Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
54 pending office actions • 35 art units • 50 examiners • 0 of 54 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 68 patents granted in the last 365 days
Tohoku University currently has 55 pending office actions within the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. These actions are handled by 51 distinct examiners, which is a smaller number than the total 55 pending office actions. The portfolio is distributed across 37 distinct art units, suggesting a very wide range of technical focuses. VARMA, ASHISH K is the busiest examiner, currently overseeing 2 pending office actions.
The 51 distinct examiners involved indicate that most examiners are responsible for only a single case for the university. This wide distribution across 37 distinct art units requires the institution to manage diverse procedural requirements within Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals. VARMA, ASHISH K, with 2 pending office actions, holds a slightly higher workload than the other distinct examiners. Practitioners should monitor the 55 pending office actions for consistency across the 37 distinct art units.
The 37 distinct art units represent a significant variety of technical examination standards that the university must meet. With 55 pending office actions, the volume of work is spread across many different technical groups. Understanding the specific preferences of VARMA, ASHISH K is important for the 2 pending office actions they manage, as they are the busiest examiner in this portfolio.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 12 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. 12 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 | 7 (13%) |
| §103 only | 14 (26%) |
| §102 only | 2 (4%) |
| §112 only | 1 (2%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 3 (6%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 27 (50%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARMA, ASHISH K | 2 | 74.5% | +32.5% |
| HODGES, SUSAN E | 2 | 67.1% | +13.8% |
| KIM, RICHARD H | 2 | 81.7% | +5.4% |
| BEHARRY, ZANNA MARIA | 2 | 24.7% | +56.4% |
| JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | 1 | 87.5% | +21.9% |
| LEE, SHUN K | 1 | 42.2% | +16.3% |
| BOOSALIS, FANI POLYZOS | 1 | 90.3% | +10.8% |
| PAK, YONG D | 1 | 74.6% | +14.3% |
| NASIR, TAQI R | 1 | 87.5% | +12.4% |
| COLGAN, LAUREN ROBINSON | 1 | 69.9% | +16.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18721258 | FILM-ATTACHED TRANSPARENT SUBSTRATE, TOP PLATE FOR COOKER, WINDOW GLASS FOR HEAT COOKER, AND COVER GLASS | KIM, RICHARD H | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18005537 | PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS EFFECTIVE FOR TREATMENT OF MOTOR NEURON DISEASE (MND) | VISONE, THOMAS J | 107d overdue |
| 18740839 | Method For Improving Mitochondrial Functions | HUTSON, RICHARD G | 46d overdue |
| 18264520 | PROTEIN FOLDING AGENT | KELLY-O'NEILL, YOLANDA LYNNETTE | 22d overdue |
| 18226882 | COMPOSITION FOR CALCIUM BATTERY ELECTROLYTE, CALCIUM BATTERY ELECTROLYTE, AND CALCIUM BATTERY | APICELLA, KARIE O | 9d overdue |
| 16624081 | A METHOD OF TREATING EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA USING MUSE CELLS | WILSON, MICHAEL C | 12d |
| 18267281 | HIGH-FREQUENCY ENHANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL STRAIN MICROSCOPE AND HIGH-FREQUENCY ENHANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL STRAIN MICROSCOPY USING THE SAME | OSENBAUGH-STEWART, ELIZA W | 47d |
| 18551979 | HARDNESS CALCULATION DEVICE, HARDNESS MEASUREMENT DEVICE, AND HARDNESS CALCULATION METHOD | XU, JUSTIN | 71d |
| 19168177 | METHOD FOR LEACHING ROCK METAL COMPONENT, METHOD FOR STORING CARBON DIOXIDE UNDERGROUND, AND METHOD FOR FIXING CARBON DIOXIDE | VARMA, ASHISH K | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19168177 | METHOD FOR LEACHING ROCK METAL COMPONENT, METHOD FOR STORING CARBON DIOXIDE UNDERGROUND, AND METHOD FOR FIXING CARBON DIOXIDE | VARMA, ASHISH K | — |
| 19163178 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE LINE AND MAINTAINER LINE | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | — |
| 19150059 | METHOD FOR FRACTURING ROCK MULTI-DIRECTIONALLY AND DEVICE FOR FRACTURING ROCK MULTI-DIRECTIONALLY | VARMA, ASHISH K | — |
| 19087566 | SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR AND HOLOGRAPHIC 3D DISPLAY DEVICE | HODGES, SUSAN E | — |
| 18998713 | DIAMOND RADIATION DETECTOR | LEE, SHUN K | — |
| 18976294 | INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, DISPLAY DEVICE, RADIATION THERAPY PLANNING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM | BOOSALIS, FANI POLYZOS | — |
| 18871999 | IMAGE SENSOR AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME | HODGES, SUSAN E | — |
| 18870994 | ANTIVIRAL AGENT, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION FOR TREATING OR PREVENTING VIRAL INFECTION, KIT FOR EVALUATING RISK OF VIRAL INFECTION BECOMING SEVERE, AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING RISK OF VIRAL INFECTION BECOMING SEVERE | PAK, YONG D | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1632 | 3 |
| 3674 | 2 |
| 2425 | 2 |
| 1652 | 2 |
| 2871 | 2 |
| 1638 | 2 |
| 1675 | 2 |
| 1662 | 1 |
| 1784 | 1 |
| 1748 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19168177 | METHOD FOR LEACHING ROCK METAL COMPONENT, METHOD FOR STORING CARBON DIOXIDE UNDERGROUND, AND METHOD FOR FIXING CARBON DIOXIDE | VARMA, ASHISH K | 3674 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2025 |
| 19163178 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE LINE AND MAINTAINER LINE | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 08, 2025 |
| 19150059 | METHOD FOR FRACTURING ROCK MULTI-DIRECTIONALLY AND DEVICE FOR FRACTURING ROCK MULTI-DIRECTIONALLY | VARMA, ASHISH K | 3674 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 22, 2025 |
| 19087566 | SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR AND HOLOGRAPHIC 3D DISPLAY DEVICE | HODGES, SUSAN E | 2425 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 23, 2025 |
| 18998713 | DIAMOND RADIATION DETECTOR | LEE, SHUN K | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 27, 2025 |
| 18976294 | INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, DISPLAY DEVICE, RADIATION THERAPY PLANNING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM | BOOSALIS, FANI POLYZOS | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18871999 | IMAGE SENSOR AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME | HODGES, SUSAN E | 2425 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 05, 2024 |
| 18870994 | ANTIVIRAL AGENT, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION FOR TREATING OR PREVENTING VIRAL INFECTION, KIT FOR EVALUATING RISK OF VIRAL INFECTION BECOMING SEVERE, AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING RISK OF VIRAL INFECTION BECOMING SEVERE | PAK, YONG D | 1652 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 02, 2024 |
| 18958802 | Magnetic Permeability Measurement Probe and Magnetic Permeability Measurement Device Using the Probe | NASIR, TAQI R | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 |
| 18865441 | GUIDED-MODE RESONANT GRATING, OPTICAL MEMBER, OPTICAL PRODUCT, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING GUIDED-MODE RESONANT GRATING | KIM, RICHARD H | 2871 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 13, 2024 |
| 18915895 | FILM-COVERED TRANSPARENT BASE PLATE AND TOP PLATE FOR COOKING DEVICE | COLGAN, LAUREN ROBINSON | 1784 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 15, 2024 |
| 18855544 | SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL AND MULTILAYER SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL | MINSKEY, JACOB T | 1748 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 09, 2024 |
| 18849223 | CONTROL DEVICE, CODEBOOK GENERATION DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, CODEBOOK GENERATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM | CHEN, ZHITONG | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 20, 2024 |
| 18847375 | ANTENNA DEVICE | PATEL, AMAL A | 2845 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 16, 2024 |
| 18842641 | METAL SILICIDE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME, ALLOY MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME, HEATING ELEMENT, AND ELECTRIC RESISTOR | WANG, XIAOBEI | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 29, 2024 |
| 18832446 | THERAPEUTIC AGENT FOR CANCER | OH, TAYLOR V | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2024 |
| 18721258 | FILM-ATTACHED TRANSPARENT SUBSTRATE, TOP PLATE FOR COOKER, WINDOW GLASS FOR HEAT COOKER, AND COVER GLASS | KIM, RICHARD H | 2871 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 18, 2024 |
| 18740839 | Method For Improving Mitochondrial Functions | HUTSON, RICHARD G | 1652 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | 46d overdue | Pending | Jun 12, 2024 |
| 18659445 | ANGIOGENESIS MATERIAL, BONE-REGENERATION-PROMOTING MATERIAL, METHOD FOR PRODUCING ANGIOGENESIS MATERIAL, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING BONE-REGENERATION-PROMOTING MATERIAL | JOHNSON, DANIELLE D | 1617 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2024 |
| 18697374 | Metal Oxide having Spinel-Type Crystal Structure, Method for Producing Same, Carbon Dioxide Reduction Method, and Carbon Dioxide Reduction Apparatus | HAILEY, PATRICIA L | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 2024 |
| 18687704 | Autonomous Cooperative Control System and Autonomous Cooperative Control Method | CONNOLLY, MARK A | 2115 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2024 |
| 18682573 | ENDOMETRIAL MODEL, METHOD FOR PREPARING ENDOMETRIAL MODEL, AND ENDOMETRIAL IMPLANTATION MODEL | JACKSON III, WALTER | 1638 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 09, 2024 |
| 18567945 | ELECTROMAGNETIC ABSORBER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME | KOSLOW, CAROL M | — | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 07, 2023 |
| 18565568 | LIQUID DRUG TRANSPORT DEVICE, LIQUID DRUG TRANSPORT SYSTEM, AND LIQUID DRUG TRANSPORT METHOD | GRAY, PHILLIP A | 3783 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 30, 2023 |
| 18555694 | DIGITAL DEVICE, METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME, AND METHOD FOR USING SAME | GONZALES, VICENTE ROLANDO | 2899 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 16, 2023 |
| 18551979 | HARDNESS CALCULATION DEVICE, HARDNESS MEASUREMENT DEVICE, AND HARDNESS CALCULATION METHOD | XU, JUSTIN | 3791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 71d | Pending | Sep 22, 2023 |
| 18282145 | SINGULAR MATERIAL DETECTION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM | WECHSELBERGER, ALFRED H. | — | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 14, 2023 |
| 18279506 | RECOMMENDATION DATA GENERATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM | BONSHOCK, DENNIS G | — | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 30, 2023 |
| 18548394 | COMPOSITION HAVING MAGNETOSTRICTIVE PROPERTIES, AND CURED PRODUCT THEREOF | HIGGINS, GERARD T | 1785 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 30, 2023 |
| 18278800 | ORAL CANCER DETECTION KIT, USE OF REAGENT, REAGENT, ORAL CANCER DETECTION DEVICE, INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD, AND PROGRAM | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 1682 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 24, 2023 |
| 18276314 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING ALKALI METAL/ALKALINE EARTH METAL HYDROXIDE AND APPLICATION OF SAID PRODUCTION METHOD TO CARBOXYLATE WASTE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY | CARR, DEBORAH D | 1691 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 08, 2023 |
| 18264520 | PROTEIN FOLDING AGENT | KELLY-O'NEILL, YOLANDA LYNNETTE | 1692 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 22d overdue | Pending | Aug 07, 2023 |
| 18226882 | COMPOSITION FOR CALCIUM BATTERY ELECTROLYTE, CALCIUM BATTERY ELECTROLYTE, AND CALCIUM BATTERY | APICELLA, KARIE O | 1725 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Jul 27, 2023 |
| 18269846 | CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM USING MULTICOLOR LIGHT-EMITTING CELLS | ALLEN, SARAH ELIZABETH | 1637 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 27, 2023 |
| 18267281 | HIGH-FREQUENCY ENHANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL STRAIN MICROSCOPE AND HIGH-FREQUENCY ENHANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL STRAIN MICROSCOPY USING THE SAME | OSENBAUGH-STEWART, ELIZA W | 2881 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 47d | Pending | Jun 14, 2023 |
| 18039741 | HIGH-ORDER HARMONIC OBSERVATION DEVICE AND HIGH-ORDER HARMONIC OBSERVATION METHOD | REVERMAN, CHAD ANDREW | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 36d | Pending | Jun 01, 2023 |
| 18203279 | SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE DEVICES WITH HIGH VELOCITY HIGHER-ORDER MODE | GANNON, LEVI | 2849 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 30, 2023 |
| 18038185 | HER2 TARGETING AGENT | DRISCOLL, MAUREEN VARINA | 1644 | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 22, 2023 |
| 18034661 | THERAPEUTIC AGENT FOR COVID-19 | KOSAR, ANDREW D | 1625 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 28, 2023 |
| 18033215 | HIGH-SPEED NANO MIST, PRODUCTION METHOD AND PRODUCTION DEVICE, PROCESSING METHOD AND PROCESSING DEVICE, AND MEASUREMENT METHOD AND MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR SAME | KALIHER, HANS CHRISTIAN | 3781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 15d overdue | Pending | Apr 21, 2023 |
| 18017039 | DEVICE FOR PREDICTING MUTATION OF VIRUS, METHOD FOR PREDICTING MUTATION OF VIRUS, AND PROGRAM | GRAFF, SHARON LEVINE | — | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 19, 2023 |
| 18005537 | PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS EFFECTIVE FOR TREATMENT OF MOTOR NEURON DISEASE (MND) | VISONE, THOMAS J | 1672 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 107d overdue | Pending | Jan 13, 2023 |
| 18002650 | ELECTROLYTE, SECONDARY CELL, AND COMPOSITE MATERIAL | GRANNUM, VERITA EUDORA EBUN | 1721 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2022 |
| 17920461 | DUOCARMYCIN DERIVATIVE AND USE THEREOF | VAN DRUFF, SYDNEY | 1643 | §103 | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | Dec 09, 2022 |
| 17925235 | BIOMARKER FOR DIAGNOSIS OF DEMENTIA | DUTT, ADITI | 1675 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 14, 2022 |
| 17995263 | HIGH-POTENTIAL PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS | GU, QINHUA | 1633 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2022 |
| 17816067 | AMELIORATION AND TREATMENT OF BRAIN DISORDER RESULTING FROM FETAL GROWTH RETARDATION USING PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS | WANG, CHANG YU | 1675 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 29, 2022 |
| 17844882 | PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS INDUCING OSTEOCHONDRAL REPAIR | MIANO, JOSEPH PAUL | 1631 | §101§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2022 |
| 17770408 | MUCOSAL TISSUE MODEL | ALSOMAIRY, SELWA ABDO | 3715 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 20, 2022 |
| 17219430 | PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL FOR TREATMENT OF CEREBRAL INFARCTION | MOLOYE, TITILAYO | 1632 | §103 | Final Rejection | 49d overdue | Pending | Mar 31, 2021 |
| 17179643 | LACTIC ACID ADSORBENT AND METHOD FOR REMOVING LACTIC ACID | BEHARRY, ZANNA MARIA | 1632 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 19, 2021 |
| 17178470 | AMMONIA ADSORBENT AND METHOD FOR REMOVING AMMONIA | BEHARRY, ZANNA MARIA | 1632 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 18, 2021 |
| 16624081 | A METHOD OF TREATING EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA USING MUSE CELLS | WILSON, MICHAEL C | 1638 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Dec 18, 2019 |
| 16314471 | PROPHYLACTIC OR THERAPEUTIC AGENT FOR ORGAN FIBROSIS | CONNORS, ALEXANDRA F | 1634 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 50d overdue | Pending | Dec 31, 2018 |
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