Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
121 pending office actions • 37 art units • 90 examiners • 0 of 121 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 107 patents granted in the last 365 days
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 37 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. 37 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 | 3 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 28 (23%) |
| §103 only | 38 (31%) |
| §102 only | 1 (1%) |
| §112 only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting only | 7 (6%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 4 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 39 (32%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 8 | 46.9% | +38.4% |
| NELSON, MATTHEW M | 5 | 57.9% | +23.8% |
| WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 5 | 13.3% | +66.7% |
| APONTE, MIRAYDA ARLENE | 4 | 63.2% | +20.9% |
| MAI, HAO D | 3 | 49.3% | +39.3% |
| EIDE, HEIDI MARIE | 3 | 50.6% | +32.5% |
| MORAN, EDWARD JOHN | 2 | 41.8% | +61.1% |
| LUCCHESI, NICHOLAS D | 2 | 78.4% | +9.4% |
| FARAJ, LINA AHMAD | 2 | 41.6% | +69.5% |
| HUYNH, COURTNEY NGUYEN | 2 | 41.4% | +50.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18461307 | TREATMENT OF TEMPEROMANDIBULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTION WITH ALIGNER THERAPY | BELK, SHANNEL NICOLE | 73d overdue |
| 18189102 | DIRECT FABRICATION OF ORTHODONTIC ALIGNERS | WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 58d overdue |
| 18542261 | METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR MATCHING JAWS VIRTUAL DENTAL MODEL USING TEETH REFERENCE POINTS | WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 49d overdue |
| 18810295 | CLINICALLY RELEVANT ANONYMIZATION OF PHOTOS AND VIDEO | WEISENFELD, ARYAN E | 45d overdue |
| 18629797 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING A DENTAL TREATMENT DIFFICULTY IN DIGITAL TREATMENT PLANNING | COTHRAN, BERNARD E | 44d overdue |
| 18669345 | TREATMENT PLAN SPECIFIC BITE ADJUSTMENT STRUCTURES | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 43d overdue |
| 18976167 | OPTIMIZING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT BASED ON PATIENT PROGRESS | GEDRA, OLIVIA ROSE | 35d overdue |
| 19054762 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ANALYZING DENTAL SCANS | PATEL, SHERYL GOPAL | 30d overdue |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18189102 | DIRECT FABRICATION OF ORTHODONTIC ALIGNERS | WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 58d overdue |
| 18542261 | METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR MATCHING JAWS VIRTUAL DENTAL MODEL USING TEETH REFERENCE POINTS | WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 49d overdue |
| 18633717 | DENTAL APPLIANCES FOR CREATING OPPOSING COUNTER MOMENTS BETWEEN TEETH | APONTE, MIRAYDA ARLENE | 44d overdue |
| 18669345 | TREATMENT PLAN SPECIFIC BITE ADJUSTMENT STRUCTURES | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 43d overdue |
| 18924976 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT PROGRESS TRACKING | NELSON, MATTHEW M | 26d overdue |
| 18890537 | ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE RETENTION-ACTIVATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS | WEBB LYTTLE, ADRIENA JONIQUE | 15d overdue |
| 18919166 | DENTAL TOOLS FOR REMOVING DENTAL AUXILIARIES FROM TEETH | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 11d overdue |
| 17990160 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING DENTAL ALIGNER GEOMETRY | EIDE, HEIDI MARIE | 14d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3772 | 41 |
| 3681 | 3 |
| 2663 | 3 |
| 2186 | 3 |
| 3663 | 2 |
| 1742 | 2 |
| 1763 | 2 |
| 1754 | 2 |
| 3791 | 2 |
| 1744 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19374683 | SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR FABRICATING DENTAL APPLIANCES WITH ADVANCED PATIENT SPECIFIC FEATURES | MAI, HAO D | 3772 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 30, 2025 |
| 19358353 | WIRE ATTACHMENT DENTAL APPLIANCES | MORAN, EDWARD JOHN | 3772 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 14, 2025 |
| 19321085 | DENTAL APPLIANCE ETCH TEMPLATE | MAI, HAO D | 3772 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2025 |
| 19318322 | AUTOMATED PALATAL EXPANSION BASED ON LOWER ARCH FINAL POSITION | RUIZ MARTIN, LUIS MIGUEL | 3772 | §101§102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 03, 2025 |
| 19301633 | MULTIMODAL INTRAORAL SCANNING SYSTEMS | RETALLICK, KAITLIN A | — | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2025 |
| 19287781 | IMAGE BASED ASSESSMENT FOR DENTAL TREATMENT MONITORING | SULLIVAN, TYLER | 2487 | §103§112DPOther | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 31, 2025 |
| 19276708 | METHODS FOR FABRICATING MOUTH GUARD SYSTEMS | MORAN, EDWARD JOHN | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 22, 2025 |
| 19270381 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TREATMENT USING DOMAIN-SPECIFIC TREATMENT PROTOCOLS | MISIASZEK, AMBER ALTSCHUL | — | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2025 |
| 19259758 | METHODS FOR DETERMINING ATTACHMENT PLACEMENT APPLIANCE GEOMETRY | WIECZOREK, MICHAEL P | 1712 | DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 03, 2025 |
| 19231329 | ORTHODONTIC ALIGNER WITH ISOLATED SEGMENTS | LUCCHESI, NICHOLAS D | — | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 06, 2025 |
| 19203598 | DETECTION OF PRINTING DEFECTS DURING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | VARGOT, MATHIEU D | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2025 |
| 19203728 | DENTAL APPLIANCES WITH AESTHETIC FEATURES | EIDE, HEIDI MARIE | 3772 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2025 |
| 19204445 | MODULAR DENTAL DEVICES | FARAJ, LINA AHMAD | 3772 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2025 |
| 19190576 | ORTHODONTIC ATTACHMENT DEVICES | HUYNH, COURTNEY NGUYEN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2025 |
| 19183270 | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WITH MATERIAL LAYERS | TENTONI, LEO B | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 18, 2025 |
| 19095404 | AUTOMATED ORTHODONTIC ALIGNER MANUFACTURING AND ASSESSMENT | GROSSO, GREGORY CHAD | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2025 |
| 19096244 | DENTAL APPLIANCE DYNAMIC THERMOFORMING SYSTEMS | HUSON, MONICA ANNE | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2025 |
| 19054769 | METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DIGITAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF DENTITION USING UN-PATTERNED ILLUMINATION IMAGES | YANG, YI | — | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 |
| 19054762 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ANALYZING DENTAL SCANS | PATEL, SHERYL GOPAL | 3685 | §101§103§112 | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 |
| 19048741 | INTRAORAL SCANNER INCLUDING PROJECTORS AND CAMERAS | JIANG, ZAIHAN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 07, 2025 |
| 19025779 | ALIGNERS WITH ENHANCED GABLE BENDS | LEE, SARAH YEO | 3772 | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19026336 | METHODS FOR DIRECT FABRICATION OF APPLIANCES FOR PALATE EXPANSION | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 3772 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19025083 | DENTAL APPLIANCES WITH REINFORCED REPOSITIONING JAW ELEMENTS | NELSON, MATTHEW M | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19026294 | DENTAL APPLIANCES WITH SHAPED MATERIAL COMPONENTS | GROUX, JENNIFER LILA | 3772 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19025679 | DENTAL APPLIANCES FOR CREATING OPPOSING COUNTER MOMENTS BETWEEN TEETH | APONTE, MIRAYDA ARLENE | 3772 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19024916 | ORTHODONTIC ALIGNMENT DEVICES WITH PALATAL CONTOUR ANCHORAGE FEATURES | EIDE, HEIDI MARIE | 3772 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19017328 | GUIDANCE FOR INTRAORAL SCANNING | STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 10, 2025 |
| 19007067 | PATIENT-CUSTOMIZED DENTAL APPLIANCES | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 3772 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 31, 2024 |
| 19004847 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TREATMENT PLANNING WITH TOOTH MASS ANALYSIS | NGUYEN, PHONG X | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 30, 2024 |
| 19001814 | CLINICALLY RELEVANT ANONYMIZATION OF PATIENT IMAGES | WEISENFELD, ARYAN E | 3663 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 26, 2024 |
| 18991282 | 3D MODEL AUGMENTATION USING REFERENCE OBJECTS | JIA, XIN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18990964 | CONVERTIBLE DENTAL AUXILIARIES | CONNELL, JENNIFER PETSCHE | 3772 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18980240 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS INCLUDING EXPANDABLE DENTAL APPLIANCES | PATEL, YOGESH P | 3772 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 30d | Pending | Dec 13, 2024 |
| 18977593 | ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE MADE BY A THERMAL FORMING PROCESS | GRAHAM, ANDREW D | 1742 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 11, 2024 |
| 18976258 | FULL-SCANNER BARRIER FOR AN INTRA-ORAL DEVICE | FAYE, MAMADOU | 2884 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18976167 | OPTIMIZING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT BASED ON PATIENT PROGRESS | GEDRA, OLIVIA ROSE | 3681 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | 35d overdue | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18971833 | SYSTEMS FOR FABRICATION OF DENTAL APPLIANCES WITH ELONGATE SHAFTS AND CONNECTORS | SAUNDERS, MATTHEW P | 3772 | DP | Final Rejection | 19d | Pending | Dec 06, 2024 |
| 18969243 | MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SKELETAL CORRECTION AND AIRWAY CORRECTION | APONTE, MIRAYDA ARLENE | 3772 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 04, 2024 |
| 18961284 | INTRAORAL 3D SCANNER WITH HIGH GAIN FACTOR | NGUYEN, SANG H | 2877 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18959402 | PROVIDING DISORDER TREATMENT ESTIMATES BASED ON DISORDER DATA | MORICE DE VARGAS, SARA JESSICA | 3681 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18954503 | METHODS OF DESIGNING DENTAL ATTACHMENT FORMATION APPARATUSES | MAI, HAO D | 3772 | §101§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2024 |
| 18948374 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR LIGHT CURING WITH AN INTRAORAL SCANNER | LEE, BENEDICT E | — | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 14, 2024 |
| 18946783 | PALATAL EXPANDER DEVICES WITH SENSORS | NELSON, MATTHEW M | 3772 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Nov 13, 2024 |
| 18942291 | AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION OF INTRAORAL 3D SCANNER | HILAIRE, CLIFFORD | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2024 |
| 18942288 | AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF ORTHODONTIC OR PROSTHODONTIC PRESCRIPTION | TALUKDER, MD K | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2024 |
| 18939465 | INTRAORAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS INCLUDING SENSOR ASSEMBLIES FOR DETECTING AIR FLOW | SAHAND, SANA | — | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 06, 2024 |
| 18935286 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR POSITIONING DENTAL AUXILIARIES ON TEETH | NELSON, MATTHEW M | 3772 | §101 | Final Rejection | 22d | Pending | Nov 01, 2024 |
| 18933722 | MODELING AND VISUALIZATION OF FACIAL STRUCTURE FOR DENTAL TREATMENT PLANNING | SALVUCCI, MATTHEW D | 2613 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 31, 2024 |
| 18928587 | DENTAL DIAGNOSTICS HUB | NEFF, MICHAEL R | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 28, 2024 |
| 18924976 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT PROGRESS TRACKING | NELSON, MATTHEW M | 3772 | §101§103Other | Non-Final OA | 26d overdue | Pending | Oct 23, 2024 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialAlign Technology Inc. has 121 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 37 art units and 90 examiners.
Matthew P Saunders has the most, with 8 of Align Technology Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering (USPTO Tech Center 3700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.