Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/941,378

ARTICULATION LOCKING MECHANISMS FOR END EFFECTORS AND METHODS OF USE

Non-Final OA

Filed

Nov 08, 2024

Priority

Feb 04, 2020 — provisional 62/969,738 +2 more

Examiner

GEIGER, RACHAEL L

Art Unit

3771

Tech Center

3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Assignee

Boston Scientific Scimed Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +13.3% interview lift. Interview lift (+13.3%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 113 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

GEIGER, RACHAEL L View full profile →

Grants 86% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

97 granted / 113 resolved

+15.8% vs TC avg

Moderate +13% lift

Without

With

+13.3%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 9m

Avg Prosecution

32 currently pending

Career history

146

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103

83.8%

+43.8% vs TC avg

§102

10.9%

-29.1% vs TC avg

§112

3.2%

-36.8% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 113 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 08, 2024

Application Filed

Jun 05, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/941,545

Patent 12667349

FULL-THICKNESS RESECTION METHOD

3y 9m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/966,855

Patent 12667380

SURGICAL TOOL AND ASSEMBLY

3y 8m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/490,986

Patent 12653539

LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE CLOSURE DEVICE

2y 8m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026

18/163,734

Patent 12642533

LOCKING FEATURE FOR HEMOSTASIS CLIP

3y 4m to grant Granted Jun 02, 2026

17/844,581

Patent 12629170

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT GUIDE ASSEMBLY

3y 11m 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

86%

Grant Probability

99%

With Interview (+13.3%)

2y 9m (~1y 1m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 113 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.