Technology area: Chemistry & Materials
11 pending office actions • 7 art units • 10 examiners • 0 of 11 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 14 patents granted in the last 365 days
Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG Pfäffikon is active in the Chemistry & Materials technology area with 10 pending office actions. These matters are distributed across 9 distinct examiners, which indicates a variety of individual interactions with the patent office. The presence of 9 distinct examiners suggests that the company must manage multiple prosecution styles and examiner expectations simultaneously.
The company's work is spread across 7 distinct art units. This involvement in 7 distinct art units shows that the technical subject matter of the portfolio is evaluated by several different specialized groups. OTT, PATRICK S is the busiest examiner for this portfolio and is currently responsible for 2 pending office actions. While OTT, PATRICK S has the highest individual workload, these 2 pending office actions are part of the 10 pending office actions currently managed by the company.
Managing the portfolio requires a strategy that accounts for the various examiners involved. The 7 distinct art units mean that the prosecution team must be familiar with the specific guidelines of numerous technical divisions. Even with OTT, PATRICK S handling 2 pending office actions, the portfolio remains widely distributed across the USPTO's examination staff. The 9 distinct examiners ensure that no single individual controls a majority of the cases.
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 |
|---|---|
| §103 only | 3 (27%) |
| §112 only | 1 (9%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 7 (64%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTT, PATRICK S | 2 | 68.0% | +23.7% |
| KRUPICKA, ADAM C | 1 | 62.1% | +27.0% |
| FLORES JR, DONALD M | 1 | 77.0% | +26.9% |
| ZHANG, HAI Y | 1 | 69.0% | +41.8% |
| SCHWARTZ, PHILIP N | 1 | 55.5% | +17.0% |
| KACKAR, RAM N | 1 | 40.6% | +57.8% |
| BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH | 1 | 48.3% | +22.4% |
| YANG, ZHEREN J | 1 | 57.3% | +52.8% |
| BAND, MICHAEL A | 1 | 45.1% | +55.7% |
| BERMAN, JASON | 1 | 63.9% | +21.0% |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 7 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17433203 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING TARGETS FOR PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PVD) | BERMAN, JASON | 2d overdue |
| 18858996 | COATING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT COMPONENTS | OTT, PATRICK S | 12d |
| 18881221 | METAL FREE COATING COMPRISING TETRAHEDRAL HYDROGEN-FREE AMORPHOUS CARBON | FLORES JR, DONALD M | — |
| 18874441 | FORMING TOOLS COATED WITH KAPPA-ALUMINA | ZHANG, HAI Y | — |
| 18703218 | METHOD FOR FORMING HARD AND ULTRA-SMOOTH A-C BY SPUTTERING | OTT, PATRICK S | — |
| 18552110 | THREE DIMENSIONAL LITHIUM ANODE WITH A CAPPING LAYER | SCHWARTZ, PHILIP N | — |
| 18255394 | IMPROVED PLASMA RESISTANT COATINGS FOR ELECTROSTATIC CHUCKS | KACKAR, RAM N | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17433203 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING TARGETS FOR PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PVD) | BERMAN, JASON | 2d overdue |
| 18858996 | COATING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT COMPONENTS | OTT, PATRICK S | 12d |
| 17761777 | SUBSTRATE WITH A MOLYBDENUM NITRIDE LAYER SYSTEM, AND COATING METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LAYER SYSTEM | YANG, ZHEREN J | 22d |
| 17613065 | PVD COATINGS COMPRISING MULTI-ANION HIGH ENTROPY ALLOY OXY-NITRIDES | BAND, MICHAEL A | 22d |
| 19215191 | AL-RICH ALTIN COATING LAYERS BY PVD FROM METALLIC TARGETS AND METHOD THEREOF | KRUPICKA, ADAM C | — |
| 18881221 | METAL FREE COATING COMPRISING TETRAHEDRAL HYDROGEN-FREE AMORPHOUS CARBON | FLORES JR, DONALD M | — |
| 18874441 | FORMING TOOLS COATED WITH KAPPA-ALUMINA | ZHANG, HAI Y | — |
| 18703218 | METHOD FOR FORMING HARD AND ULTRA-SMOOTH A-C BY SPUTTERING | OTT, PATRICK S | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1794 | 5 |
| 1784 | 1 |
| 1783 | 1 |
| 1717 | 1 |
| 1749 | 1 |
| 1716 | 1 |
| 1781 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19215191 | AL-RICH ALTIN COATING LAYERS BY PVD FROM METALLIC TARGETS AND METHOD THEREOF | KRUPICKA, ADAM C | 1784 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 21, 2025 |
| 18881221 | METAL FREE COATING COMPRISING TETRAHEDRAL HYDROGEN-FREE AMORPHOUS CARBON | FLORES JR, DONALD M | 1783 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 03, 2025 |
| 18874441 | FORMING TOOLS COATED WITH KAPPA-ALUMINA | ZHANG, HAI Y | 1717 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2024 |
| 18858996 | COATING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT COMPONENTS | OTT, PATRICK S | 1794 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Oct 22, 2024 |
| 18703218 | METHOD FOR FORMING HARD AND ULTRA-SMOOTH A-C BY SPUTTERING | OTT, PATRICK S | 1794 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 19, 2024 |
| 18552110 | THREE DIMENSIONAL LITHIUM ANODE WITH A CAPPING LAYER | SCHWARTZ, PHILIP N | 1749 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 22, 2023 |
| 18255394 | IMPROVED PLASMA RESISTANT COATINGS FOR ELECTROSTATIC CHUCKS | KACKAR, RAM N | 1716 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 01, 2023 |
| 17792928 | HIGH COHESIVE STRENGTH HARD COATINGS CONTAINING SOFT METAL | BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH | 1794 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 14, 2022 |
| 17761777 | SUBSTRATE WITH A MOLYBDENUM NITRIDE LAYER SYSTEM, AND COATING METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LAYER SYSTEM | YANG, ZHEREN J | 1781 | §112 | Final Rejection | 22d | Pending | Mar 18, 2022 |
| 17613065 | PVD COATINGS COMPRISING MULTI-ANION HIGH ENTROPY ALLOY OXY-NITRIDES | BAND, MICHAEL A | 1794 | §103 | Final Rejection | 22d | Pending | Nov 21, 2021 |
| 17433203 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING TARGETS FOR PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PVD) | BERMAN, JASON | 1794 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 2d overdue | Pending | Aug 23, 2021 |
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Start Free TrialOerlikon Surface Solutions AG Pfäffikon has 11 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 7 art units and 10 examiners.
Patrick S Ott has the most, with 2 of Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG Pfäffikon's pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
