Last updated: July 07, 2026

Application No. 18/933,251

Untitled Application

Unknown

Filed

Examiner

MITCHELL, JOEL F

Art Unit

Tech Center

Caterpillar Inc.

Assignee

Caterpillar Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 61% of cases after interview

— +15.7% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 610 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

MITCHELL, JOEL F View full profile →

Grants 61% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

373 granted / 610 resolved

+1.1% vs TC avg

Strong +16% interview lift

Without

With

+15.7%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 2m

Avg Prosecution

36 currently pending

Career history

644

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

76.0%

+36.0% vs TC avg

§102

10.8%

-29.2% vs TC avg

§112

9.0%

-31.0% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 610 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 02, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/818,875

Patent 12648502

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS HAVING ROW UNIT POSITION SENSORS AND AT LEAST ONE ADJUSTABLE WHEEL, AND RELATED CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS

3y 10m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026

17/387,067

Patent 12622344

FRAME ADJUSTMENT CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNFORCE

4y 9m to grant Granted May 12, 2026

17/576,506

Patent 12622342

MODULAR WHEEL ASSEMBLY

4y 3m to grant Granted May 12, 2026

17/533,464

Patent 12610877

AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A TRIP MAGNITUDE OF A GROUND ENGAGING TOOL OF AN AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT

4y 5m to grant Granted Apr 28, 2026

17/627,687

Patent 12610881

AN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING NARROW ROOT CROPS, A CORRESPONDING CLEANING APPARATUS, A HARVESTING AND CLEANING MACHINE AND A METHOD

4y 3m to grant Granted Apr 28, 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

61%

Grant Probability

77%

With Interview (+15.7%)

3y 2m

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 610 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.