Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026

Hutchinson

Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems

7 pending office actions • 7 art units • 7 examiners • 0 of 7 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 9 patents granted in the last 365 days

Analysis

Hutchinson has 6 pending office actions in the Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems technology area. These 6 actions are distributed across 6 distinct examiners and distinct art units. KELLY, CATHERINE A is the busiest examiner, managing 1 pending office action.

The 6 pending office actions are spread across multiple units. With exactly 1 action for the busiest examiner, the portfolio maintains a low concentration of work per individual.

Written from this page's own data; every figure is computed from USPTO records and verified before publication.

Portfolio Summary

7
Total Pending OAs
4
Non-Final OAs
3
Final Rejections
0
Advisory / Quayle

Response Deadline Pressure

Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 3 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.

1
Overdue
0
Due this week
0
Due this month
1
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. 3 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.

-30dToday30d60d90d120d
Overdue (1)Due ≤ 60 days (1)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.

4
Hard (57%)
1
Medium (14%)
2
Easy (29%)
0
Unknown (0%)

Rejection Statute Mix

BucketCases
§103 only1 (14%)
§112 only2 (29%)
Multi-statute (no §101)4 (57%)

Industry Mix

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

2
Life Sciences
29% of docket
0
Information Tech
0% of docket
0
Communications
0% of docket
0
Semiconductors
0% of docket
5
Mechanical / Eng
71% of docket
0
Business / Other
0% 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.

70 h
Manual time on pending OAs
14 h
Time saved (low, 20%)
24 h
Time saved (mid, 35%)
0.6 wks
FTE-weeks freed (mid)

Top Examiners on this docket

ExaminerApps on this docketAllow rateInterview lift
WAITS, ALAN B 1 68.9% +29.7%
KELLY, CATHERINE A 1 60.4% +27.5%
PALMER, ALEX ROBERT 1 62.7% +19.1%
BELL, SPENCER E 1 63.0% +13.4%
GERMAIN, ADAM ADRIEN 1 35.0% +10.2%
GARFT, CHRISTOPHER 1 59.0% +23.2%
HINCAPIE SERNA, GUSTAVO A 1 60.0% +22.6%

Hard Cases (4)

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 #TitleExaminerDue in
18836402 APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND/OR WASHING LAUNDRY PROVIDED WITH AN AUTONOMOUS FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE BELL, SPENCER E 36d
18269448 Thermal Regulation Device HINCAPIE SERNA, GUSTAVO A 62d
19110139 ELECTRIC BALANCE RING, AND ROLLING BEARING COMPRISING SUCH A RING WAITS, ALAN B —
18758374 FILTRATION DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A COOLING CIRCUIT GERMAIN, ADAM ADRIEN —

Interview Candidates (7)

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 7 ordered by deadline are shown.

App #TitleExaminerDue in
18990609 RUN CHANNEL FOR A MOVABLE WINDOW FRAME OF A VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME KELLY, CATHERINE A 4d overdue
18836402 APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND/OR WASHING LAUNDRY PROVIDED WITH AN AUTONOMOUS FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE BELL, SPENCER E 36d
18269448 Thermal Regulation Device HINCAPIE SERNA, GUSTAVO A 62d
19110139 ELECTRIC BALANCE RING, AND ROLLING BEARING COMPRISING SUCH A RING WAITS, ALAN B —
18943734 RUN-FLAT DEVICE PALMER, ALEX ROBERT —
18758374 FILTRATION DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A COOLING CIRCUIT GERMAIN, ADAM ADRIEN —
18249570 CONNECTING ROD HAVING CURVED SLATS GARFT, CHRISTOPHER —

Top Art Units

Art UnitApps
3617 1
3619 1
3615 1
1711 1
1772 1
3632 1
3763 1

Pending Office Actions

App #TitleExaminerArt UnitStatutesStatusDue inAIFiled
19110139 ELECTRIC BALANCE RING, AND ROLLING BEARING COMPRISING SUCH A RING WAITS, ALAN B 3617 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 10, 2025
18990609 RUN CHANNEL FOR A MOVABLE WINDOW FRAME OF A VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME KELLY, CATHERINE A 3619 §103 Final Rejection 4d overdue Pending Dec 20, 2024
18943734 RUN-FLAT DEVICE PALMER, ALEX ROBERT 3615 §112 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 11, 2024
18836402 APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND/OR WASHING LAUNDRY PROVIDED WITH AN AUTONOMOUS FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE BELL, SPENCER E 1711 §102§103 Final Rejection 36d Pending Aug 07, 2024
18758374 FILTRATION DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A COOLING CIRCUIT GERMAIN, ADAM ADRIEN 1772 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Jun 28, 2024
18249570 CONNECTING ROD HAVING CURVED SLATS GARFT, CHRISTOPHER 3632 §112 Non-Final OA — Pending Sep 28, 2023
18269448 Thermal Regulation Device HINCAPIE SERNA, GUSTAVO A 3763 §102§103 Final Rejection 62d Pending Jun 23, 2023

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many pending USPTO office actions does Hutchinson have?

Hutchinson has 7 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 7 art units and 7 examiners.

Which USPTO examiner handles the most Hutchinson applications?

Alan B Waits has the most, with 1 of Hutchinson's pending office actions.

What technology area are Hutchinson's patent applications in?

Mostly Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems (USPTO Tech Center 3600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.

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