Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics
30 pending office actions • 10 art units • 28 examiners • 0 of 30 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 120 patents granted in the last 365 days
Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA is managing 30 pending office actions in the Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics technology area. These actions are distributed across 11 distinct art units, reflecting a diverse set of technical classifications for their semiconductor and optical innovations. The prosecution involves 28 distinct examiners, meaning that nearly every pending action is being reviewed by a different individual.
GRAMLING, SEAN P is the busiest examiner for the company, with 2 pending office actions under his review. With 30 total pending office actions and 28 different examiners, the portfolio is highly decentralized. Practitioners must be prepared to handle a wide variety of examiner styles and requirements, as there is very little overlap in the individuals reviewing the company's applications.
The 11 distinct art units indicate that the company's intellectual property strategy covers a broad range of specialized technical areas. This requires practitioners to be familiar with the specific examination practices and prior art considerations across many different groups within the patent office. Because 28 distinct examiners are involved, the company must maintain a high degree of flexibility in its prosecution approach to accommodate the diverse perspectives of the examining corps.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 4 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. 4 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 (3%) |
| §103 only | 9 (30%) |
| §102 only | 1 (3%) |
| §112 only | 1 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (60%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRAMLING, SEAN P | 2 | 66.5% | +28.1% |
| CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | 2 | 74.7% | +16.2% |
| GYLLSTROM, BRYON T | 1 | 67.8% | +7.5% |
| EIDE, ERIC T | 1 | 66.9% | +22.1% |
| CATTANACH, COLIN J | 1 | 59.0% | +19.9% |
| JOHNSON, SONJI N | 1 | 74.7% | +21.0% |
| CHAN, KO HUNG | 1 | 66.7% | +15.0% |
| AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L | 1 | 78.1% | +14.1% |
| JACKSON, MONIQUE R | 1 | 34.9% | +44.1% |
| MCANDREW, CHRISTOPHER P | 1 | 85.9% | +13.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19216083 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND CONTROL METHODS | JOHNSON, SONJI N | 5d |
| 18897224 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A LIGHT-BASED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | 62d |
| 19544414 | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE | GYLLSTROM, BRYON T | — |
| 19080718 | DAMPING ELEMENT AND RETAINING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE | CHAN, KO HUNG | — |
| 19079013 | ARRANGEMENT WITH A HOLDER AND A HOUSING FOR AN ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY, IN PARTICULAR FOR A RADAR SENSOR, ASSEMBLY WITH SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT | AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L | — |
| 19079014 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND ANTI-CONDENSATION PROCESS | GRAMLING, SEAN P | — |
| 19077134 | AT LEAST PARTIALLY TRANSPARENT OPTICAL COMPONENT FOR USE IN A MOTOR VEHICLE | JACKSON, MONIQUE R | — |
| 18948098 | VEHICLE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENT | MCANDREW, CHRISTOPHER P | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19216083 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND CONTROL METHODS | JOHNSON, SONJI N | 5d |
| 18897224 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A LIGHT-BASED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | 62d |
| 19414556 | A LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE, IN PARTICULAR A HEADLAMP FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE | GRAMLING, SEAN P | — |
| 19348905 | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR THE REAR END OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | EIDE, ERIC T | — |
| 19221738 | VEHICLE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY | CATTANACH, COLIN J | — |
| 19080718 | DAMPING ELEMENT AND RETAINING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE | CHAN, KO HUNG | — |
| 19079013 | ARRANGEMENT WITH A HOLDER AND A HOUSING FOR AN ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY, IN PARTICULAR FOR A RADAR SENSOR, ASSEMBLY WITH SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT | AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L | — |
| 19079014 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND ANTI-CONDENSATION PROCESS | GRAMLING, SEAN P | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2875 | 7 |
| 2876 | 1 |
| 3636 | 1 |
| 2844 | 1 |
| 2872 | 1 |
| 1781 | 1 |
| 2896 | 1 |
| 3731 | 1 |
| 3648 | 1 |
| 2845 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19544414 | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE | GYLLSTROM, BRYON T | 2875 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 19, 2026 |
| 19414556 | A LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE, IN PARTICULAR A HEADLAMP FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE | GRAMLING, SEAN P | 2875 | §102 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2025 |
| 19348905 | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR THE REAR END OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | EIDE, ERIC T | 2875 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 03, 2025 |
| 19221738 | VEHICLE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY | CATTANACH, COLIN J | 2875 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 29, 2025 |
| 19216083 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND CONTROL METHODS | JOHNSON, SONJI N | 2876 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 5d | Pending | May 22, 2025 |
| 19080718 | DAMPING ELEMENT AND RETAINING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE | CHAN, KO HUNG | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 14, 2025 |
| 19079013 | ARRANGEMENT WITH A HOLDER AND A HOUSING FOR AN ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY, IN PARTICULAR FOR A RADAR SENSOR, ASSEMBLY WITH SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT | AUGUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER L | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2025 |
| 19079014 | HEADLAMP FOR VEHICLES AND ANTI-CONDENSATION PROCESS | GRAMLING, SEAN P | 2875 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2025 |
| 19077134 | AT LEAST PARTIALLY TRANSPARENT OPTICAL COMPONENT FOR USE IN A MOTOR VEHICLE | JACKSON, MONIQUE R | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 12, 2025 |
| 18948098 | VEHICLE SYSTEM ARRANGEMENT | MCANDREW, CHRISTOPHER P | 3636 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 14, 2024 |
| 18944295 | CONTROL UNIT | CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 12, 2024 |
| 18940886 | VEHICLE WITH MULTIMODAL TRUNK LID | PANG, ROGER L | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2024 |
| 18939588 | OPTIMIZED ANGLE OF ARRIVAL (AoA) DETERMINATION | GALT, CASSI J | — | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2024 |
| 18933738 | VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR PRECIPITATION DETECTION | MAKHDOOM, SAMARINA | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 31, 2024 |
| 18933665 | VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE COUNTING | MULL, FRED H | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 31, 2024 |
| 18920728 | HOUSING FOR A VEHICLE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HOUSING | DANIELS, JASON S | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 18, 2024 |
| 18920845 | DAMPER FOR A PEDAL OF A VEHICLE, PEDAL HAVING A DAMPER OF THIS TYPE, AND SYSTEM | SICONOLFI, ROBERT | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 18, 2024 |
| 18913214 | METHOD FOR DETECTING THE POSITION OF A ROTOR ELEMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND SENSOR DEVICE | ROYSTON, JOHN M | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 |
| 18907489 | CURRENT PATH DIAGNOSIS WITH THE AID OF AN ELECTRONIC FUSE | ALLGOOD, ALESA M | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 05, 2024 |
| 18897224 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A LIGHT-BASED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | 2844 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 62d | Pending | Sep 26, 2024 |
| 18839812 | SUPPORT COMPONENT FOR INTEGRATION INTO AN APRON OF A MOTOR VEHICLE | LE, HUAN G | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 20, 2024 |
| 18755577 | LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE | PEERCE, MATTHEW J | 2875 | §103 | Final Rejection | 40d | Pending | Jun 26, 2024 |
| 18744616 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HOLOGRAM FOR A RETROREFLECTOR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A RETROREFLECTOR FOR A VEHICLE | EDENFIELD, KUEI-JEN L | 2872 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 15, 2024 |
| 18623368 | BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR A BATTERY STORAGE DEVICE, ASSEMBLY, AND METHOD | ST CYR, DANIEL | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 01, 2024 |
| 18596243 | LIGHTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF | LEE, NATHANIEL J. | 2875 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 44d overdue | Pending | Mar 05, 2024 |
| 18394234 | HYBRID COMPONENT FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A HYBRID COMPONENT | FLORES JR, DONALD M | 1781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 22, 2023 |
| 18234215 | CONNECTOR HAVING FIRST CONTACT ELEMENTS AND SECOND CONTACT ELEMENTS WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION, AND HAVING A CASTING RESIN WHICH AT LEAST PARTIALLY SURROUNDS THE CONTACT ELEMENTS | JIMENEZ, OSCAR C | 2896 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2023 |
| 18131670 | APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF SCREW CONNECTIONS | SMITH, JACOB A | 3731 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 06, 2023 |
| 17960548 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING ANGLE INFORMATION | HODAC, ERIC KHOI | 3648 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 05, 2022 |
| 17650180 | DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO AN OPENING OF A VEHICLE AND FOR COVERING AN EMITTER AND/OR A RECEIVER | IMMANUEL, BAMIDELE ADEFOLARIN | 2845 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 07, 2022 |
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