Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
104 pending office actions • 30 art units • 83 examiners • 0 of 104 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 143 patents granted in the last 365 days
Smith & Nephew plc has 105 pending office actions in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering. The matters span 87 distinct examiners and 32 distinct art units, showing a broad examination footprint with substantially more examiner assignments than art-unit assignments. This distribution supports centralized docket controls alongside technology-specific review.
ARBLE, JESSICA R is the busiest examiner, with 3 pending actions. That assignment is small relative to the overall portfolio, so examiner-specific strategy should supplement rather than replace broader prosecution coordination. The art-unit spread also makes recurring issue tracking useful for identifying patterns across device technologies.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 34 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. 34 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 | 2 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 13 (12%) |
| §103 only | 36 (35%) |
| §102 only | 5 (5%) |
| §112 only | 4 (4%) |
| Double-patenting only | 3 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 5 (5%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 36 (35%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MENSH, ANDREW J | 3 | 64.5% | +19.2% |
| ARBLE, JESSICA R | 3 | 66.6% | +25.0% |
| RASSAVONG, ERIC | 3 | 70.7% | +35.4% |
| HAN, SETH | 2 | 59.6% | +27.1% |
| SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 2 | 51.3% | +48.8% |
| KALIHER, HANS CHRISTIAN | 2 | 62.9% | +27.3% |
| KU, SI MING | 2 | 72.8% | +32.8% |
| WAGGLE, JR, LARRY E | 2 | 80.6% | +17.2% |
| JOHANAS, JACQUELINE T | 2 | 63.9% | +29.9% |
| LAWSON, MATTHEW JAMES | 2 | 73.8% | +29.9% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 1 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19177931 | BONE PUNCH INSTRUMENT | WAGGLE, JR, LARRY E | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17676040 | WOUND THERAPY SYSTEM AND DRESSING FOR DELIVERING OXYGEN TO A WOUND | SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 46d overdue |
| 18276722 | Methods and Systems for Planning and Performing Implant Surgery | PATEL, SHERYL GOPAL | 24d overdue |
| 17978289 | KNOTLESS ANCHOR DRIVE SYSTEM | MCGINNITY, JAMES RYAN | 15d overdue |
| 17752745 | APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY | WIEST, PHILIP R | 9d overdue |
| 18217432 | CANISTER FOR A NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY SYSTEM | DEL PRIORE, ALESSANDRO R | 4d overdue |
| 17790869 | METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO DESCRIBE DEFORMITY OF A BONE | BAILEY, STEVEN WILLIAM | 15d |
| 17068401 | DETERMINING A RANGE OF MOTION OF AN ARTIFICIAL KNEE JOINT | BROWN, HELENE CATHERINE | 21d |
| 18396800 | IMPACTOR | BATES, DAVID W | 21d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18081063 | BIOCOMPATIBLE ENCAPSULATION AND COMPONENT STRESS RELIEF FOR SENSOR ENABLED NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY DRESSINGS | KALIHER, HANS CHRISTIAN | 79d overdue |
| 17676040 | WOUND THERAPY SYSTEM AND DRESSING FOR DELIVERING OXYGEN TO A WOUND | SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 46d overdue |
| 17766986 | APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY | RASSAVONG, ERIC | 44d overdue |
| 18373875 | BESPOKE WOUND TREATMENT APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR USE IN NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY | SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 7d |
| 18285563 | INTELLIGENT DISPOSABLE DEVICES FOR WOUND THERAPY AND TREATMENT | MENSH, ANDREW J | 7d |
| 19336208 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF USE | MENSH, ANDREW J | 12d |
| 18385291 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF TREATMENT | ARBLE, JESSICA R | 19d |
| 18027861 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A FABRIC FOR A WOUND DRESSING | RASSAVONG, ERIC | 86d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3781 | 29 |
| 3775 | 14 |
| 3771 | 7 |
| 3797 | 6 |
| 3774 | 6 |
| 3798 | 5 |
| 3773 | 4 |
| 3799 | 4 |
| 3794 | 3 |
| 3783 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19336208 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF USE | MENSH, ANDREW J | 3781 | §103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Sep 22, 2025 |
| 19019143 | FLUID COLLECTION | ANDERSON, CATHARINE L | 3781 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 13, 2025 |
| 18980185 | DRESSING FOR NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY WITH FILTER | HAN, SETH | 3781 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2024 |
| 18902471 | WOUND TREATMENT APPARATUSES AND METHODS WITH NEGATIVE PRESSURE SOURCE INTEGRATED INTO WOUND DRESSING | ARBLE, JESSICA R | 3781 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18896332 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF TREATMENT | STEPHENS, JACQUELINE F | 3781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 25, 2024 |
| 18893187 | CUSTOMIZABLE WOUND CLOSURE DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE | ARBLE, JESSICA R | 3781 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2024 |
| 18767430 | ANTIMICROBIAL OR WOUND CARE MATERIALS, DEVICES AND USES | PALENIK, JEFFREY T | 1615 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 09, 2024 |
| 18385291 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF TREATMENT | ARBLE, JESSICA R | 3781 | §103 | Final Rejection | 19d | Pending | Oct 30, 2023 |
| 18373875 | BESPOKE WOUND TREATMENT APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR USE IN NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY | SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 3781 | §112Other | Final Rejection | 7d | Pending | Sep 27, 2023 |
| 18207618 | SAFE OPERATION OF INTEGRATED NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND TREATMENT APPARATUSES | WITTLIFF, KATERINA ANNA | 3783 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 08, 2023 |
| 18081063 | BIOCOMPATIBLE ENCAPSULATION AND COMPONENT STRESS RELIEF FOR SENSOR ENABLED NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY DRESSINGS | KALIHER, HANS CHRISTIAN | 3781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 79d overdue | Pending | Dec 14, 2022 |
| 17956008 | WOUND DRESSING | YANG, CHENG FONG | 3781 | §103 | Final Rejection | 6d | Pending | Sep 29, 2022 |
| 17676040 | WOUND THERAPY SYSTEM AND DRESSING FOR DELIVERING OXYGEN TO A WOUND | SMITH, PETER DANIEL | 3781 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 46d overdue | Pending | Feb 18, 2022 |
| 19314368 | FORCE-INDICATING RETRACTOR DEVICE AND METHODS OF USE | KU, SI MING | 3775 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 29, 2025 |
| 19177931 | BONE PUNCH INSTRUMENT | WAGGLE, JR, LARRY E | 3775 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 14, 2025 |
| 19117776 | MOTORIZED STRUT MOTOR FEEDBACK | JOHANAS, JACQUELINE T | 3773 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 02, 2025 |
| 19070951 | SOFT ANCHORING TISSUE REPAIR ASSEMBLY AND SYSTEM | RABAGLIA, BRIDGET ELIZABETH | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 05, 2025 |
| 19103914 | Modeling Tools for Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Pre-Operative Planning | SANGHERA, STEVEN G.S. | 3684 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 |
| 19099949 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PLANNING A PATELLA REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE | ZAMAN, SADARUZ | 3715 | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 30, 2025 |
| 19027835 | OPTICAL CALIPER FOR 3-D ENDOSCOPIC IMAGING AND MEASUREMENT | LEE, BENEDICT E | 2665 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 18982472 | SMART, VIDEO-BASED JOINT DISTRACTOR POSITIONING SYSTEM | LI, JOHN DENNY | 3798 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 16, 2024 |
| 18873467 | AUTOMATED SEGMENTATION FOR ACL REVISION OPERATIVE PLANNING | GEDRA, OLIVIA ROSE | 3681 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | 36d | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18873168 | POLYHEDRAL FIDUCIAL MARKERS FOR COMPUTER-ASSISTED SURGERY | LAWSON, MATTHEW JAMES | 3619 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 |
| 18955383 | TRACKING OF OFFSET REAMER HANDLE | HANNA, SAMUEL SALEEB | 3775 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 43d | Pending | Nov 21, 2024 |
| 18953840 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POINT AND TOOL ACTIVATION | CWERN, JONATHAN | 3797 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2024 |
| 18944079 | JOINT REPAIR AUGMENTATION | ORKIN, ALEXANDER J | 3771 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 12, 2024 |
| 18936354 | MEDICAL IMPLANT AND IMPLANTATION FRAME | LYNCH, ROBERT A | 3771 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18854117 | PROGRAMMER FOR USE IN A MOTORIZED SPATIAL FRAME | COTRONEO, STEVEN J | 3773 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 04, 2024 |
| 18890997 | ADJUSTABLE FLEXIBLE CANNULA | JOHANAS, JACQUELINE T | 3773 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 20, 2024 |
| 18770279 | TISSUE ANCHOR DEPLOYMENT DEVICE, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS | TON, MARTIN TRUYEN | 3771 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 11, 2024 |
| 18768484 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING 3D MODELS OF EXISTING BONE TUNNELS FOR SURGICAL PLANNING | RAMANA, ANURADHA | 3775 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 10, 2024 |
| 18761873 | TUNNEL DRILLING AIMER AND ISO-ANGLE USER INTERFACE | BRUCE, FAROUK A | 3797 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 02, 2024 |
| 18722273 | METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DETERMINING BONE CHARACTERISTICS AND BONE PREPARATION PLANS | GIBSON, ERIC SHANE | 3775 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 55d | Pending | Jun 20, 2024 |
| 18708018 | ORTHOPEDIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT | BATES, DAVID W | 3799 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 07, 2024 |
| 18655704 | TEMPLATE FOR TIBIAL BASEPLATE REMOVAL | KAMIKAWA, TRACY L | 3775 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 06, 2024 |
| 18697037 | BONE REAMER VIDEO BASED NAVIGATION | MALDONADO, STEVEN | 3797 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 2024 |
| 18693603 | LATERALIZATION ANTEVERSION | CHU, DAVID H | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 20, 2024 |
| 18687502 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING A FEMORAL ARRAY CLAMP | HARVEY, JULIANNA NANCY | 3773 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 147d overdue | Pending | Feb 28, 2024 |
| 18414781 | TISSUE REPAIR CONSTRUCTS AND METHODS OF USE | HOAG, MITCHELL BRAIN | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | 23d | Pending | Jan 17, 2024 |
| 18501258 | MEDICAL IMPLANT DELIVERY SYSTEM | FLORES, ADRIAN | 3774 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 03, 2023 |
| 18555935 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS TO THE NASAL CAVITY USING IONTOPHORESIS | HARRIS, WESLEY G | 3783 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 18, 2023 |
| 18471677 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF CONTROL OF CONDUCTIVE FLUID DURING COAGULATION | DELLA, JAYMI E | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 28d | Pending | Sep 21, 2023 |
| 18280920 | ADAPTIVE LEARNING FOR ROBOTIC ARTHROPLASTY | KARIM, ZIAUL | 2141 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 07, 2023 |
| 18276722 | Methods and Systems for Planning and Performing Implant Surgery | PATEL, SHERYL GOPAL | 3685 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | 24d overdue | Pending | Aug 10, 2023 |
| 18265088 | SURGICAL PLANNING FOR BONE DEFORMITY OR SHAPE CORRECTION | GEBRESILASSIE, KIBROM K | 2189 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 02, 2023 |
| 18036970 | FIBER OPTIC CABLE FOR LESS INVASIVE BONE TRACKING | DAVIS, AMELIE R | 3798 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 22d | Pending | May 15, 2023 |
| 18252492 | DATA OWNERSHIP COMPLIANCE SOLUTION | BALAJ, ANTHONY MICHAEL | 3682 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 39d | Pending | May 10, 2023 |
| 17978289 | KNOTLESS ANCHOR DRIVE SYSTEM | MCGINNITY, JAMES RYAN | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 15d overdue | Pending | Nov 01, 2022 |
| 17897789 | TISSUE REPAIR IMPLANT AND COMPOSITIONS AND METHOD OF IMPLANTATION | DUDDEN, TERESA MARIE | 3774 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 29, 2022 |
| 17875114 | BIOACTIVE SCAFFOLD AUGMENTATION FOR ACL RECONSTRUCTION | DUDDEN, TERESA MARIE | 3774 | §103 | Final Rejection | 46d | Pending | Jul 27, 2022 |
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Start Free TrialSmith & Nephew plc has 104 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 30 art units and 83 examiners.
Andrew J Mensh has the most, with 3 of Smith & Nephew plc's pending office actions.
Mostly Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering (USPTO Tech Center 3700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
