Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
106 pending office actions • 36 art units • 92 examiners • 0 of 106 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 166 patents granted in the last 365 days
Alcon Inc. manages 94 pending office actions in the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. These actions are spread across 22 distinct art units, showing a range of medical device innovations. The prosecution involves 81 distinct examiners, which indicates that most of the 94 pending office actions are being reviewed by different people. This ratio of 81 distinct examiners for 94 pending office actions means that the company must navigate many different individual examination styles.
WALKER, OLIVIA is the busiest examiner for the portfolio, overseeing 3 of the 94 pending office actions. This low concentration among 81 distinct examiners means that the company must manage many individual examiner relationships. The 22 distinct art units involved further highlight the technical diversity of the 94 pending office actions. Coordinating the 94 pending office actions across 22 art units and 81 distinct examiners requires a strategy to handle the varying requirements of the medical device sector. Practitioners should focus on maintaining consistency across the 22 distinct art units involved.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 29 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 29 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 only | 2 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 8 (8%) |
| §103 only | 39 (37%) |
| §102 only | 9 (8%) |
| §112 only | 4 (4%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 3 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 39 (37%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (1%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| WALKER, OLIVIA | 3 | 35.7% | +75.0% |
| WEBSTER, KARMEL JOHANNA | 2 | 68.0% | +28.7% |
| DANG, ANH TIEU | 2 | 65.4% | +35.2% |
| GAGNON, GRANT A | 2 | 82.8% | +7.8% |
| PINKNEY, DAWAYNE | 2 | 80.7% | +17.9% |
| LOPEZ, LESLIE ANN | 2 | 65.5% | +34.0% |
| HILSMIER, HEIDI ANN | 2 | 58.3% | +61.1% |
| KISH, JAMES M | 2 | 62.4% | +11.8% |
| HALL, DEANNA K | 2 | 75.7% | +15.7% |
| STANFORD, CHRISTOPHER J | 2 | 55.0% | +26.8% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 2 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19064050 | FACILITATING OPHTHALMIC SURGERY USING AUTOMATED DETECTION OF PURKINJE IMAGES | GAGNON, GRANT A | — |
| 18934491 | VISUALIZATION OF OCULAR LENS BASED ON TILTED OCT IMAGING | GAGNON, GRANT A | — |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18357435 | OPHTHALMIC SURGICAL PROBE | MENDEZ, KATHERINE H | 17d overdue |
| 18051271 | SCANNING LASER OPHTHALMOSCOPE LASER GUIDANCE FOR LASER VITREOLYSIS | SCHMITT, BENJAMIN ALLYN | 10d overdue |
| 17855383 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTION OF A PREFERRED INTRAOCULAR LENS | ABDULLAH, AAISHA | 10d overdue |
| 17937675 | VITREORETINAL VISUALIZATION FOR OPHTHALMIC PROCEDURES | LUKJAN, SEBASTIAN X | 5d |
| 17810698 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PRESENTING CRUCIAL INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS | MONTGOMERY, MELISSA JO | 14d |
| 18633987 | IDENTIFICATION OF VISION DEGRADING SYMPTOMATIC FLOATERS | EDENFIELD, KUEI-JEN L | 16d |
| 18974407 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTRAOCULAR LENS SELECTION | SZUMNY, JONATHON A | 33d |
| 18746527 | MEMBRANE REMOVAL DEVICE | WALKER, OLIVIA | 43d |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17341453 | OPHTHALMIC LASER SYSTEMS WITH Z-DIRECTION MULTI-FOCAL OPTICS | HILSMIER, HEIDI ANN | 9d overdue |
| 18958272 | OPHTHALMIC LENS HAVING AN EXTENDED DEPTH OF FOCUS | LOPEZ, LESLIE ANN | 13d |
| 18307983 | LASER PULSE CONTROL WITH SUB-CARRIER MODULATION | WALKER, OLIVIA | 16d |
| 18796670 | SMART CONNECTORS FOR ROBOTIC TOOLS | KISH, JAMES M | 42d |
| 18677596 | ROBOTIC THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY MOUNT FOR DIGITAL VISUALIZATION OF OPHTHALMIC SURGERY | KISH, JAMES M | 42d |
| 18746527 | MEMBRANE REMOVAL DEVICE | WALKER, OLIVIA | 43d |
| 18898967 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVING REDUCED ADHERENCE TO VITREOUS | DANG, ANH TIEU | 46d |
| 18170358 | INTRAOCULAR LENSES AND PERIPHERAL PORTION STABILIZATION | LOPEZ, LESLIE ANN | 56d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2872 | 14 |
| 3792 | 12 |
| 3771 | 10 |
| 3796 | 10 |
| 3774 | 9 |
| 3781 | 7 |
| 3783 | 7 |
| 3791 | 5 |
| 2877 | 3 |
| 1741 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19352599 | FRAGMENTATION PATTERNS TO FACILITATE REMOVAL OF A CRYSTALLINE LENS | WEBSTER, KARMEL JOHANNA | 3792 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2025 |
| 19276547 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING WETTABLE SILICONE HYDROGEL CONTACT LENSES | BERNARD, ADRIEN J | 1741 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 22, 2025 |
| 19270350 | INTRAOCULAR LENS INJECTOR | DANG, ANH TIEU | 3771 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2025 |
| 19240362 | BI-MODAL ULTRASONIC HANDPIECE SYSTEM | RESTAINO, ANDREW PETER | 3771 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2025 |
| 19184144 | CANNULA CLEARANCE | HOAG, MITCHELL BRAIN | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 21, 2025 |
| 19096852 | SELECTION OF INTRAOCULAR LENS POWER BASED ON INTEGRATING FINITE ELEMENT MODELING WITH MACHINE LEARNING | ERICKSON, BENNETT S | 3683 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 19064050 | FACILITATING OPHTHALMIC SURGERY USING AUTOMATED DETECTION OF PURKINJE IMAGES | GAGNON, GRANT A | 2872 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19058606 | LUBRICATION ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR USE THEREOF | RAYMOND, LINNAE ELIZABETH | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 20, 2025 |
| 19057045 | MACULAR HOLE MEASUREMENT FOR HANDHELD INSTRUMENTS | ADAM, MOHAMMED SOHAIL | 3771 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 19, 2025 |
| 19046943 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR COMPENSATING FOR INTRAOCULAR LENS TILT | ROANE, AARON F | 3792 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 06, 2025 |
| 19046622 | DYNAMIC SURGICAL FEEDBACK FOR EYE TISSUE | EDWARDS, PHILIP CHARLES | 3792 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 06, 2025 |
| 19044689 | DETECTING PROBLEMS WITH LASER SYSTEM SCANNERS | PEREZ-GUZMAN, CARLOS GABRIEL | 2877 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 04, 2025 |
| 19034869 | SEALING DEVICE | FRY, PATRICK B | 3731 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 23, 2025 |
| 19033776 | UTILIZATION OF NANOPARTICLES IN TARGETED THERAPY | DAVIS, BRIAN J | 1614 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 22, 2025 |
| 19023702 | TRANSSCLERAL ILLUMINATOR | GREEN, MICHELLE CHRISTINE | 3773 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19020676 | INTRAOCULAR LENS STORAGE AND LOADING DEVICES AND METHODS OF USE | SEVERSON, RYAN J | 3771 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 14, 2025 |
| 19018234 | IMAGING MARKERS FOR VERIFYING BIOMETRY | SAHLE, MAHIDERE S | 2872 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 13, 2025 |
| 19015938 | INTELLIGENT DETECTION AND TREATMENT OF ISCHEMIC TISSUE | TRAN, THIEN JASON | 3792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 10, 2025 |
| 18990328 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUBJECTIVE FLOATER ASSESSMENT | TU, AURELIE H | 3791 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18982388 | PRODUCTION LINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF OPHTHALMIC LENSES | WANG, ALEXANDER A | 1741 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 16, 2024 |
| 18979825 | SURGICAL LASER SYSTEM WITH ILLUMINATION | WALKER, OLIVIA | 3796 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2024 |
| 18978032 | DISSOLVABLE POLYMERIC OCULAR INSERT FOR DRUGS DELIVERY | JANOSKO, CHASITY PAIGE | 1613 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2024 |
| 18974407 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTRAOCULAR LENS SELECTION | SZUMNY, JONATHON A | 3686 | §101 | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 |
| 18958720 | PATIENT-INDUCED TRIGGER OF A MEASUREMENT FOR OPHTHALMIC DIAGNOSTIC DEVICES | PINKNEY, DAWAYNE | 2872 | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18958272 | OPHTHALMIC LENS HAVING AN EXTENDED DEPTH OF FOCUS | LOPEZ, LESLIE ANN | 3774 | §103 | Final Rejection | 13d | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18951860 | EXPERT PANEL MODELS FOR NEURAL NETWORK ANOMALY DETECTION AND THWARTING ADVERSARIAL ATTACKS | SCHMIDT, KARI L | 2439 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2024 |
| 18943137 | MEASURING BIOMECHANICAL AND BIREFRINGENT PROPERTIES OF EYE TISSUE | OGLES, MATTHEW ERIC | 3791 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 11, 2024 |
| 18937171 | ADJUSTABLE STIFFENER FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | JAFFRI, ZEHRA | 3771 | §102DP | Final Rejection | 62d | Pending | Nov 05, 2024 |
| 18934491 | VISUALIZATION OF OCULAR LENS BASED ON TILTED OCT IMAGING | GAGNON, GRANT A | 2872 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2024 |
| 18914349 | PERFORMING A CONTACT LENS CHECK | BOUTSIKARIS, LEONIDAS | 2872 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 14, 2024 |
| 18911759 | ILLUMINATED CONTACT LENS SYSTEM | NIGAM, NATASHA | 2872 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 10, 2024 |
| 18909382 | OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR OBTAINING SURGICAL INFORMATION | MUTCHLER, CHRISTOPHER JOHN | 3796 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2024 |
| 18898967 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVING REDUCED ADHERENCE TO VITREOUS | DANG, ANH TIEU | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | 46d | Pending | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 18899960 | CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ULTRASONIC HAND PIECE | SKRZYCKI, JONATHAN MICHAEL | 2116 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 18897752 | MULTIFOCAL OPHTHALMIC LENSES | STRANSKY, KATRINA MARIE | 3700 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2024 |
| 18889875 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AN OPHTHALMIC LENS AT A TRANSFER STATION OF A LENS INSPECTION MODULE | BRYANT, REBECCA CAROLE | 2877 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 2024 |
| 18884665 | MULTI-CHANNEL AUTOMATIC INFUSION VALVE | MEDWAY, SCOTT J | 3783 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 13, 2024 |
| 18830318 | OPHTHALMIC VIEWING SYSTEMS | PINKNEY, DAWAYNE | 2872 | §101§102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 10, 2024 |
| 18830335 | INTEGRATED INTRAOCCULAR NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR OPHTHALMIC SURGERY | HARANDI, SIAMAK | 2662 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 10, 2024 |
| 18825865 | MEASURING EYE-TISSUE BIOMECHANICS VIA BLINK STIMULATION | NATNITHITHADHA, NAVIN | 3791 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2024 |
| 18819041 | EXTERNAL FIBER FOR OPTICAL FIBER DELIVERY IN OPTHALMIC SURGICAL DEVICES | WONG, TINA MEI SENG | 2874 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 29, 2024 |
| 18816959 | MEASURING BIOMECHANICS IN REAL TIME AT MULTIPLE EYE-TISSUE LOCATIONS | ZHANG, LEI | 3798 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 70d | Pending | Aug 27, 2024 |
| 18816969 | INSTRUMENT STABILIZATION FOR MICROSURGERY | HILSMIER, HEIDI ANN | 3796 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 27, 2024 |
| 18815973 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CORNEAL CROSS-LINKING WITH REAL-TIME MONITORING | MORALES, JON ERIC C | 3796 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 27, 2024 |
| 18815135 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SPATIALLY MAPPING CORNEAL BIOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES | SHAH, JAY B | 3791 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 26, 2024 |
| 18812462 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING OPHTHALMIC LASER ASSISTED SURGERY WITH IMMERSION LIQUIDS | ANTHONY, MARIA CATHERINE | 3796 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 18810796 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A SURGICAL HANDPIECE AND MULTI-MODAL TIP | BRUTUS, JOEL F | 3797 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 21, 2024 |
| 18805881 | COMPENSATING FOR DISTORTION OF IMAGES OF AN EYE FOR A SURGICAL PROCEDURE | KUDO, KEN | 3792 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2024 |
| 18805420 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CORNEAL BIOMECHANICS DIAGNOSTICS | MENSH, ANDREW J | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 14, 2024 |
| 18796670 | SMART CONNECTORS FOR ROBOTIC TOOLS | KISH, JAMES M | 3792 | §103 | Final Rejection | 42d | Pending | Aug 07, 2024 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialAlcon Inc. has 106 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 36 art units and 92 examiners.
Olivia Walker has the most, with 3 of Alcon Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering (USPTO Tech Center 3700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.