Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
26 pending office actions • 15 art units • 23 examiners • 0 of 26 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 10 patents granted in the last 365 days
Divergent Technologies Inc. manages a portfolio of 27 pending office actions in the Chemistry & Materials technology area. These actions are distributed across 24 distinct examiners, suggesting a broad range of individual oversight. The portfolio spans 16 distinct art units, indicating significant technical diversity within the sector. SWIER, WAYNE K. is the busiest examiner, currently overseeing 2 pending office actions.
With 27 pending office actions, the company faces a high volume of simultaneous negotiations. The presence of 24 distinct examiners means that the company must adapt to many different examination styles. Furthermore, the 16 distinct art units suggest that the underlying technology is being evaluated by a wide variety of specialized technical groups. This distribution can lead to varied outcomes across the portfolio, as different art units may have different allowance rates or procedural tendencies.
The busiest examiner, SWIER, WAYNE K., holds 2 pending office actions, which is a small fraction of the 27 total actions. This indicates that no single examiner has a dominant influence over the company's pending matters. Practitioners should be prepared for a decentralized prosecution environment where consistency must be managed across many different patent office personnel. The count of 16 art units reinforces the need for a broad technical strategy that accounts for diverse examiner perspectives.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 11 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. 11 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 | 1 (4%) |
| §103 only | 11 (42%) |
| §102 only | 2 (8%) |
| §112 only | 1 (4%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 1 (4%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 10 (38%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWIER, WAYNE K. | 2 | 67.6% | +19.6% |
| KHLOK, BONITA | 2 | 49.1% | +48.3% |
| WU, JENNY R | 2 | 63.5% | +16.0% |
| CAO, CHUN | 1 | 84.7% | +12.6% |
| PATWARDHAN, ABHISHEK A | 1 | 73.9% | +13.1% |
| NELSON, JAMEL M | 1 | 74.8% | +15.9% |
| KIM, YUNJU | 1 | 55.2% | +35.3% |
| JARRETT, RYAN A | 1 | 80.8% | +7.2% |
| OMGBA, ESSAMA | 1 | 59.2% | +32.9% |
| MCGUTHRY BANKS, TIMA MICHELE | 1 | 81.8% | +2.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18922224 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY INFERENCE AND CONTROL FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES | CAO, CHUN | — |
| 18491628 | ALLOYING VIA ULTRASONIC ATOMIZATION | MCGUTHRY BANKS, TIMA MICHELE | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18815568 | MONOLITHIC MULTI-OPTICS SCANNER HEAD | NELSON, JAMEL M | 70d overdue |
| 18594730 | MULTI-COMPONENT STRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION FOR COMBINING 3-D PRINTED AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PARTS | JARRETT, RYAN A | 30d overdue |
| 17584221 | HIGH MODULUS LIGHT ALLOY | YANG, JIE | 25d overdue |
| 15582457 | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CONTROL SYSTEMS | KHLOK, BONITA | 12d |
| 18158948 | ELECTROCOATING (E-COATING) ON A PART BY PART BASIS | DUMBRIS, SETH M | 29d |
| 18668039 | ELECTROSTATIC SOOT CAPTURING PLATE ASSOCIATED WITH A BUILD CHAMBER OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) PRINTER | KIM, YUNJU | — |
| 18601845 | Sequential Determination of Thermal Energy Density for an Additive Manufacturing Operation | KHLOK, BONITA | — |
| 18499072 | DEPOWDERING OF 3D-PRINTED STRUCTURES | OMGBA, ESSAMA | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18815568 | MONOLITHIC MULTI-OPTICS SCANNER HEAD | NELSON, JAMEL M | 70d overdue |
| 18488780 | CRASHWORTHY ALLOY | WU, JENNY R | 1d overdue |
| 18602844 | JOINT DESIGN FOR DAPS ADHESIVE FIXTURING | SWIER, WAYNE K. | 7d |
| 15582457 | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CONTROL SYSTEMS | KHLOK, BONITA | 12d |
| 18601649 | BONDED PRECISION INSERTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | SWIER, WAYNE K. | 41d |
| 18922224 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY INFERENCE AND CONTROL FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES | CAO, CHUN | — |
| 18830311 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADHESIVE-BASED PART RETENTION FEATURES IN ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED STRUCTURES | PATWARDHAN, ABHISHEK A | — |
| 18668039 | ELECTROSTATIC SOOT CAPTURING PLATE ASSOCIATED WITH A BUILD CHAMBER OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) PRINTER | KIM, YUNJU | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1733 | 4 |
| 1743 | 2 |
| 1748 | 2 |
| 1738 | 2 |
| 3761 | 2 |
| 1746 | 1 |
| 2115 | 1 |
| 3616 | 1 |
| 3678 | 1 |
| 1784 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18922224 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY INFERENCE AND CONTROL FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES | CAO, CHUN | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 29, 2024 |
| 18830311 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADHESIVE-BASED PART RETENTION FEATURES IN ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED STRUCTURES | PATWARDHAN, ABHISHEK A | 1746 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 10, 2024 |
| 18815568 | MONOLITHIC MULTI-OPTICS SCANNER HEAD | NELSON, JAMEL M | 1743 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 70d overdue | Pending | Aug 26, 2024 |
| 18668039 | ELECTROSTATIC SOOT CAPTURING PLATE ASSOCIATED WITH A BUILD CHAMBER OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) PRINTER | KIM, YUNJU | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 17, 2024 |
| 18602844 | JOINT DESIGN FOR DAPS ADHESIVE FIXTURING | SWIER, WAYNE K. | 1748 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 7d | Pending | Mar 12, 2024 |
| 18601845 | Sequential Determination of Thermal Energy Density for an Additive Manufacturing Operation | KHLOK, BONITA | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 11, 2024 |
| 18601649 | BONDED PRECISION INSERTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | SWIER, WAYNE K. | 1748 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 41d | Pending | Mar 11, 2024 |
| 18594730 | MULTI-COMPONENT STRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION FOR COMBINING 3-D PRINTED AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PARTS | JARRETT, RYAN A | 2115 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Mar 04, 2024 |
| 18499072 | DEPOWDERING OF 3D-PRINTED STRUCTURES | OMGBA, ESSAMA | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 31, 2023 |
| 18491628 | ALLOYING VIA ULTRASONIC ATOMIZATION | MCGUTHRY BANKS, TIMA MICHELE | 1733 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 20, 2023 |
| 18490533 | TILE-BASED PRINTING WITH DYNAMIC BEAM SHAPING | CARDA, DANIELLE MARIE | 1738 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 19, 2023 |
| 18488883 | PRODUCING METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE FEEDSTOCK FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING | STILES, JACOB BENJAMIN | 1733 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 17, 2023 |
| 18488780 | CRASHWORTHY ALLOY | WU, JENNY R | 1733 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | 1d overdue | Pending | Oct 17, 2023 |
| 18487020 | IN-SITU WELD POOL SPECTRUM RADIATION PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION | WU, JENNY R | 1733 | §101§102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 13, 2023 |
| 18484319 | TUNED SUPPORT GEOMETRIES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SUPPORT REMOVAL AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | SHAMS, NAZMUN NAHAR | 1738 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 10, 2023 |
| 18360716 | BRAKE NODES | SCHWARTZ, CHRISTOPHER P | 3616 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 27, 2023 |
| 18159583 | ASSEMBLY HAVING DISCRETIZED AND SEGMENTED JOINT ARCHITECTURE | HALL, ZACHARY A | 3678 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 25, 2023 |
| 18158948 | ELECTROCOATING (E-COATING) ON A PART BY PART BASIS | DUMBRIS, SETH M | 1784 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 29d | Pending | Jan 24, 2023 |
| 17858933 | ASSEMBLY ERROR CORRECTION | DO, TRUC M | 3658 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 98d overdue | Pending | Jul 06, 2022 |
| 17855396 | STRUCTURALLY INTEGRATED HEAT-EXCHANGERS | JONES, GORDON A | 3763 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 30, 2022 |
| 17747597 | MECHANISM FOR CURING ADHESIVE IN A ROBOTIC ASSEMBLY CELL | GOURLIE, LAURA ELOISE | 2881 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 55d | Pending | May 18, 2022 |
| 17584221 | HIGH MODULUS LIGHT ALLOY | YANG, JIE | 1734 | §102§103§112Other | Final Rejection | 25d overdue | Pending | Jan 25, 2022 |
| 17478596 | REAL TIME QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | MILLS JR., JOE E | 3761 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 17, 2021 |
| 16526679 | ALUMINUM ALLOY COMPOSITIONS | XU, JIANGTIAN | 1762 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 51d overdue | Pending | Jul 30, 2019 |
| 15607055 | MATERIAL HANDLING IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | HAUTH, GALEN H | 1743 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 26, 2017 |
| 15582457 | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CONTROL SYSTEMS | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Apr 28, 2017 |
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