Technology area: Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems
27 pending office actions • 18 art units • 27 examiners • 0 of 27 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 113 patents granted in the last 365 days
Target Brands Inc. has 30 pending office actions in Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems. Each matter is assigned to a distinct examiner, while 20 distinct art units are represented. The docket therefore has broad examiner dispersion with repeated technical-unit participation.
CAO, VINCENT M is the busiest examiner, with 1 pending matter. No examiner cluster is identified in the current data, so portfolio-level coordination is more important than reliance on one examiner relationship. Counsel should maintain consistent positions across related technologies while tracking the separate art-unit contexts.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 10 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. 10 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 | 8 (30%) |
| §101 + other | 12 (44%) |
| §103 only | 4 (15%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 3 (11%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAO, VINCENT M | 1 | 55.5% | +31.6% |
| WEINER, ARIELLE E | 1 | 43.4% | +53.6% |
| GOLDBERG, IVAN R | 1 | 35.2% | +35.9% |
| KIM, STEVEN S | 1 | 38.7% | +39.7% |
| JOSEPH, TONYA S | 1 | 24.2% | +19.3% |
| BEKERMAN, MICHAEL | 1 | 32.9% | +30.2% |
| LE, MICHAEL | 1 | 66.0% | +21.7% |
| MAHMOOD, REZWANUL | 1 | 46.2% | +34.0% |
| MITCHELL, NATHAN A | 1 | 72.9% | +10.0% |
| HAIDER, FAWAAD | 1 | 50.5% | +25.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18643501 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING RETAIL RETURNS | MILLER, JAMES H | 124d overdue |
| 18595160 | SIMILAR ITEM FORECASTING | WALTON, CHESIREE A | 30d overdue |
| 18317593 | MULTI-MODAL MACHINE LEARNING MODEL AND SYSTEM | GEORGALAS, ANNE MARIE | 12d |
| 18138855 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZATION OF CAMPAIGN DELIVERY TO IDENTIFIED USER GROUPS | PATEL, DIPEN M | 15d |
| 18308012 | IDENTIFYING SHORTAGE ITEMS FROM A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT IN ONLINE MARKETPLACES | LUDWIG, PETER L | 16d |
| 17944034 | WORKFLOW TRACKING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM | ELKASSABGI, ZAHRA | 26d |
| 18235580 | IDENTIFYING AND PRESENTING INFORMATION ABOUT FOOD SAFETY IN AN ORDER FULFILLMENT SYSTEM | SIMPSON, DIONE N | 28d |
| 18319902 | MULTI-CHANNEL DEMAND PLANNING FOR INVENTORY PLANNING AND CONTROL | HENRY, MATTHEW D | 29d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19379108 | DRIVE UP INCENTIVIZATION ENGINE IN AN ORDER FULFILLMENT SYSTEM | CAO, VINCENT M | — |
| 19357393 | SYSTEM, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING CONTACTLESS DRIVE UP ORDER FULFILLMENT | WEINER, ARIELLE E | — |
| 19288770 | DEMAND FORECASTING SYSTEM | GOLDBERG, IVAN R | — |
| 19262692 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF PROVIDING METAVERSE DIGITAL ASSET BASED ON RETAILER DESIRED PURCHASE, PARTICIPATION OR ACTION | KIM, STEVEN S | — |
| 19189934 | METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTING AVAILABLE INVENTORIES AND FOR ALLOCATION OF ORDERS BASED ON PREDICTED ITEM UNAVAILABILITY | JOSEPH, TONYA S | — |
| 19169686 | CONTEXT-SPECIFIC ITEM RECOMMENDATION SERVICES INCLUDING CONTEXTUAL OFFER RECOMMENDATION ENGINE | BEKERMAN, MICHAEL | — |
| 19077551 | PLATFORM FOR PERFORMING MULTI-STAGE DATA OPERATIONS | LE, MICHAEL | — |
| 19070120 | INTERMEDIARY ROUTING AND MODERATION PLATFORM FOR GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM INTERFACING | MAHMOOD, REZWANUL | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3627 | 6 |
| 3689 | 3 |
| 3619 | 2 |
| 3621 | 2 |
| 3622 | 1 |
| 3698 | 1 |
| 3628 | 1 |
| 2163 | 1 |
| 2159 | 1 |
| 2616 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19379108 | DRIVE UP INCENTIVIZATION ENGINE IN AN ORDER FULFILLMENT SYSTEM | CAO, VINCENT M | 3622 | §101 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2025 |
| 19357393 | SYSTEM, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING CONTACTLESS DRIVE UP ORDER FULFILLMENT | WEINER, ARIELLE E | 3689 | §101§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 14, 2025 |
| 19288770 | DEMAND FORECASTING SYSTEM | GOLDBERG, IVAN R | 3619 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 01, 2025 |
| 19262692 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF PROVIDING METAVERSE DIGITAL ASSET BASED ON RETAILER DESIRED PURCHASE, PARTICIPATION OR ACTION | KIM, STEVEN S | 3698 | §101DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 08, 2025 |
| 19189934 | METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTING AVAILABLE INVENTORIES AND FOR ALLOCATION OF ORDERS BASED ON PREDICTED ITEM UNAVAILABILITY | JOSEPH, TONYA S | 3628 | §101 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2025 |
| 19169686 | CONTEXT-SPECIFIC ITEM RECOMMENDATION SERVICES INCLUDING CONTEXTUAL OFFER RECOMMENDATION ENGINE | BEKERMAN, MICHAEL | 3621 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 03, 2025 |
| 19077551 | PLATFORM FOR PERFORMING MULTI-STAGE DATA OPERATIONS | LE, MICHAEL | 2163 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 12, 2025 |
| 19070120 | INTERMEDIARY ROUTING AND MODERATION PLATFORM FOR GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM INTERFACING | MAHMOOD, REZWANUL | 2159 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 04, 2025 |
| 19060911 | WEIGHT BUMP VALIDATION SYSTEM | MITCHELL, NATHAN A | 3627 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 24, 2025 |
| 18963106 | RETAIL SHELF IMAGE PROCESSING AND INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM | HAIDER, FAWAAD | 3627 | §101 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 27, 2024 |
| 18817438 | SCENE BUILDER | HAJNIK, DANIEL F | 2616 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2024 |
| 18784444 | DIGITAL RECEIPT GENERATION | MUTSCHLER, JOSEPH M | 3627 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 25, 2024 |
| 18742801 | SYSTEM FOR RECOMMENDING ITEMS AND ITEM DESIGNS BASED ON AI GENERATED IMAGES | KRINGEN, MICHELLE THERESE | 3689 | §103 | Final Rejection | 4d overdue | Pending | Jun 13, 2024 |
| 18643501 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING RETAIL RETURNS | MILLER, JAMES H | 3694 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | 124d overdue | Pending | Apr 23, 2024 |
| 18595160 | SIMILAR ITEM FORECASTING | WALTON, CHESIREE A | 3624 | §101§102 | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Mar 04, 2024 |
| 18383870 | SHOPPING CART WITH PROTECTIVE BUMPER | FRICK, EMMA K | 3613 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 25, 2023 |
| 18235580 | IDENTIFYING AND PRESENTING INFORMATION ABOUT FOOD SAFETY IN AN ORDER FULFILLMENT SYSTEM | SIMPSON, DIONE N | 3629 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | 28d | Pending | Aug 18, 2023 |
| 18226530 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMEDIATING CHANGES IN ITEM LISTING DATA | ALLEN, WILLIAM J | 3619 | §101 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 26, 2023 |
| 18319902 | MULTI-CHANNEL DEMAND PLANNING FOR INVENTORY PLANNING AND CONTROL | HENRY, MATTHEW D | 3625 | §101 | Final Rejection | 29d | Pending | May 18, 2023 |
| 18317593 | MULTI-MODAL MACHINE LEARNING MODEL AND SYSTEM | GEORGALAS, ANNE MARIE | 3689 | §101§112 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | May 15, 2023 |
| 18143346 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING COORDINATION OF DRIVE UP ORDER FULFILLMENT | MOORE, REVA R | 3627 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 04, 2023 |
| 18308012 | IDENTIFYING SHORTAGE ITEMS FROM A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT IN ONLINE MARKETPLACES | LUDWIG, PETER L | 3627 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | 16d | Pending | Apr 27, 2023 |
| 18138855 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZATION OF CAMPAIGN DELIVERY TO IDENTIFIED USER GROUPS | PATEL, DIPEN M | 3621 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 15d | Pending | Apr 25, 2023 |
| 18065500 | INVOICE PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION PLATFORM | SALMAN, AVIA ABDULSATTAR | 3627 | §101 | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Dec 13, 2022 |
| 17944034 | WORKFLOW TRACKING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM | ELKASSABGI, ZAHRA | 3623 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 26d | Pending | Sep 13, 2022 |
| 17719989 | SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING COOPERATIVE COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING MULTIPLE PARTIES | RAMPHAL, LATASHA DEVI | 3688 | §101§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 13, 2022 |
| 16593753 | CONTAINER WITH HINGED COMPARTMENT | NGUYEN, THANH H | 1792 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 04, 2019 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialTarget Brands Inc. has 27 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 18 art units and 27 examiners.
Vincent M Cao has the most, with 1 of Target Brands Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems (USPTO Tech Center 3600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
