent 12635673

SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A WALKED DISTANCE OF AN ANIMAL WITHIN A BARN

2y 4m to grant Granted May 26, 2026

17/766,032

Patent 12629139

BIOPSY ARRANGEMENTS

4y 1m to grant Granted May 19, 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 (+36.5%)

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

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 759 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.