Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
96 pending office actions • 12 art units • 56 examiners • 0 of 96 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 36 patents granted in the last 365 days
Japan Tobacco Inc. maintains a large portfolio with 98 pending office actions in the Chemistry & Materials technology area. These actions are distributed among 57 distinct examiners, which indicates that various examiners are handling multiple cases for the company. The portfolio is concentrated within 13 distinct art units, suggesting a deep but focused technical presence in specific areas of chemical innovation. This concentration within 13 distinct art units allows for some specialization in prosecution strategy.
KESSIE, JENNIFER A is the busiest examiner for this portfolio, overseeing 6 pending office actions. This concentration of 6 actions under this official represents a significant point of contact for the company's legal team. With 98 pending office actions and 57 distinct examiners, practitioners should look for patterns in examiner behavior, as many officials are responsible for more than one pending matter. Managing 98 pending office actions requires a robust system to track deadlines and examiner preferences across the 13 distinct art units.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 14 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. 14 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 | 3 (3%) |
| §103 only | 38 (40%) |
| §102 only | 5 (5%) |
| Double-patenting only | 2 (2%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 8 (8%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 40 (42%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 6 | 65.4% | +19.9% |
| BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | 5 | 62.3% | +40.5% |
| SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 4 | 63.9% | +14.4% |
| EFTA, ALEX B | 4 | 59.9% | +25.2% |
| DIYAN, OLUWATOSIN OLUWATUMININ | 4 | 27.3% | +54.2% |
| VAKILI, DANIEL EDWARD | 4 | 64.7% | +13.5% |
| WILL, KATHERINE A | 3 | 67.3% | +20.2% |
| DELACRUZ, MADELEINE PAULINA | 3 | 64.1% | +39.6% |
| MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | 3 | 61.0% | +38.4% |
| SCHNEIDER, THOMAS FRANK | 3 | 48.6% | +35.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18810602 | NICOTIANA PLANT BODY AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME | ORDAZ, CHRISTIAN JOSE | 13d |
| 18492393 | SMOKING SYSTEM, DEVICE KIT, CONSUMABLE, COMBINED ARTICLE, AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING SENSATION OF REACHING TERMINAL END AND PREDICTIVE SENSATION OF REACHING TERMINAL END | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | 23d |
| 18521520 | FLAVOR MOLDED ARTICLE AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR, TOBACCO MATERIAL PRODUCTION METHOD, AND TOBACCO PRODUCT PRODUCTION METHOD | JORDAN, RONNIE KIRBY | 27d |
| 18496310 | NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE TOBACCO AND ELECTRICALLY-HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCT | YAARY, ERIC | 34d |
| 18493248 | NON-COMBUSTION-HEATING FLAVOR INHALATION ARTICLE AND NON-COMBUSTION-HEATING FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | LE, TOBEY CHOU | 56d |
| 19136289 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | DAGNEW, SABA | — |
| 18705065 | PYRAZOLOPYRIMIDINE COMPOUND AND PHARMACEUTICAL USE THEREOF | OTTON, ALICIA L | — |
| 18955988 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | REPSHER III, JOHN T | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18493182 | TOBACCO COMPOSITION CONTAINING SATURATED FATTY ACID ADDITIVE | DELACRUZ, MADELEINE PAULINA | 9d overdue |
| 18478550 | HEAT-NOT-BURN FLAVOR INHALATION ARTICLE AND HEAT-NOT-BURN FLAVOR INHALATION PRODUCT | EFTA, ALEX B | 7d |
| 18492393 | SMOKING SYSTEM, DEVICE KIT, CONSUMABLE, COMBINED ARTICLE, AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING SENSATION OF REACHING TERMINAL END AND PREDICTIVE SENSATION OF REACHING TERMINAL END | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | 23d |
| 18493519 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING TYPE FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | VAKILI, DANIEL EDWARD | 29d |
| 18493400 | FLAVOR INHALER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FLAVOR INHALER | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 71d |
| 18806736 | METHOD FOR AUGMENTING AMOUNT OF SOLANONE IN LEAF TOBACCO, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING TOBACCO RAW MATERIAL, AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING SOLANONE | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | — |
| 18767997 | PRODUCTION METHOD FOR TOBACCO FLAVORED LIQUID, TOBACCO FLAVORED LIQUID, RECONSTITUTED TOBACCO MATERIAL, AND FLAVOR INHALER | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | — |
| 18757675 | NON-COMBUSTION FLAVOR INHALER | WILL, KATHERINE A | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1747 | 17 |
| 1755 | 15 |
| 1745 | 3 |
| 1700 | 3 |
| 3785 | 2 |
| 3619 | 2 |
| 3621 | 1 |
| 3736 | 1 |
| 1663 | 1 |
| 3991 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19136289 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | DAGNEW, SABA | 3621 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 06, 2025 |
| 19010273 | PACKAGING AND PACKAGING PRODUCTION METHOD | ORTIZ, RAFAEL ALFREDO | 3736 | §103 | Final Rejection | 57d | Pending | Jan 06, 2025 |
| 18705065 | PYRAZOLOPYRIMIDINE COMPOUND AND PHARMACEUTICAL USE THEREOF | OTTON, ALICIA L | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2024 |
| 18955988 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | REPSHER III, JOHN T | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 22, 2024 |
| 18886021 | SMOKING DEVICE | DINH, PHUONG K | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 16, 2024 |
| 18810602 | NICOTIANA PLANT BODY AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME | ORDAZ, CHRISTIAN JOSE | 1663 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 13d | Pending | Aug 21, 2024 |
| 18806736 | METHOD FOR AUGMENTING AMOUNT OF SOLANONE IN LEAF TOBACCO, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING TOBACCO RAW MATERIAL, AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING SOLANONE | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 16, 2024 |
| 18780655 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM | YOON, ERIC | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2024 |
| 18767997 | PRODUCTION METHOD FOR TOBACCO FLAVORED LIQUID, TOBACCO FLAVORED LIQUID, RECONSTITUTED TOBACCO MATERIAL, AND FLAVOR INHALER | BUCKMAN, JEFFREY ALAN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 10, 2024 |
| 18757675 | NON-COMBUSTION FLAVOR INHALER | WILL, KATHERINE A | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18752822 | AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE AND AEROSOL GENERATION SYSTEM | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 25, 2024 |
| 18745626 | METHOD OF TREATING PAIN OR INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS USING INDOLE COMPOUND | HOWELL, THEODORE R | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2024 |
| 18743139 | FLAVOUR INHALER, AND SMOKING SYSTEM | CEFARATTI, JOSEPH ARTHUR | — | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2024 |
| 18743587 | AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2024 |
| 18735439 | POWER SOURCE UNIT FOR AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE, AND AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | EFTA, ALEX B | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 06, 2024 |
| 18679465 | TOBACCO MATERIAL, PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR, AND TOBACCO PRODUCT | EFTA, ALEX B | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 31, 2024 |
| 18666861 | AEROSOL GENERATION SYSTEM | WILLIAMS, CEDRICK S | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 17, 2024 |
| 18664317 | CIRCUIT UNIT FOR AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE, AND DEVICE AND PROGRAM FOR AEROSOL GENERATION | BABAA, NAEL N | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2024 |
| 18664619 | CIRCUIT UNIT FOR AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE, AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM | DIYAN, OLUWATOSIN OLUWATUMININ | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2024 |
| 18655377 | FLAVOR INHALER AND FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | FIGG, LAURA B | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 06, 2024 |
| 18650133 | NON-COMBUSTION-HEATING-TYPE STICK | DELACRUZ, MADELEINE PAULINA | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 30, 2024 |
| 18645466 | FLAVOR INHALER OR AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR AND PROGRAM THEREFOR | GONG, KRIS HANYU | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2024 |
| 18644193 | FLAVOR INHALER, FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DEFORMING CONSUMABLE MATERIAL | MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 24, 2024 |
| 18636284 | MATERIAL FOR FLAVOR INHALATION ARTICLE, HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALATION ARTICLE, AND PRODUCTION METHOD FOR MATERIAL FOR FLAVOR INHALATION ARTICLE | YAARY, ERIC | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 16, 2024 |
| 18631081 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM | AZAD, MD ABUL K | — | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2024 |
| 18628823 | AEROSOL GENERATION SYSTEM | WILL, KATHERINE A | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 08, 2024 |
| 18627472 | FLAVOR INHALER AND FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | NGUYEN, SONNY V | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2024 |
| 18627473 | INHALER DEVICE, AND METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR OPERATING THE SAME | DIXON, ANNETTE FREDRICKA | 3785 | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2024 |
| 18624232 | FLAVOR INHALER AND FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 02, 2024 |
| 18623322 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | SZUMIGALSKI, NICOLE ASHLEY | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 01, 2024 |
| 18621151 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING FLAVOR INHALER, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING FLAVOR INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | WILL, KATHERINE A | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 2024 |
| 18621155 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | — | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 2024 |
| 18591757 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FRAGRANCE INHALER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FRAGRANCE INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FRAGRANCE INHALING SYSTEM | FELTON, MICHAEL J | — | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18591667 | TOBACCO SHEET FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER, AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE FLAVOR INHALATION SYSTEM | FELTON, MICHAEL J | — | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18425591 | FLAVOR INHALER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FLAVOR INHALER | SZEWCZYK, CYNTHIA | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 29, 2024 |
| 18424118 | CARTRIDGE AND NONCOMBUSTION-TYPE FLAVOR INHALER | SCHNEIDER, THOMAS FRANK | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 26, 2024 |
| 18419641 | SMOKING SYSTEM, POWER SUPPLY CONTROL METHOD, PROGRAM, PRIMARY DEVICE, AND SECONDARY DEVICE | SCHNEIDER, THOMAS FRANK | — | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 23, 2024 |
| 18408868 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING ATOMIZATION UNIT OF SUCTION TOOL | SCHNEIDER, THOMAS FRANK | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 10, 2024 |
| 18407128 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | CHOU, JIMMY | 1747 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 08, 2024 |
| 18406811 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | ALONZO MILLER, RHADAMES J | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 08, 2024 |
| 18405598 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | ALONZO MILLER, RHADAMES J | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 05, 2024 |
| 18405644 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | PACHECO, ALEXIS BOATENG | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 05, 2024 |
| 18405684 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE | DANG, KET D | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 05, 2024 |
| 18396355 | PAPER-CONTAINING TOBACCO SEGMENT | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 26, 2023 |
| 18540184 | AEROSOL GENERATING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AEROSOL GENERATING SYSTEM | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 14, 2023 |
| 18540342 | FLAVORING-LOADED COMPONENT FOR TOBACCO PRODUCT AND PRODUCTION METHOD FOR SAME | MCKANE, ELIZABETH L | 3991 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 14, 2023 |
| 18530324 | POWER SUPPLY UNIT OF AEROSOL GENERATION APPARATUS | DIYAN, OLUWATOSIN OLUWATUMININ | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18530277 | CONTROLLER FOR INHALATION APPARATUS | DYE, ROBERT C | 3619 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18530384 | CONTROLLER FOR INHALATION APPARATUS | MARTIN, JOHN MITCHELL | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18522895 | FLAVOR MOLDED BODY FOR NON-COMBUSTION HEATING TYPE FLAVOR INHALERS, METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING TYPE FLAVOR INHALER | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 1747 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 29, 2023 |
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Start Free TrialJapan Tobacco Inc. has 96 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 12 art units and 56 examiners.
Jennifer A Kessie has the most, with 6 of Japan Tobacco Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.