Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
55 pending office actions • 24 art units • 43 examiners • 0 of 55 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 151 patents granted in the last 365 days
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 17 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. 17 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 + other | 2 (4%) |
| §103 only | 16 (29%) |
| §102 only | 1 (2%) |
| §112 only | 3 (5%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (7%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (11%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 19 (35%) |
| No statute on record | 4 (7%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAN, WEIHUA | 4 | 83.0% | +12.3% |
| FELTON, MICHAEL J | 4 | 59.0% | +14.8% |
| KRINKER, YANA B | 3 | 58.3% | +32.9% |
| NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 2 | 65.7% | +19.4% |
| YAARY, ERIC | 2 | 73.7% | +3.2% |
| SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 2 | 63.1% | +15.4% |
| KHLOK, BONITA | 2 | 49.5% | +48.7% |
| WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 1 | 71.6% | +12.3% |
| TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 1 | 63.2% | +43.6% |
| MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 1 | 44.2% | +14.9% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 4 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19170352 | GENETIC LOCUS IMPARTING A LOW ANATABINE TRAIT IN TOBACCO AND METHODS OF USING | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
| 19095674 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS RELATED TO IMPROVED NITROGEN UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY IN TOBACCO | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
| 19077146 | LOW-NICOTINE TOBACCO PLANTS AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS MADE THEREFROM | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
| 18985344 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING REDUCED OR ELIMINATED SUCKERS | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17479260 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES WITH CAPSULE AUTHENTICATION | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 10d overdue |
| 18328146 | LOW IGNITION PROPENSITY CIGARETTE PAPER AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF | YAARY, ERIC | 6d |
| 18828309 | ROTATABLE DRUM AND METHOD AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF E-VAPOR DEVICES | GROSS, CARSON | 14d |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | KHLOK, BONITA | 15d |
| 18426722 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | YAARY, ERIC | 30d |
| 18608007 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AGE VERIFICATION | WELCH, DAVID T | 33d |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 36d |
| 18494218 | ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE | HYUN, PAUL SANG HWA | 84d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17740460 | METHOD AND DEVICES FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 26d overdue |
| 17706930 | VAPORIZER ASSEMBLY | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 9d |
| 17537899 | INKS, COATINGS AND ADHESIVES AS CARRIERS FOR TAGGANTS FOR TOBACCO PRODUCT AUTHENTICATION AND COMPONENT DETECTION | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 14d |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | KHLOK, BONITA | 15d |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 36d |
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | — |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | — |
| 19208704 | AGE AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM | MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1755 | 8 |
| 1747 | 8 |
| 3761 | 5 |
| 1745 | 2 |
| 3736 | 2 |
| 1663 | 2 |
| 3731 | 1 |
| 3726 | 1 |
| 3692 | 1 |
| 3735 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 3731 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2025 |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 3726 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 18, 2025 |
| 19208704 | AGE AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM | MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 3692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2025 |
| 19170352 | GENETIC LOCUS IMPARTING A LOW ANATABINE TRAIT IN TOBACCO AND METHODS OF USING | FAN, WEIHUA | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19095674 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS RELATED TO IMPROVED NITROGEN UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY IN TOBACCO | FAN, WEIHUA | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2025 |
| 19090852 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING REDUCED OR ELIMINATED SUCKERS | STEPHENS, REBECCA JOHANNA | — | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 26, 2025 |
| 19077146 | LOW-NICOTINE TOBACCO PLANTS AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS MADE THEREFROM | FAN, WEIHUA | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 12, 2025 |
| 19027009 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING ALTERED ALKALOID LEVELS | COLLINS, CYNTHIA E | — | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 18985344 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING REDUCED OR ELIMINATED SUCKERS | FAN, WEIHUA | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2024 |
| 18975366 | PRODUCT PORTION ENROBING MACHINES AND METHODS | TOLIN, MICHAEL A | 1745 | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18968285 | METHODS AND PRODUCTS FOR PRODUCT TRACING AND AUTHENTICATION USING CONDUCTIVE INKS | OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P | — | §101§102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 04, 2024 |
| 18959984 | CONTAINER WITH FLEXIBLE WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | PAL, PRINCE | 3735 | §103 | Final Rejection | 42d | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18959953 | CONTAINER WITH LID WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | STEVENS, ALLAN D | 3736 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18958409 | TRAY WITH BASE, DOME AND BRIM | ORTIZ, RAFAEL ALFREDO | 3736 | §102 | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18901351 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH PUMP | JENNISON, BRIAN W | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18884334 | SOLUBLE FIBER LOZENGE | WEBB, WALTER E | 1612 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 13, 2024 |
| 18883015 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CHECKING FILL LEVEL OF A CARTRIDGE | SHABMAN, MARK A | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 12, 2024 |
| 18828309 | ROTATABLE DRUM AND METHOD AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF E-VAPOR DEVICES | GROSS, CARSON | 1746 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | Sep 09, 2024 |
| 18780938 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING ALTERED ALKALOID LEVELS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2024 |
| 18667166 | METHOD OF MAKING AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH POROUS BODY AND LIQUID RETENTION MEDIUM | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 17, 2024 |
| 18650362 | MANUFACTURING A FLUID PERMEABLE HEATER ASSEMBLY WITH CAP | TRINH, MINH N | 3729 | §112Other | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Apr 30, 2024 |
| 18618735 | CAPSULE INCLUDING ONE OR MORE PORTIONS OF FILLER MATERIAL INFUSED WITH AT LEAST ONE FIRST SUBSTANCE | NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 1747 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2024 |
| 18608007 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AGE VERIFICATION | WELCH, DAVID T | 2613 | §102§103Other | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Mar 18, 2024 |
| 18588258 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM | TANINGCO, MARCUS H | 2884 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2024 |
| 18432446 | VAPORIZER OF AN ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE AND METHOD OF FORMING A VAPORIZER | KIRKWOOD, SPENCER HAMMETT | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 05, 2024 |
| 18426722 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | YAARY, ERIC | 1755 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | Jan 30, 2024 |
| 18423483 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 1747 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 26, 2024 |
| 18397575 | DISSOLVABLE-CHEWABLE TOBACCO TABLET | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2023 |
| 18572327 | HEAT-NOT-BURN CAPSULE, MATERIAL AND PREPARATION OF HEAT-NOT-BURN CAPSULE, DIPPING MOLD, AND PRODUCTION DEVICE | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18533789 | SUPPORT BRACKET WITH AT LEAST ONE CENTER BRACKET SLIDEABLE ALONG FIRST SURFACE OF MAJOR BODY | WOOD, KIMBERLY T | 3631 | §102§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 08, 2023 |
| 18494218 | ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE | HYUN, PAUL SANG HWA | 1796 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 84d | Pending | Oct 25, 2023 |
| 18480639 | COMPRESSIBLE ROD FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE | GRAY, LINDA LAMEY | 1745 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 04, 2023 |
| 18475591 | CARTRIDGE FOR ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE | NGUYEN, PHUONG T | — | §102DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2023 |
| 18348529 | METHOD FOR OPERATING DEVICE USING MULTI-STAGE HEATING | DODSON, JUSTIN C | 3761 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 07, 2023 |
| 18328146 | LOW IGNITION PROPENSITY CIGARETTE PAPER AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF | YAARY, ERIC | 1755 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 6d | Pending | Jun 02, 2023 |
| 17781797 | Compositions and Methods for Producing Tobacco Plants and Products Having Altered Alkaloid Levels | KALLIS, RUSSELL | 1663 | §112 | Final Rejection | 19d | Pending | Dec 12, 2022 |
| 17982138 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES AND CAPSULES HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES | MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | 1700 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 18053086 | BLANK WITH WIDE PANELS AND NARROW PANELS, AND PACKAGE WITH BLANK | ATTEL, NINA KAY | 3734 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 17947345 | POWER CONTROL SYSTEM | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17947383 | COOLDOWN ALERT SYSTEM | DAHER, KIRA B | 3785 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17947436 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES AND CAPSULES | DIYAN, OLUWATOSIN OLUWATUMININ | 1755 | §103 | Final Rejection | 35d overdue | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17939428 | LABEL FOR PACK | NORDMEYER, PATRICIA L | 1788 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | 41d | Pending | Sep 07, 2022 |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 36d | Pending | Jul 22, 2022 |
| 17847676 | METHODS AND MACHINES FOR POUCHING SMOKELESS TOBACCO AND TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS | CULBERT, COURTNEY GUENTHER | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 23, 2022 |
| 17845237 | EXTERNAL STERILIZATION OF AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES | SEGED, NEBYATE SAMUEL | 1758 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2022 |
| 17740460 | METHOD AND DEVICES FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | Other | Non-Final OA | 26d overdue | Pending | May 10, 2022 |
| 17706930 | VAPORIZER ASSEMBLY | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | Other | Non-Final OA | 9d | Pending | Mar 29, 2022 |
| 17537899 | INKS, COATINGS AND ADHESIVES AS CARRIERS FOR TAGGANTS FOR TOBACCO PRODUCT AUTHENTICATION AND COMPONENT DETECTION | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | 14d | Pending | Nov 30, 2021 |
| 17520938 | CONTROL OF TOTAL PARTICULATE MATTER PRODUCTION | SAMUELS, LAWRENCE H | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2021 |
| 17479260 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES WITH CAPSULE AUTHENTICATION | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 1747 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | 10d overdue | Pending | Sep 20, 2021 |
| 17223415 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING NICOTINE GUM | GROUX, JENNIFER LILA | 1754 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 06, 2021 |
| 16982606 | VAPORIZER CAPSULES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE | BEHRENS JR., ANDRES E | 1741 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 21, 2020 |
| 16929371 | NICOTINE ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES HAVING AUTO SHUTDOWN | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2020 |
| 16929386 | NON-NICOTINE ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE INCLUDING A RESERVOIR ASSEMBLY | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2020 |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Mar 23, 2020 |
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