Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 27, 2026

Rolls-Royce plc

Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering

100 pending office actions • 52 art units • 86 examiners • 0 of 100 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 218 patents granted in the last 365 days

Analysis

Rolls-Royce plc has 101 pending office actions in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering. The actions are assigned across 88 distinct examiners and 53 distinct art units, showing a broad and technically distributed prosecution workload.

KIM, TAE JUN is the busiest examiner, with 3 pending actions. The busiest-examiner figure does not indicate that the portfolio is centered on one examiner, so centralized oversight of deadlines and response quality will be important. The larger art-unit footprint also supports separate technical review teams or matter groupings, particularly where claim issues may reflect different examination practices.

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

Portfolio Summary

100
Total Pending OAs
68
Non-Final OAs
23
Final Rejections
9
Advisory / Quayle

Response Deadline Pressure

Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 24 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.

8
Overdue
1
Due this week
8
Due this month
6
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. 24 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.

-30dToday30d60d90d120d
Overdue (8)Due ≤ 7 days (1)Due ≤ 30 days (8)Due ≤ 60 days (6)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.

52
Hard (52%)
40
Medium (40%)
8
Easy (8%)
0
Unknown (0%)

Rejection Statute Mix

BucketCases
§101 only1 (1%)
§101 + other5 (5%)
§103 only36 (36%)
§102 only1 (1%)
§112 only7 (7%)
Double-patenting only1 (1%)
Double-patenting + other3 (3%)
Multi-statute (no §101)46 (46%)

Industry Mix

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

24
Life Sciences
24% of docket
4
Information Tech
4% of docket
6
Communications
6% of docket
19
Semiconductors
19% of docket
47
Mechanical / Eng
47% 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.

1,000 h
Manual time on pending OAs
200 h
Time saved (low, 20%)
350 h
Time saved (mid, 35%)
8.8 wks
FTE-weeks freed (mid)

Top Examiners on this docket

ExaminerApps on this docketAllow rateInterview lift
KIM, TAE JUN 4 63.9% +25.8%
HARRINGTON, ALYSON JOAN 3 74.6% +61.0%
RIBADENEYRA, THEODORE C 2 89.2% +9.2%
WALTHOUR, SCOTT J 2 78.6% +70.1%
SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 2 58.6% +71.1%
IGUE, ROBERTO TOSHIHARU 2 57.7% +20.8%
NGUYEN, ANDREW H 2 75.2% +42.5%
BURKE, THOMAS P 2 43.9% +21.7%
KIM, SANG K 2 81.5% +10.3%
DUNN, DARRIN D 2 75.3% +24.4%

Hard Cases (52)

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 #TitleExaminerDue in
17556211 HYDROGEN STORAGE TANK WITH LEAK MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONALITY PATEL, SUHANI JITENDRA 140d overdue
18771137 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A COMPONENT OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE PENNY, TABATHA L 128d overdue
18467387 AEROFOIL FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE PRUITT, JUSTIN A 46d overdue
18732814 HEAT EXCHANGER JONES, GORDON A 44d overdue
18016777 REFUELLING AND/OR STORAGE NEUTRON-ABSORBING RODS DAVIS, SHARON M 1d overdue
18588431 PODDED ENGINE ADAPTOR MICHENER, JOSHUA J 16d
18781563 GEARED GAS TURBINE ENGINE SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 29d
18144425 AIRCRAFT DC POWER BUS REGULATION AND WING DE-ICER MACEDA, KRYSTENE NHE BANDONG 29d

Interview Candidates (21)

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 #TitleExaminerDue in
19023732 HEAT EXCHANGER SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 6d
18781563 GEARED GAS TURBINE ENGINE SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 29d
18741985 GAS TURBINE ENGINE FUEL SYSTEM KIM, TAE JUN 36d
19395519 FLAMEHOLDER FOR A REHEAT ASSEMBLY OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE KIM, TAE JUN —
19364678 GAS TURBINE PERFORMANCE WALTHOUR, SCOTT J —
19228822 FUEL SPRAY NOZZLES KIM, TAE JUN —
19003432 HIGH POWER EPICYCLIC GEARBOX AND OPERATION THEREOF WALTHOUR, SCOTT J —
18916958 PROPULSION SYSTEM COMPRISING A HYDROGEN-BURNING GAS TURBINE ENGINE IGUE, ROBERTO TOSHIHARU —

Top Art Units

Art UnitApps
3741 21
3745 7
2838 6
3642 3
1788 3
3761 3
3747 2
2855 2
3762 2
2834 2

Pending Office Actions

App #TitleExaminerArt UnitStatutesStatusDue inAIFiled
19575281 FUELDRAULIC HEAT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CHAU, ALAIN 3741 §103Other Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 23, 2026
19395519 FLAMEHOLDER FOR A REHEAT ASSEMBLY OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE KIM, TAE JUN 3741 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 20, 2025
19387739 FLUID FLOW MACHINE COMPRISING A CASING STRUCTURE RIBADENEYRA, THEODORE C 3745 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 13, 2025
19387731 FLUID FLOW MACHINE COMPRISING A SEALING ARRANGEMENT RIBADENEYRA, THEODORE C 3745 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 13, 2025
19364678 GAS TURBINE PERFORMANCE WALTHOUR, SCOTT J 3741 §103Other Final Rejection — Pending Oct 21, 2025
19349218 DATA RECORDERS HOLMAN, JOHN D 3667 §102§103Other Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 03, 2025
19347323 GAS TURBINE ENGINE FLORES, JUAN G 3745 §112 Final Rejection — Pending Oct 01, 2025
19323341 GAS TURBINE ENGINE THOMAS, KYLE ROBERT 3741 §103 Final Rejection — Pending Sep 09, 2025
19228822 FUEL SPRAY NOZZLES KIM, TAE JUN 3741 §102§103§112 Final Rejection — Pending Jun 05, 2025
19200887 INSPECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING A SURFACE MAHONEY, CHRISTOPHER E 2858 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending May 07, 2025
19180577 A SEAL, A SEAL ASSEMBLY AND A METHOD PATEL, VISHAL A 3675 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Apr 16, 2025
19084508 ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM THOMAS, LUCY M 2838 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 19, 2025
19077144 POWER ELECTRONICS CONVERTER INGE, JOSEPH N 2836 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 12, 2025
19077702 ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM LAXTON, GARY L 2838 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 12, 2025
19072091 FIBRE PLACEMENT HEAD WOLLSCHLAGER, JEFFREY MICHAEL 1742 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Mar 06, 2025
19057762 POWER ELECTRONICS CONVERTER CHOI, SEUNG HO 2838 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Feb 19, 2025
19033667 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A FAN CASE OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE RIVERA, JOSHEL 1746 §102 Non-Final OA — Pending Jan 22, 2025
19023732 HEAT EXCHANGER SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 3741 §103 Final Rejection 6d Pending Jan 16, 2025
19014752 ELECTRICAL MACHINE MONITORING LAGUARDA, GONZALO 3747 §101DP Non-Final OA — Pending Jan 09, 2025
19003432 HIGH POWER EPICYCLIC GEARBOX AND OPERATION THEREOF WALTHOUR, SCOTT J 3741 DP Non-Final OA — Pending Dec 27, 2024
18967804 HYBRID TRANSMISSION COMPONENT FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE BINDA, GREGORY JOHN 3679 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Dec 04, 2024
18966953 INSPECTION SYSTEM ZHAO, CHRISTINE NMN 2677 §101§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Dec 03, 2024
18960510 VARIABLE STIFFNESS TOOL MELENDEZ, ARMAND 1759 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 26, 2024
18954875 IMAGING WERNER, DAVID N 2877 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 21, 2024
18952302 FUEL SPRAY NOZZLE FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE KIM, CRAIG SANG 3741 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 19, 2024
18948702 GAS TURBINE ENGINE COMPONENT PARTICULATE SAMPLING APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD ROYSTON, JOHN M 2855 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 15, 2024
18948716 METHOD FOR REDUCING DAMAGE TO COMPONENTS OF GAS TURBINE ENGINES HTAY, AYE SU MON 3745 §103 Non-Final OA 4d overdue Pending Nov 15, 2024
18948019 METHOD FOR SCANNING A COMPONENT KAO, CHIH CHENG G 2884 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 14, 2024
18944524 ANALYSING IMAGES OF COMPONENTS TRAN, PHUOC 2668 §101§102 Non-Final OA — Pending Nov 12, 2024
18916958 PROPULSION SYSTEM COMPRISING A HYDROGEN-BURNING GAS TURBINE ENGINE IGUE, ROBERTO TOSHIHARU 3741 §103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 16, 2024
18917212 GAS TURBINE ENGINE HYDROGEN FUEL SYSTEM NGUYEN, ANDREW H 3741 §102§103§112DP Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 16, 2024
18917042 GAS TURBINE ENGINE WEINERT, WILLIAM C 3762 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 16, 2024
18907918 AN IMPROVED GAS TURBINE ENGINE BURKE, THOMAS P 3741 §103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 07, 2024
18906737 ELECTRICAL MACHINE CONDITION MONITORING GONZALEZ QUINONES, JOSE A 2834 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Oct 04, 2024
18895786 DC:DC CONVERTER CONTROL GBLENDE, JEFFREY A 2838 §103§112 Final Rejection — Pending Sep 25, 2024
18892673 AIRCRAFT MISSION INDEX WITH SUSTAINABLE AVAITION FUEL VERSUS HYDROCARBRON BASED FUEL DUGER, JASON H 3741 §103 Non-Final OA 14d Pending Sep 23, 2024
18825101 METHOD FOR ENGINE CONTROL AND MONITORING SYSTEM KIM, JAMES JAY 3747 §102§103 Final Rejection — Pending Sep 05, 2024
18819288 RECESSION RESISTANT INTERMEDIATE LAYER FOR CMC VANE OMORI, MARY I 1784 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Aug 29, 2024
18782306 STAGED COMBUSTOR HARRINGTON, ALYSON JOAN 3741 §103§112 Final Rejection — Pending Jul 24, 2024
18781563 GEARED GAS TURBINE ENGINE SEBASCO CHENG, STEPHANIE 3741 §102§103§112 Final Rejection 29d Pending Jul 23, 2024
18729431 AIRCRAFT WING COMPRISING A STORAGE TANK FOR GASEOUS HYDROGEN GORDON, ANNA L 3642 §112 Non-Final OA — Pending Jul 16, 2024
18771137 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A COMPONENT OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE PENNY, TABATHA L 1712 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA 128d overdue Pending Jul 12, 2024
18764516 GAS TURBINE ENGINE STARTING METHOD KIM, TAE JUN 3799 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Jul 05, 2024
18753161 GAS TURBINE HEAT EXCHANGER HARRINGTON, ALYSON JOAN 3741 §112 Final Rejection — Pending Jun 25, 2024
18752042 INSERTION TOOL KIM, SANG K 3654 §102§103§112 Non-Final OA — Pending Jun 24, 2024
18747619 PROBE AND METHOD FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF A COMPONENT BUTLER, KEVIN C 2852 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Jun 19, 2024
18741985 GAS TURBINE ENGINE FUEL SYSTEM KIM, TAE JUN 3799 §103§112 Non-Final OA 36d Pending Jun 13, 2024
18737303 MODULAR MECHANICAL TEST APPARATUS FOR CMC COMPONENT VILLALUNA, ERIKA J 2852 §102§103 Non-Final OA — Pending Jun 07, 2024
18736038 PHENOLIC TRIAZINE SILICON POLYMER RESIN BLENDS SLOAN, LILY KAYOKO 1762 §103 Non-Final OA — Pending Jun 06, 2024
18732814 HEAT EXCHANGER JONES, GORDON A 3763 §102§103 Non-Final OA 44d overdue Pending Jun 04, 2024

View all 100 →

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many pending USPTO office actions does Rolls-Royce plc have?

Rolls-Royce plc has 100 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 52 art units and 86 examiners.

Which USPTO examiner handles the most Rolls-Royce plc applications?

Tae Jun Kim has the most, with 4 of Rolls-Royce plc's pending office actions.

What technology area are Rolls-Royce plc's patent applications in?

Mostly Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering (USPTO Tech Center 3700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.

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