Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/975,366

PRODUCT PORTION ENROBING MACHINES AND METHODS

Non-Final OA

Filed

Dec 10, 2024

Priority

Mar 14, 2013 — provisional 61/786,295 +6 more

Examiner

TOLIN, MICHAEL A

Art Unit

1745

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

Altria Client Services LLC

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 63% of cases after interview

— +26.9% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 924 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

TOLIN, MICHAEL A View full profile →

Grants 63% of resolved cases

Career Allowance Rate

582 granted / 924 resolved

-2.0% vs TC avg

Strong +27% interview lift

Without

With

+26.9%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 2m

Avg Prosecution

26 currently pending

Career history

955

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.1%

-39.9% vs TC avg

§103

71.1%

+31.1% vs TC avg

§102

2.4%

-37.6% vs TC avg

§112

20.6%

-19.4% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 924 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 10, 2024

Application Filed

Jan 06, 2025

Response after Non-Final Action

Jun 05, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/646,187

Patent 12682876

MULTI-LAYER ACOUSTIC MEDIUM

4y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/067,778

Patent 12679042

ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED COMPONENT OUT OF METAL OR PLASTIC MATERIAL WITH A STANDARD THREAD

3y 6m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/743,749

Patent 12678996

AQUEOUS WAX EMULSIONS AND DISPERSIONS AND USES THEREOF

2y 1m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/552,221

Patent 12661830

PRODUCTION APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A FIBER-REINFORCED RESIN AND A PRODUCTION METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FIBER-REINFORCED RESIN

2y 9m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/041,217

Patent 12653724

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FLUFF-FREE ABSORBENT CORES

3y 4m 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

63%

Grant Probability

90%

With Interview (+26.9%)

3y 2m (~1y 7m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 924 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.