Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
99 pending office actions • 30 art units • 86 examiners • 0 of 99 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 147 patents granted in the last 365 days
Smith & Nephew plc manages a volume of 104 pending office actions within the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. This workload is distributed across 88 distinct examiners, indicating a broad engagement with the patent office's examining corps. The portfolio spans 28 distinct art units, which reflects a wide range of technical sub-specialties and classification categories within the broader engineering field.
The busiest examiner for this portfolio is KAMIKAWA, TRACY L, who is currently handling 4 busiest examiner pending office actions. Despite the volume of 104 pending office actions, the workload is decentralized, as the busiest examiner only accounts for a small portion of the total. This distribution across 88 distinct examiners suggests that prosecution outcomes are influenced by a variety of individual examiner styles. Practitioners must coordinate strategies across 28 distinct art units to ensure consistency in claim construction and technical disclosures across this portfolio.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 36 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. 36 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 (13%) |
| §103 only | 34 (34%) |
| §102 only | 3 (3%) |
| §112 only | 3 (3%) |
| Double-patenting only | 3 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (6%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 35 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARBLE, JESSICA R | 3 | 66.5% | +25.1% |
| RASSAVONG, ERIC | 3 | 71.6% | +34.4% |
| MENSH, ANDREW J | 2 | 64.4% | +19.2% |
| HAN, SETH | 2 | 58.9% | +27.0% |
| LAWSON, MATTHEW JAMES | 2 | 73.8% | +29.9% |
| HANNA, SAMUEL SALEEB | 2 | 58.2% | +36.5% |
| BATES, DAVID W | 2 | 76.4% | +16.7% |
| KAMIKAWA, TRACY L | 2 | 58.1% | +37.2% |
| DUDDEN, TERESA MARIE | 2 | 48.1% | +45.2% |
| DEL PRIORE, ALESSANDRO R | 2 | 62.0% | +44.1% |
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 |
| 18396800 | IMPACTOR | BATES, DAVID W | 21d |
| 17068401 | DETERMINING A RANGE OF MOTION OF AN ARTIFICIAL KNEE JOINT | BROWN, HELENE CATHERINE | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17794518 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-STAGE ROBOTIC ASSISTED BONE PREPARATION FOR CEMENTLESS IMPLANTS | KAMIKAWA, TRACY L | 56d overdue |
| 17766986 | APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY | RASSAVONG, ERIC | 44d overdue |
| 18217432 | CANISTER FOR A NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY SYSTEM | DEL PRIORE, ALESSANDRO R | 4d overdue |
| 19336208 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF USE | MENSH, ANDREW J | 12d |
| 18385291 | WOUND DRESSING AND METHOD OF TREATMENT | ARBLE, JESSICA R | 19d |
| 18396800 | IMPACTOR | BATES, DAVID W | 21d |
| 18418118 | APPARATUS FOR VACUUM BRIDGING AND/OR EXUDATE COLLECTION | DEL PRIORE, ALESSANDRO R | 34d |
| 18955383 | TRACKING OF OFFSET REAMER HANDLE | HANNA, SAMUEL SALEEB | 43d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3781 | 27 |
| 3775 | 10 |
| 3771 | 9 |
| 3774 | 6 |
| 3798 | 5 |
| 3797 | 5 |
| 3799 | 4 |
| 3794 | 4 |
| 3786 | 3 |
| 3783 | 3 |
| 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 |
| 18966612 | SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR APPLYING BIOCOMPATIBLE ENCAPSULATION TO SENSOR ENABLED WOUND MONITORING AND THERAPY DRESSINGS | DAGENAIS, KRISTEN A | 3786 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 03, 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 |
| 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 | §103DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 29, 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§102§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 |
| 18937245 | ALL-SUTURE KNOTLESS MENISCAL REPAIR CONSTRUCT | LE, KHOA TAN | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 05, 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 |
| 18843794 | ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANT ASSEMBLY FOR PROXIMAL FEMUR REPLACEMENT | BECCIA, CHRISTOPHER J | 3775 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 04, 2024 |
| 18790171 | FEMORAL HIP STEM IMPLANT AND CORRESPONDING ORTHOPEDIC BROACH | STEWART, ALVIN J | 3799 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 31, 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 |
| 18637796 | METHOD OF GRAFT PREPARATION | SHI, KATHERINE MENGLIN | 3771 | §112 | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Apr 17, 2024 |
| 18697037 | BONE REAMER VIDEO BASED NAVIGATION | MALDONADO, STEVEN | 3797 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 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 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialSmith & Nephew plc has 99 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 30 art units and 86 examiners.
Jessica R Arble 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.