Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Computing & Software • Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
8 pending office actions • 5 art units • 7 examiners • 0 of 8 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 21 patents granted in the last 365 days
Carlsmed Inc. currently has 8 pending office actions within the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. These 8 pending office actions are assigned to 7 distinct examiners, which is a smaller number than the total 8 pending office actions. The portfolio is spread across 5 distinct art units, which focuses the prosecution efforts within a few technical groups. PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J is the busiest examiner, currently responsible for 2 pending office actions.
The 7 distinct examiners involved provide a diverse set of perspectives for the 8 pending office actions. Because the 5 distinct art units are all within Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering, the company faces specialized scrutiny in those specific areas. PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J handles 2 pending office actions, which is a higher count than any other examiner in this portfolio. Practitioners should consider the specific tendencies of these 5 distinct art units when preparing responses.
The 8 pending office actions represent a small but focused portfolio at the USPTO. With 7 distinct examiners and 5 distinct art units, the company must ensure that its arguments remain consistent across these different points of contact. PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J is identified as the busiest examiner with 2 pending office actions, making their individual approach a key factor for those specific cases.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 1 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
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 | 3 (38%) |
| §103 only | 4 (50%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 1 (12%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J | 2 | 71.0% | +39.5% |
| BALAJ, ANTHONY MICHAEL | 1 | 30.6% | +30.6% |
| STONE, RACHAEL SOJIN | 1 | 55.2% | +21.0% |
| BECCIA, CHRISTOPHER J | 1 | 83.5% | +14.0% |
| MERRIAM, AARON ROGERS | 1 | 31.6% | +63.1% |
| BROUGHTON, SHAWN CURTIS | 1 | 44.0% | +32.0% |
| DRAPEAU, SIMEON PAUL | 1 | 18.8% | +70.3% |
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 # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17978746 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC SPINAL INSTRUMENTS FOR IMPLANTING IMPLANTS AND DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES | BECCIA, CHRISTOPHER J | — |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 4 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17518524 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ARTHROPLASTY DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | DRAPEAU, SIMEON PAUL | 34d |
| 18537600 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC IMPLANT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEM WITH A REGULATORY AND REIMBURSEMENT MANAGER | BALAJ, ANTHONY MICHAEL | — |
| 18120979 | MULTI-STAGE PATIENT-SPECIFIC SURGICAL PLANS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING THE SAME | STONE, RACHAEL SOJIN | — |
| 17851487 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ADJUSTMENT OF SPINAL IMPLANTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | BROUGHTON, SHAWN CURTIS | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17518524 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ARTHROPLASTY DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | DRAPEAU, SIMEON PAUL | 34d |
| 19337759 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSISTING AND AUGMENTING SURGICAL PROCEDURES | PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J | — |
| 19337752 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSISTING AND AUGMENTING SURGICAL PROCEDURES | PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J | — |
| 18537600 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC IMPLANT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEM WITH A REGULATORY AND REIMBURSEMENT MANAGER | BALAJ, ANTHONY MICHAEL | — |
| 18120979 | MULTI-STAGE PATIENT-SPECIFIC SURGICAL PLANS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING THE SAME | STONE, RACHAEL SOJIN | — |
| 17978746 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC SPINAL INSTRUMENTS FOR IMPLANTING IMPLANTS AND DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES | BECCIA, CHRISTOPHER J | — |
| 17868729 | SYSTEMS FOR PREDICTING INTRAOPERATIVE PATIENT MOBILITY AND IDENTIFYING MOBILITY-RELATED SURGICAL STEPS | MERRIAM, AARON ROGERS | — |
| 17851487 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ADJUSTMENT OF SPINAL IMPLANTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | BROUGHTON, SHAWN CURTIS | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3773 | 2 |
| 2188 | 2 |
| 3791 | 2 |
| 3682 | 1 |
| 3681 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19337759 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSISTING AND AUGMENTING SURGICAL PROCEDURES | PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J | 3773 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2025 |
| 19337752 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSISTING AND AUGMENTING SURGICAL PROCEDURES | PLIONIS, NICHOLAS J | 3773 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2025 |
| 18537600 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC IMPLANT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEM WITH A REGULATORY AND REIMBURSEMENT MANAGER | BALAJ, ANTHONY MICHAEL | 3682 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2023 |
| 18120979 | MULTI-STAGE PATIENT-SPECIFIC SURGICAL PLANS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING THE SAME | STONE, RACHAEL SOJIN | 3681 | §101§102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2023 |
| 17978746 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC SPINAL INSTRUMENTS FOR IMPLANTING IMPLANTS AND DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES | BECCIA, CHRISTOPHER J | 2188 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2022 |
| 17868729 | SYSTEMS FOR PREDICTING INTRAOPERATIVE PATIENT MOBILITY AND IDENTIFYING MOBILITY-RELATED SURGICAL STEPS | MERRIAM, AARON ROGERS | 3791 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 19, 2022 |
| 17851487 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ADJUSTMENT OF SPINAL IMPLANTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | BROUGHTON, SHAWN CURTIS | 3791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2022 |
| 17518524 | PATIENT-SPECIFIC ARTHROPLASTY DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | DRAPEAU, SIMEON PAUL | 2188 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | 34d | Pending | Nov 03, 2021 |
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