Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
37 pending office actions • 20 art units • 35 examiners • 0 of 37 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 34 patents granted in the last 365 days
MARS Incorporated has 38 pending office actions in Chemistry & Materials. The matters are distributed among 35 distinct examiners and 20 distinct art units, showing broad examiner coverage with repeated technical classifications. Portfolio management should connect related chemistry and materials matters while preserving separate analysis of examination histories.
BEKKER, KELLY JO is the busiest examiner, with 2 pending matters. The limited cluster is useful for focused review but does not dominate the docket. Counsel should use art-unit organization and consistent issue tracking to manage the remaining examiner assignments.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 12 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. 12 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 only | 1 (3%) |
| §101 + other | 7 (19%) |
| §103 only | 15 (41%) |
| §102 only | 1 (3%) |
| §112 only | 2 (5%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 3 (8%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 7 (19%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TURNER, FELICIA C | 2 | 26.2% | +30.2% |
| SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 2 | 10.0% | +18.8% |
| BELL, KENT L | 1 | 94.1% | +4.9% |
| BURGESS, JOSEPH D | 1 | 39.7% | +35.7% |
| MCCORMICK EWOLDT, SUSAN BETH | 1 | 92.1% | -6.4% |
| GWARTNEY, ELIZABETH A | 1 | 36.0% | +34.9% |
| YANG, JAMES J | 1 | 57.0% | +22.3% |
| SHAH, UTPAL D | 1 | 87.8% | +11.4% |
| FERNANDES, PATRICK M | 1 | 59.9% | +31.6% |
| LOVE, TREVOR M | 1 | 43.1% | +26.8% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 3 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19212496 | CACAO PLANT NAMED 'ISC-1' | MCCORMICK EWOLDT, SUSAN BETH | 14d |
| 19358199 | CACAO VARIETIES | BELL, KENT L | — |
| 18880925 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING ABNORMALITIES IN PET RADIOLOGY IMAGES | SHAH, UTPAL D | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17931293 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR END-TO-END PET CARE TRANSACTIONS WEB PLATFORM | COBANOGLU, DILEK B | 16d overdue |
| 18046963 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 8d |
| 18046980 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 21d |
| 18635200 | PET FOOD | TURNER, FELICIA C | 26d |
| 16613186 | METHODS FOR PRODUCING FEATHER-BASED FOOD PRODUCTS | TURNER, FELICIA C | 28d |
| 17040445 | REDUCED METHIONINE DIET FOR DOGS | GLIMM, CARRIE LYNN STOFFEL | 34d |
| 18654503 | DRY PET FOOD COMPRISING A PALATABILITY ENHANCING COATING | KERSHAW, KELLY P | 36d |
| 19164425 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING A CUTANEOUS LESION SCORE OF A COMPANION ANIMAL | BURGESS, JOSEPH D | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18046963 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 8d |
| 18046980 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 21d |
| 18635200 | PET FOOD | TURNER, FELICIA C | 26d |
| 16613186 | METHODS FOR PRODUCING FEATHER-BASED FOOD PRODUCTS | TURNER, FELICIA C | 28d |
| 19199300 | FLAVOR COMPOSITIONS AND SCREENING METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING THE SAME | GWARTNEY, ELIZABETH A | 70d |
| 19164425 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING A CUTANEOUS LESION SCORE OF A COMPANION ANIMAL | BURGESS, JOSEPH D | — |
| 19082644 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS COMMUNICATING WITH EXTERNAL PET HOMING SYSTEMS | YANG, JAMES J | — |
| 18880925 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING ABNORMALITIES IN PET RADIOLOGY IMAGES | SHAH, UTPAL D | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1793 | 9 |
| 1791 | 5 |
| 1792 | 4 |
| 1661 | 2 |
| 3685 | 1 |
| 1759 | 1 |
| 2686 | 1 |
| 2668 | 1 |
| 3791 | 1 |
| 1611 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19358199 | CACAO VARIETIES | BELL, KENT L | 1661 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 14, 2025 |
| 19164425 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING A CUTANEOUS LESION SCORE OF A COMPANION ANIMAL | BURGESS, JOSEPH D | 3685 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 11, 2025 |
| 19212496 | CACAO PLANT NAMED 'ISC-1' | MCCORMICK EWOLDT, SUSAN BETH | 1661 | §112 | Final Rejection | 14d | Pending | May 19, 2025 |
| 19199300 | FLAVOR COMPOSITIONS AND SCREENING METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING THE SAME | GWARTNEY, ELIZABETH A | 1759 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 70d | Pending | May 05, 2025 |
| 19082644 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS COMMUNICATING WITH EXTERNAL PET HOMING SYSTEMS | YANG, JAMES J | 2686 | §103DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 |
| 18880925 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING ABNORMALITIES IN PET RADIOLOGY IMAGES | SHAH, UTPAL D | 2668 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 03, 2025 |
| 18875950 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR DENTAL PATHOLOGY DETECTION ON X-RAY IMAGES IN VETERINARY ECOSYSTEMS | FERNANDES, PATRICK M | 3791 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 17, 2024 |
| 18940753 | PET FOOD PRODUCT | LOVE, TREVOR M | 1611 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2024 |
| 18931947 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CYTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS | DUFFY, CAROLINE TABANCAY | 2662 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 30, 2024 |
| 18849847 | COMPOSITIONS FOR DRINKING WATER | LEBLANC, KATHERINE DEGUIRE | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2024 |
| 18787302 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATIC INTERPRETATION OF DOG EMOTION USING MACHINE LEARNING | HUNTSINGER, PETER K | 2682 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 29, 2024 |
| 18783921 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS | MENGESHA, WEBESHET | 3763 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 25, 2024 |
| 18742501 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVANCED PREDICTION USING MACHINE-LEARNING AND STATISTICAL MODELS | WORJLOH, JALATEE | 3697 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 13, 2024 |
| 18716042 | FOOD PRODUCT | STULII, VERA | 1791 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2024 |
| 18709166 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VETERINARY ORAL CARE HEALTH TEST | SANGHERA, STEVEN G.S. | 3684 | §101§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 10, 2024 |
| 18654503 | DRY PET FOOD COMPRISING A PALATABILITY ENHANCING COATING | KERSHAW, KELLY P | 1791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 36d | Pending | May 03, 2024 |
| 18635200 | PET FOOD | TURNER, FELICIA C | 1793 | §103 | Final Rejection | 26d | Pending | Apr 15, 2024 |
| 18557678 | FOOD PRODUCT | BEKKER, KELLY JO | 1792 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 27, 2023 |
| 18125011 | EDIBLE INK FORMULATIONS INCLUDING SCALENOHEDRAL CALCIUM CARBONATE PARTICLES | AXTELL, ASHLEY | 1792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 22, 2023 |
| 18010738 | A NON-BAKED FOOD PRODUCT COMPRISING A CHOCOLATE NOUGAT COMPOSITION | CHAWLA, JYOTI | 1791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2022 |
| 18049799 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A PET RELATIVE FINDER | BEVERIDGE, CONNOR HAMMOND | 1687 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 26, 2022 |
| 18046980 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 1793 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | 21d | Pending | Oct 17, 2022 |
| 18046963 | FLAVOUR ADDITIVES | SHELLHAMMER, JAMES PAUL | 1793 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | 8d | Pending | Oct 17, 2022 |
| 17917463 | METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF AN ANIMAL AND FOR SELECTING FOOD PRODUCTS | O'HERN, BRENT T | 1793 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 06, 2022 |
| 17931293 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR END-TO-END PET CARE TRANSACTIONS WEB PLATFORM | COBANOGLU, DILEK B | 3687 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 16d overdue | Pending | Sep 12, 2022 |
| 17908758 | THE PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF A MEAT ANALOGUE, AND MEAT ANALOGUE PREPARED THEREBY | DIVIESTI, KARLA ISOBEL | 1792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 9d | Pending | Sep 01, 2022 |
| 17797887 | EDIBLE ANIMAL CHEWS | JACOBSON, MICHELE LYNN | 1793 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 05, 2022 |
| 17797858 | EXPANDED DRY PRODUCT FOR IMPROVING THE DENTAL HYGIENE OF A PET | MERCHLINSKY, JOSEPH CULLEN | 1791 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 05, 2022 |
| 17859974 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR PREDICTING GENETIC ANCESTRY | MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 1685 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 07, 2022 |
| 17621670 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WELLNESS ASSESSMENT OF A PET | PHAM, QUANG | 2685 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 21, 2021 |
| 17542279 | ACIDIFIED PROTEINACEOUS BEVERAGES AND COMPOSITIONS | MORNHINWEG, JEFFREY P | 1793 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 03, 2021 |
| 17177059 | SAMPLE CARTRIDGES | NGUYEN, HENRY H | 1758 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | Feb 16, 2021 |
| 17040445 | REDUCED METHIONINE DIET FOR DOGS | GLIMM, CARRIE LYNN STOFFEL | 1793 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Sep 22, 2020 |
| 16772694 | PET FOOD PRODUCT COMPRISING DENATURED ZEIN PROTEIN | MCCLAIN, TYNESHA L. | 1793 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 12, 2020 |
| 16613186 | METHODS FOR PRODUCING FEATHER-BASED FOOD PRODUCTS | TURNER, FELICIA C | 1793 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 28d | Pending | Nov 13, 2019 |
| 16473713 | PET FOOD PRODUCT | KIM, BRYAN | 1792 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 26, 2019 |
| 16338850 | LEGUME-COATED FOOD PRODUCTS | DUBOIS, PHILIP A | 1791 | §103 | Final Rejection | 70d | Pending | Apr 02, 2019 |
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Start Free TrialMARS Incorporated has 37 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 20 art units and 35 examiners.
Felicia C Turner has the most, with 2 of MARS Incorporated's pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
