Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/847,848

NEAR-CRITICAL ARGON BASED LOOP CATHETER FOR CIRCUMFERENTIAL ABLATION OF NERVE FIBERS

Non-Final OA

Filed

Sep 17, 2024

Priority

Apr 20, 2022 — provisional 63/332,841 +1 more

Examiner

FOWLER, DANIEL WAYNE

Art Unit

3794

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Medtronic CryoCath L.P.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +11.6% interview lift. Interview lift (+11.6%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 920 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

FOWLER, DANIEL WAYNE View full profile →

Grants 73% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

669 granted / 920 resolved

+2.7% vs TC avg

Moderate +12% lift

Without

With

+11.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 4m

Avg Prosecution

32 currently pending

Career history

960

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

77.5%

+37.5% vs TC avg

§102

3.1%

-36.9% vs TC avg

§112

10.5%

-29.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 920 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 17, 2024

Application Filed

Jun 01, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/369,388

Patent 12672910

BIPOLAR ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

2y 9m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026

18/116,577

Patent 12667405

CRYOPROBE

3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/440,282

Patent 12667408

CONTROL SYSTEM AND USER INTERFACE FOR AN ABLATION SYSTEM

2y 4m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/663,505

Patent 12661171

NOVEL 'ELECTRICAL LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM' TO DETECT ABNORMAL CONDUCTION WITHIN A CATHETER IN THE PRESENCE OF ELECTRICAL INTERFERERS

2y 1m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

17/664,231

Patent 12653598

APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR ASYMMETRIC ICE FORMATION DURING CRYOABLATION TREATMENTS

4y 0m 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

73%

Grant Probability

84%

With Interview (+11.6%)

3y 4m (~1y 6m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 920 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.