Technology areas: Computing & Software • Communications
61 pending office actions • 28 art units • 45 examiners • 0 of 61 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 228 patents granted in the last 365 days
Sonos Inc. has 62 pending office actions in Communications. The docket spans 45 distinct examiners and 27 distinct art units, reflecting meaningful distribution across examination personnel and technical units. The portfolio therefore calls for coordinated docket management alongside detailed examiner and art-unit review.
MCCORD, PAUL C is the busiest examiner with 10 pending matters. This concentration creates an identifiable point for reviewing common objections and response approaches, but the remaining docket is distributed broadly enough that a single strategy will not address all matters. Counsel may use the concentrated group to identify patterns while preserving application-specific claim analysis.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 13 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. 13 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 + other | 1 (2%) |
| §103 only | 31 (51%) |
| §102 only | 2 (3%) |
| §112 only | 1 (2%) |
| Double-patenting only | 7 (11%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 1 (2%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (30%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCCORD, PAUL C | 9 | 69.3% | +25.9% |
| SAUNDERS JR, JOSEPH | 4 | 73.4% | +20.5% |
| NGUYEN, QUYNH H | 3 | 87.4% | +16.9% |
| LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE | 2 | 88.5% | +5.3% |
| PAUL, DISLER | 2 | 82.3% | +8.6% |
| WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 2 | 80.0% | +28.5% |
| FAN, HUA | 1 | 69.8% | +21.2% |
| CRAVER, CHARLES R | 1 | 62.2% | +20.9% |
| SKHOUN, HICHAM | 1 | 77.1% | +5.5% |
| ABEDIN, NORMIN | 1 | 84.5% | +10.2% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18464848 | Multiple Media Playback Protocols for Synchronized Media Playback in Grouped Zones | WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 85d overdue |
| 19022968 | STORING GENERATED DIGITAL OBJECTS ON A DISTRIBUTED LEDGER | LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE | 34d |
| 18886512 | Media Playback System Control via Multiple Networks | WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 71d |
| 19209096 | BLOCKCHAIN-BASED GENERATIVE MEDIA SYSTEM FOR REAL-WORLD ASSET TOKENIZATION | LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE | — |
| 19184737 | Techniques for Extending the Lifespan of Playback Devices | ABEDIN, NORMIN | — |
| 19038176 | POWER MANAGEMENT FOR AUDIO PLAYBACK DEVICES | NGUYEN, QUYNH H | — |
| 19037707 | POWER MANAGEMENT FOR AUDIO PLAYBACK DEVICES | NGUYEN, QUYNH H | — |
| 19030817 | Wireless Radio Switching | PAUL, DISLER | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18514882 | ASSOCIATING PLAYBACK DEVICES WITH PLAYBACK QUEUES | MCCORD, PAUL C | 26d overdue |
| 18411731 | Room-Informed Binaural Rendering | BRINEY III, WALTER F | 4d overdue |
| 18745199 | Dynamic Bonding of Playback Devices | MCCORD, PAUL C | 5d |
| 18760210 | Playback Zone Representations | ORR, HENRY W | 22d |
| 17833224 | RADIO COEXISTENCE TECHNIQUES FOR PLAYBACK DEVICES | TSVEY, GENNADIY | 28d |
| 19341240 | Adaptive Streaming Content Selection for Playback Groups | FAN, HUA | — |
| 19342362 | DEVICE IMPAIRMENT DETECTION | CRAVER, CHARLES R | — |
| 19253512 | Playback Queue Collaboration and Notification | SKHOUN, HICHAM | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18464848 | Multiple Media Playback Protocols for Synchronized Media Playback in Grouped Zones | WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 85d overdue |
| 18514882 | ASSOCIATING PLAYBACK DEVICES WITH PLAYBACK QUEUES | MCCORD, PAUL C | 26d overdue |
| 18745199 | Dynamic Bonding of Playback Devices | MCCORD, PAUL C | 5d |
| 18597873 | Systems and Methods for Calibrating a Playback Device | MCCORD, PAUL C | 6d |
| 18886512 | Media Playback System Control via Multiple Networks | WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 71d |
| 19341240 | Adaptive Streaming Content Selection for Playback Groups | FAN, HUA | — |
| 19342362 | DEVICE IMPAIRMENT DETECTION | CRAVER, CHARLES R | — |
| 19184737 | Techniques for Extending the Lifespan of Playback Devices | ABEDIN, NORMIN | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2692 | 18 |
| 2695 | 6 |
| 2691 | 4 |
| 2693 | 4 |
| 2161 | 2 |
| 2171 | 2 |
| 2174 | 2 |
| 2443 | 2 |
| 2426 | 1 |
| 3992 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19341240 | Adaptive Streaming Content Selection for Playback Groups | FAN, HUA | 2426 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2025 |
| 19342362 | DEVICE IMPAIRMENT DETECTION | CRAVER, CHARLES R | 3992 | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2025 |
| 19253512 | Playback Queue Collaboration and Notification | SKHOUN, HICHAM | 2164 | §101§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 27, 2025 |
| 19209096 | BLOCKCHAIN-BASED GENERATIVE MEDIA SYSTEM FOR REAL-WORLD ASSET TOKENIZATION | LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE | 2161 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2025 |
| 19184737 | Techniques for Extending the Lifespan of Playback Devices | ABEDIN, NORMIN | 2449 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 21, 2025 |
| 19171711 | Playback Device Group Volume Control | HAMID, AMMAR T | 2691 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 07, 2025 |
| 19116085 | VOICE DISAMBIGUATION TECHNIQUES IN MEDIA PLAYBACK SYSTEMS | SIRJANI, FARIBA | 2659 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2025 |
| 19088378 | PACKAGING SYSTEM | PAL, PRINCE | 3735 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 19113119 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING PORT CONTAMINATION IN PLAYBACK DEVICES | MCANDREW, CHRISTOPHER P | 2858 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 19, 2025 |
| 19068226 | Room Association Based on Name | SAUNDERS JR, JOSEPH | 2692 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 03, 2025 |
| 19104585 | PROXIMITY-BASED POWER MANAGEMENT FOR AUDIO PLAYBACK DEVICES | TRAN, CON P | 2695 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 18, 2025 |
| 19049323 | Hybrid Sniffing and Rebroadcast for Bluetooth Mesh Networks | ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N | 2457 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 10, 2025 |
| 19044357 | Cable Retraction Mechanism for Headphone Devices | SUTHERS, DOUGLAS JOHN | 2695 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 03, 2025 |
| 19038176 | POWER MANAGEMENT FOR AUDIO PLAYBACK DEVICES | NGUYEN, QUYNH H | 2693 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 27, 2025 |
| 19037707 | POWER MANAGEMENT FOR AUDIO PLAYBACK DEVICES | NGUYEN, QUYNH H | 2693 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 27, 2025 |
| 19027809 | Calibration of a Playback Device Based on an Estimated Frequency Response | MOHAMMED, ASSAD | 2691 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19030817 | Wireless Radio Switching | PAUL, DISLER | 2695 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19029937 | MEDIA PLAYBACK BASED ON SENSOR DATA | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19027699 | Validation of Audio Calibration Using Multi-Dimensional Motion Check | PAUL, DISLER | 2695 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19030844 | Volume Limit | PATEL, YOGESHKUMAR G | 2691 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19031037 | Handling of loss of pairing between networked devices | SAINT CYR, LEONARD | 2658 | §102Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19031204 | Multi-Channel Acoustic Echo Cancellation | TON, DAVID L | 2695 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19029647 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OPERATING MEDIA PLAYBACK SYSTEMS HAVING MULTIPLE VOICE ASSISTANT SERVICES | JACKSON, JAKIEDA R | 2657 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19029722 | MEDIA PLAYBACK BASED ON SENSOR DATA | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19025149 | PLAYBACK TRANSITIONS | SAUNDERS JR, JOSEPH | 2692 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19025751 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COORDINATED PLAYBACK OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT | HOQUE, NAFIZ E | — | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19025318 | PLAYBACK OF MEDIA CONTENT ACCORDING TO MEDIA PREFERENCES | BARBOZA, MARCUS ALEXANDER | 2692 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19022968 | STORING GENERATED DIGITAL OBJECTS ON A DISTRIBUTED LEDGER | LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE | 2161 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 34d | Pending | Jan 15, 2025 |
| 19019322 | Methods and Devices for Rejoining a Group | DEANE JR, WILLIAM J | 2693 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 13, 2025 |
| 19005544 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF PROVIDING SPATIAL AUDIO ASSOCIATED WITH A SIMULATED ENVIRONMENT | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 30, 2024 |
| 18990825 | INTEROPERABILITY OF NATIVE MEDIA PLAYBACK SYSTEM WITH VIRTUAL LINE-IN | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18968407 | Systems and Methods of Adjusting Bass Levels of Multi-Channel Audio Signals | NGUYEN, QUYNH H | 2693 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 04, 2024 |
| 18968645 | Extending Playback With Corresponding Media | SAUNDERS JR, JOSEPH | 2692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 04, 2024 |
| 18944141 | AUDIO PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT BASED ON PLAYBACK DEVICE SEPARATION DISTANCE | SAUNDERS JR, JOSEPH | 2692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 12, 2024 |
| 18939935 | SPATIAL AUDIO CORRECTION | FISCHER, MARK L | 2692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2024 |
| 18919027 | REMOTE PAIRING INITIATION FOR AUDIO DEVICES | MEHEDI, MORSHED | 2408 | §102 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 17, 2024 |
| 18913659 | Local Voice Data Processing | MONIKANG, GEORGE C | 2692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 |
| 18907910 | Remote Creation of a Playback Queue for an Event | NGUYEN, CAO H | 2171 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 07, 2024 |
| 18903504 | Techniques for Reducing Latency in a Wireless Home Theater Environment | CHOWDHURY, RAYEEZ R | 2174 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 01, 2024 |
| 18886512 | Media Playback System Control via Multiple Networks | WON, MICHAEL YOUNG | 2443 | §103 | Final Rejection | 71d | Pending | Sep 16, 2024 |
| 18883801 | Information Display Regarding Playback Queue Subscriptions | BEKEE, CHIMEZIE EZERIWE | 2691 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 12, 2024 |
| 18800916 | Sound and Light Experiences | CHAI, RAYMOND REI-YANG | 2845 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 16d | Pending | Aug 12, 2024 |
| 18798597 | OPTIMIZATION OF NETWORK MICROPHONE DEVICES USING NOISE CLASSIFICATION | MOONEY, JAMES K | 2695 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 08, 2024 |
| 18771158 | Policies for Media Playback | CALDERON SANTIAGO, ALVARO RAFAEL | 2171 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 12, 2024 |
| 18766327 | Intelligent User Interfaces for Playback Devices | YOON, ERIC | 2118 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Jul 08, 2024 |
| 18760210 | Playback Zone Representations | ORR, HENRY W | 2172 | §102§112 | Final Rejection | 22d | Pending | Jul 01, 2024 |
| 18754031 | MEDIA CONTENT CURATION BASED ON SAMPLE MEDIA ITEM(S) | NGUYEN, TUAN S | 2179 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 25, 2024 |
| 18745199 | Dynamic Bonding of Playback Devices | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103§112Other | Final Rejection | 5d | Pending | Jun 17, 2024 |
| 18738169 | Playback Device Grouping | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 10, 2024 |
| 18597873 | Systems and Methods for Calibrating a Playback Device | MCCORD, PAUL C | 2692 | §103 | Final Rejection | 6d | Pending | Mar 06, 2024 |
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Start Free TrialSonos Inc. has 61 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 28 art units and 45 examiners.
Paul C Mccord has the most, with 9 of Sonos Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Communications (USPTO Tech Center 2600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
