Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 19/018,337

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAINTAINING A TOOL POSITION AND ORIENTATION

Non-Final OA

Filed

Jan 13, 2025

Priority

Mar 17, 2014 — provisional 61/954,261 +8 more

Examiner

TRAN, DALENA

Art Unit

3657

Tech Center

3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce

Assignee

Intuitive Surgical Operations Inc.

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +9.6% interview lift. Interview lift (+9.6%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1086 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

TRAN, DALENA View full profile →

Grants 88% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

953 granted / 1086 resolved

+35.8% vs TC avg

Moderate +10% lift

Without

With

+9.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 8m

Avg Prosecution

25 currently pending

Career history

1103

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

5.7%

-34.3% vs TC avg

§103

58.3%

+18.3% vs TC avg

§102

20.8%

-19.2% vs TC avg

§112

7.3%

-32.7% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1086 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 13, 2025

Application Filed

Apr 16, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

18/556,962

Patent 12678952

Method Of Programming Manipulator, Control System and Industrial Robot

2y 8m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/603,784

Patent 12678968

ROBOT AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

2y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/717,497

Patent 12678937

TEACHING SYSTEM, ROBOT SYSTEM, ROBOT TEACHING METHOD, AND ROBOT TEACHING PROGRAM

2y 1m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/232,912

Patent 12661784

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING WHEEL-LEGGED ROBOT

2y 10m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026

18/799,009

Patent 12663809

COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME AUTONOMOUS PATH PLANNING AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLANNING MOTION OF A ROBOTIC DEVICE AND PARTS THEREOF

1y 10m to grant Granted Jun 23, 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

88%

Grant Probability

97%

With Interview (+9.6%)

2y 8m (~1y 1m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1086 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.