Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Application No. 18/953,521

NEUROMODULATION USING A PARAMETER DISTRIBUTION

Non-Final OA §DOUBLEPATENT
Filed
Nov 20, 2024
Priority
May 28, 2015 — provisional 62/167,630 +5 more
Examiner
SAHAND, SANA
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Boston Scientific Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
63%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 7m
Est. Remaining
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 63% of resolved cases
63%
Career Allowance Rate
217 granted / 343 resolved
+3.3% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
81 currently pending
Career history
407
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
11.3%
-28.7% vs TC avg
§103
51.8%
+11.8% vs TC avg
§102
10.8%
-29.2% vs TC avg
§112
22.0%
-18.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 343 resolved cases

Office Action

§DOUBLEPATENT
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Double Patenting Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 10118036. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because both require providing at least one stochastically-modulated parameter. 1. A system for use with an electrode arrangement, comprising: a neuromodulator configured to deliver neuromodulation energy to at least one electrode set in the electrode arrangement; and a device configured to be communicatively coupled to the neuromodulator, the device including an interface configured to receive at least one user input corresponding to one of at least a first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or a second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set, the neuromodulator to deliver the neuromodulation energy according to the corresponding one of the at least the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set based on the at least one user input. A system for use with a neuromodulation device, the neuromodulation device including a neuromodulation generator, a neuromodulation control circuit and a storage, the storage including a neuromodulation parameter set, the system comprising: an interface configured to receive at least one selection; anda stochastic modulator configured to use at least one modulation model to stochastically modulate at least one neuromodulation parameter, the stochastic modulator configured to provide the at least one stochastically-modulated parameter based at least in part on the received selection, 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set and the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set have different distributions. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one selected stochastic modulation model includes at least one of a Poisson distribution or a normal distribution. 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the different distributions correspond to different stochastic modulation models. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one selection includes at least one selected stochastic modulation model to be used by the stochastic modulator to stochastically-modulate the at least one neuromodulation parameter. 6. The system of claim 2, wherein the different distributions correspond to different values that at least partially define a stochastic modulation model. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one selection includes at least one selected modulation parameter value that at least partially defines the at least one stochastic modulation model. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the different values include at least one of a mean or standard deviation for a normal distribution or a lambda for a Poisson distribution. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the selected modulation parameter value that at least partially defines the at least one stochastic modulation model includes a mean and standard deviation. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user input includes a selection corresponding to at least one of the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set. 1. [] an interface configured to receive at least one selection; 10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set has a stochastically modulated temporal parameter. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one selected neuromodulation parameter to be stochastically-modulated includes a temporal neuromodulation parameter for use in controlling timing of the neuromodulation. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set has a stochastically modulated spatial parameter. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one selected neuromodulation parameter to be stochastically-modulated includes a spatial neuromodulation parameter for use in controlling a location and shape of the neuromodulation field. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set and the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set have different timing for moving between stochastic modulation samples. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the neuromodulation parameter set with the at least one stochastically-modulated neuromodulation parameter includes stochastic neuromodulation samples, and the at least one selection includes at least one selected timing control to control timing for moving between randomly or pseudo-randomly-selected samples of the stochastic neuromodulation samples. 17. A method, comprising: receiving, through an interface of a device configured to be communicatively coupled to a neuromodulator, at least one user input corresponding to one of at least a first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or a second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set; and using the neuromodulator to deliver energy to at least one electrode set in an electrode arrangement according to the corresponding one of the at least the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set based on the at least one user input. A system for use with a neuromodulation device, the neuromodulation device including a neuromodulation generator, a neuromodulation control circuit and a storage, the storage including a neuromodulation parameter set, the system comprising: an interface configured to receive at least one selection; anda stochastic modulator configured to use at least one modulation model to stochastically modulate at least one neuromodulation parameter, the stochastic modulator configured to provide the at least one stochastically-modulated parameter based at least in part on the received selection, 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving the at least one user input includes receiving a selection corresponding to at least one of the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set or the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set. 1 [] an interface configured to receive at least one selection 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set has a stochastically modulated temporal parameter and the second stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter set has a stochastically modulated spatial parameter. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one selected neuromodulation parameter to be stochastically-modulated includes a spatial neuromodulation parameter for use in controlling a location and shape of the neuromodulation field. Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 10940314. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because both require providing at least one (i.e., two) stochastically-modulated parameter. Using an additional set that does not include a stochastically modulated parameter is known in the art and considered to be obvious. Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 11684779. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because both sets of claims require providing at least one (i.e., two) stochastically modulated neuromodulation parameter that is based on user selection (see claim 1, 8). Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 10940314. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because both require user interface/input to provide the at least one stochastically-modulated parameter. Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 10258797. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because both require providing at least one (i.e., two) stochastically-modulated parameter. Using an additional set that does not include a stochastically modulated parameter is known in the art and considered to be obvious. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANA SAHAND whose telephone number is (571)272-6842. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8:30 am -5:30 pm; F 9 am-3 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer S McDonald can be reached at (571) 270- 3061. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /SANA SAHAND/Examiner, Art Unit 3796
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 20, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DOUBLEPATENT (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
63%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+23.7%)
3y 5m (~1y 7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 343 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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