Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 19/185,246

SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA

Filed

Apr 22, 2025

Priority

Oct 27, 2022 — JP 2022-172580 +1 more

Examiner

BAREFORD, KATHERINE A

Art Unit

1718

Tech Center

1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering

Assignee

Tokyo Electron Limited

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

This examiner grants 14% of cases after interview

— +28.6% interview lift. A telephonic interview to clarify the technical implementation could significantly improve the outcome.

Based on 939 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

BAREFORD, KATHERINE A View full profile →

Grants only 14% of cases

Career Allowance Rate

129 granted / 939 resolved

-51.3% vs TC avg

Strong +29% interview lift

Without

With

+28.6%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

3y 10m

Avg Prosecution

52 currently pending

Career history

1011

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

80.4%

+40.4% vs TC avg

§102

2.5%

-37.5% vs TC avg

§112

2.5%

-37.5% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 939 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 22, 2025

Application Filed

Apr 20, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/904,322

Patent 12680169

SUBSTRATE LIQUID PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS

3y 11m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/656,136

Patent 12680154

METHOD OF FORMING A 3D CONFORMAL CONDUCTIVE PATTERN

2y 2m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/038,277

Patent 12623973

CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

2y 11m to grant Granted May 12, 2026

18/295,696

Patent 12537427

METHOD OF VARNISH TRICKLING TO IMPROVE EMACHINE DURABILITY

2y 9m to grant Granted Jan 27, 2026

16/827,766

Patent 12485646

MANUFACTURING OF AN INFLATABLE STRUCTURE

5y 8m to grant Granted Dec 02, 2025

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

14%

Grant Probability

42%

With Interview (+28.6%)

3y 10m (~2y 7m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 939 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.