Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 15, 2026

Apex Brands Inc.

23 pending office actions • 10 art units • 16 examiners • 0 of 23 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 39 patents granted in the last 365 days

Portfolio Summary

23
Total Pending OAs
15
Non-Final OAs
7
Final Rejections
1
Advisory / Quayle

Response Deadline Pressure

Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 10 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.

6
Overdue
1
Due this week
2
Due this month
0
Due in next 60 days
1
Due later

Deadline Fire Line

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. 10 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.

-30dToday30d60d90d120d
Overdue (6)Due ≤ 7 days (1)Due ≤ 30 days (2)Due later (1)

Case Difficulty Mix

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.

13
Hard (57%)
9
Medium (39%)
1
Easy (4%)
0
Unknown (0%)

Rejection Statute Mix

BucketCases
§103 only8 (35%)
§102 only1 (4%)
§112 only1 (4%)
Multi-statute (no §101)13 (57%)

Industry Mix

How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.

0
Life Sciences
0% of docket
0
Information Tech
0% of docket
0
Communications
0% of docket
2
Semiconductors
9% of docket
16
Mechanical / Eng
70% of docket
5
Business / Other
22% of docket

Time-on-OA Estimate

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.

230 h
Manual time on pending OAs
46 h
Time saved (low, 20%)
80 h
Time saved (mid, 35%)
2.0 wks
FTE-weeks freed (mid)

Top Examiners on this docket

ExaminerApps on this docketAllow rateInterview lift
SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 6 60.3% +25.7%
JOH, CATHERINE 3 0.0% +0.0%
TECCO, ANDREW M 1 65.2% +24.9%
NEUBAUER, THOMAS L 1 66.1% +19.8%
THOMAS, DAVID B 1 76.8% +21.3%
CADUGAN, ERICA E 1 63.1% +50.9%
TRAN, TIFFANY T 1 58.3% +53.2%
FORD, DARRELL CHRISTOPHER 1 76.2% +39.4%
GUADALUPE, YARITZA 1 82.3% +14.8%
PARSLEY, DAVID J 1 53.9% +28.5%

Quick Wins (1)

Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 1 ordered by deadline are shown.

App #TitleExaminerDue in
18481663 MEASURING TAPE WITH END HOOK HAVING A LASER ETCHED HIGH FRICTION SURFACE GUADALUPE, YARITZA

Hard Cases (14)

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 #TitleExaminerDue in
18119950 BORING TOOL WITH MULTI-ANGLED TIP GATES, ERIC ANDREW 44d overdue
18502199 CIRCLIP PLIERS WITH IMPROVED DESIGN JOH, CATHERINE 35d overdue
18502230 CIRCLIP PLIERS WITH GRIPPING SURFACES JOH, CATHERINE 35d overdue
18010909 MAGNETICALLY SECURED BATTERY CHARGER GRANT, ROBERT J 16d overdue
18242892 UTILITY BLADE AND HOLDER MATTHEWS, JENNIFER S 82d
19130709 MULTI-REGION ERGONOMIC POWER TOOL AND HANDGRIP TECCO, ANDREW M
18911753 CIRCLIP PLIER TIPS JOH, CATHERINE
18838030 BIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC EXTRACTOR TOOL THOMAS, DAVID B

Interview Candidates (14)

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 #TitleExaminerDue in
17575231 Extractor Socket with Bidirectional Driving Capability and Corresponding Extraction Set with Intermediate Sizes SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 49d overdue
18272137 STRIKING IMPLEMENT WITH ANTI-SHOCK GRIP SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 5d
18585571 PIPE WRENCH WITH IMPROVED DESIGN FOR SIDE BITE SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 12d
19130709 MULTI-REGION ERGONOMIC POWER TOOL AND HANDGRIP TECCO, ANDREW M
18846029 Tool Storage System with an Electric Lock NEUBAUER, THOMAS L
18838030 BIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC EXTRACTOR TOOL THOMAS, DAVID B
18792435 LOCKING MEMBER FOR ADJUSTABLE TORQUE WRENCH SCRUGGS, ROBERT J
18832524 Drill Chuck with Hardened Body CADUGAN, ERICA E

Top Art Units

Art UnitApps
3723 8
3722 2
3731 1
3675 1
3726 1
2855 1
3643 1
3724 1
3735 1
2859 1

Pending Office Actions

App #TitleExaminerArt UnitStatutesStatusDue inAIFiled
19130709 MULTI-REGION ERGONOMIC POWER TOOL AND HANDGRIP TECCO, ANDREW M 3731 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA Pending May 16, 2025
18911753 CIRCLIP PLIER TIPS JOH, CATHERINE §103 Non-Final OA Pending Oct 10, 2024
18846029 Tool Storage System with an Electric Lock NEUBAUER, THOMAS L 3675 §103 Final Rejection Pending Sep 11, 2024
18838030 BIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC EXTRACTOR TOOL THOMAS, DAVID B §102§103§112Other Non-Final OA Pending Aug 13, 2024
18792435 LOCKING MEMBER FOR ADJUSTABLE TORQUE WRENCH SCRUGGS, ROBERT J §102§103§112 Non-Final OA Pending Aug 01, 2024
18832524 Drill Chuck with Hardened Body CADUGAN, ERICA E §103§112 Non-Final OA Pending Jul 24, 2024
18585571 PIPE WRENCH WITH IMPROVED DESIGN FOR SIDE BITE SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 3723 §102Other Non-Final OA 12d Pending Feb 23, 2024
18574865 SOLDERING STATION WITH IRON HOLDER TRAN, TIFFANY T §103§112 Non-Final OA Pending Dec 28, 2023
18570258 BORING TOOL FORD, DARRELL CHRISTOPHER 3726 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA Pending Dec 14, 2023
18502199 CIRCLIP PLIERS WITH IMPROVED DESIGN JOH, CATHERINE 3723 §102§103§112 Final Rejection 35d overdue Pending Nov 06, 2023
18502230 CIRCLIP PLIERS WITH GRIPPING SURFACES JOH, CATHERINE 3723 §102§103§112 Final Rejection 35d overdue Pending Nov 06, 2023
18481663 MEASURING TAPE WITH END HOOK HAVING A LASER ETCHED HIGH FRICTION SURFACE GUADALUPE, YARITZA 2855 §103 Final Rejection Pending Oct 05, 2023
18242880 FOLDING UTILITY KNIFE PARSLEY, DAVID J 3643 §103§112 Non-Final OA Pending Sep 06, 2023
18242892 UTILITY BLADE AND HOLDER MATTHEWS, JENNIFER S 3724 §102§103 Final Rejection 82d Pending Sep 06, 2023
18242086 TOOL ACCESSORY STORAGE ASSEMBLY RODRIGUEZ MOLINA, MARCOS JAVIER 3735 §103 Final Rejection 28d overdue Pending Sep 05, 2023
18272137 STRIKING IMPLEMENT WITH ANTI-SHOCK GRIP SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 3723 §103 Non-Final OA 5d Pending Jul 13, 2023
18267843 PLIERS WITH MULTIPLE BITE ADJUSTMENT OPTIONS SHAKERI, HADI 3723 §103 Non-Final OA 13d Pending Jun 16, 2023
18119950 BORING TOOL WITH MULTI-ANGLED TIP GATES, ERIC ANDREW 3722 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA 44d overdue Pending Mar 10, 2023
18010909 MAGNETICALLY SECURED BATTERY CHARGER GRANT, ROBERT J 2859 §102§103 Non-Final OA 16d overdue Pending Dec 16, 2022
17950309 Extractor Insert with Bidirectional Driving Capability and Corresponding Extractor Insert Set with Intermediate Sizes SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 3723 §103 Non-Final OA Pending Sep 22, 2022
17706984 Boring Tool With Deburring Assembly VITALE, MICHAEL J 3722 §102§103§112 Final Rejection Pending Mar 29, 2022
17575285 Extractor Socket with Bidirectional Driving Capability and Corresponding Extraction Set with Intermediate Sizes SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 3723 §112 Non-Final OA Pending Jan 13, 2022
17575231 Extractor Socket with Bidirectional Driving Capability and Corresponding Extraction Set with Intermediate Sizes SCRUGGS, ROBERT J 3723 §103 Non-Final OA 49d overdue Pending Jan 13, 2022

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