Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics
295 pending office actions • 76 art units • 182 examiners • 0 of 295 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 691 patents granted in the last 365 days
Tokyo Electron Limited has 293 pending office actions in Chemistry & Materials. The portfolio reaches 183 distinct examiners and 77 distinct art units, reflecting a wide examination footprint and repeated activity across many art-unit assignments.
CHEN, KEATH T is the busiest examiner, with 8 pending matters. The concentration of matters with that examiner is meaningful for targeted review, but the broader distribution requires portfolio-level systems for monitoring claim themes, cited art, and response timing across numerous examination teams.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 50 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. 50 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 | 1 (0%) |
| §101 + other | 14 (5%) |
| §103 only | 117 (40%) |
| §102 only | 27 (9%) |
| §112 only | 16 (5%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (1%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (2%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 109 (37%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (0%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEN, KEATH T | 8 | 30.2% | +24.7% |
| KENDALL, BENJAMIN R | 7 | 33.5% | +21.8% |
| CROWELL, ANNA M | 7 | 44.5% | +30.6% |
| MACARTHUR, SYLVIA | 5 | 65.9% | +25.7% |
| LAOBAK, ANDREW KEELAN | 5 | 75.8% | +34.7% |
| REYES, JOSHUA NATHANIEL PI | 5 | 42.3% | +50.5% |
| BAREFORD, KATHERINE A | 4 | 13.9% | +28.6% |
| TUROCY, DAVID P | 4 | 46.9% | +35.8% |
| ZERVIGON, RUDY | 4 | 66.9% | -5.4% |
| MOORE, KARLA A | 4 | 43.1% | +13.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17756373 | INFERENCE DEVICE, INFERENCE METHOD AND INFERENCE PROGRAM FOR ANALYZING MANUFACTURING TIME-SERIES DATA USING A PLURALITY OF NETWORK SECTIONS | AGRAWAL, SHISHIR | 60d overdue |
| 18120050 | UPPER ELECTRODE AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | CHAN, LAUREEN | 36d overdue |
| 18326266 | HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS, HEAT TREATMENT METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM | ADHIKARI DAWADI, BIPANA | 31d overdue |
| 18369219 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, COMPONENT PROCESSING METHOD, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | LEE, AIDEN Y | 19d overdue |
| 18789854 | HYDROPHOBIZATION TREATMENT APPARATUS, HYDROPHOBIZATION TREATMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM | CROWELL, ANNA M | 3d overdue |
| 17997558 | REPLACING APPARATUS AND REPLACING METHOD | CADUGAN, ERICA E | 2d overdue |
| 17996524 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE TRANSFER METHOD | LEE, AIDEN Y | 12d |
| 18857016 | FILM-FORMING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE-PROCESSING DEVICE | TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17757781 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD | REYES, JOSHUA NATHANIEL PI | 51d overdue |
| 17747861 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | KENDALL, BENJAMIN R | 31d overdue |
| 18359783 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PLASMA PROCESSING | KENDALL, BENJAMIN R | 18d overdue |
| 18603049 | CYCLIC ETCH/DEPOSITION PLASMA PROCESSES USING TUNGSTEN BASED PRECURSOR GAS | LAOBAK, ANDREW KEELAN | 11d overdue |
| 18789854 | HYDROPHOBIZATION TREATMENT APPARATUS, HYDROPHOBIZATION TREATMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM | CROWELL, ANNA M | 3d overdue |
| 17894296 | ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK, SUBSTRATE SUPPORT, PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK | CROWELL, ANNA M | 12d |
| 18552108 | SUBSTRATE LIQUID-TREATMENT DEVICE | MACARTHUR, SYLVIA | 14d |
| 18353747 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA STATE ESTIMATION METHOD | CHEN, KEATH T | 33d |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1716 | 42 |
| 1718 | 37 |
| 1713 | 27 |
| 1717 | 8 |
| 1712 | 8 |
| 1794 | 8 |
| 2898 | 8 |
| 2896 | 7 |
| 3652 | 7 |
| 1759 | 6 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19351692 | METHOD OF DEPOSITING FILM | ROLLAND, ALEX A | 1715 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 07, 2025 |
| 19315725 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME | LE, TUNG X | 2844 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 01, 2025 |
| 19274978 | FILM FORMING METHOD AND FILM FORMING APPARATUS | LAW, NGA LEUNG V | 1717 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 21, 2025 |
| 19272175 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | EMPIE, NATHAN H | 1712 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2025 |
| 19265822 | PLASMA-PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA-PROCESSING METHOD | KAISER, SYED M | 2831 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 10, 2025 |
| 19264096 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | TRAN, MINH | 2845 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 09, 2025 |
| 19240089 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | LE, TUNG X | 2845 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2025 |
| 19232884 | CONTROL METHOD AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | SATHIRAJU, SRINIVAS | 2845 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 10, 2025 |
| 19233036 | CONTROL METHOD AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | SATHIRAJU, SRINIVAS | 2845 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 10, 2025 |
| 19224909 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND MAINTENANCE METHOD | SELLS, JAMES D | 1745 | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 02, 2025 |
| 19221714 | RECORDING MEDIUM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | HU, JENSEN | 2169 | §101 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 29, 2025 |
| 19212511 | Substrate Processing Method and Substrate Processing Apparatus | HERNANDEZ-KENNEY, JOSE | 1717 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 19, 2025 |
| 19210017 | FILM FORMING METHOD AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | CHEN, BRET P | 1715 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2025 |
| 19205415 | CLEANING METHOD AND FILM-FORMING APPARATUS | MILLER, MICHAEL G | 1712 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 12, 2025 |
| 19204688 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | SWANSON, ANDREW L | 1745 | §101§102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 12, 2025 |
| 19186758 | SUBSTRATE INSPECTION APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE INSPECTION METHOD | AHMED, JAMIL | 2877 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 23, 2025 |
| 19185246 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | BAREFORD, KATHERINE A | 1718 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 22, 2025 |
| 19183966 | SUBSTRATE SUPPORT AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS | ADDISU, SARA | 3722 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 21, 2025 |
| 19184288 | FILM FORMING METHOD AND FILM FORMING APPARATUS | WALTERS JR, ROBERT S | 1717 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 21, 2025 |
| 19175014 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, MEASURING DEVICE, AND MEASURING METHOD | AMARA, MOHAMED K | 2877 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2025 |
| 19170138 | DEVELOPING APPARATUS, DEVELOPING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM | WHITESELL, STEVEN H | 1759 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19096492 | AREA SELECTIVE DEPOSITION USING METAL CARBONYL PRECURSORS | EMPIE, NATHAN H | 1712 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2025 |
| 19093922 | METHOD FOR OPERATING FILM FORMING DEVICE AND FILM FORMING DEVICE | ROLLAND, ALEX A | 1759 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 28, 2025 |
| 19092114 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM | LOUIE, MANDY C | 1718 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2025 |
| 19090806 | COOLING DEVICE, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND COOLING METHOD | RUPPERT, ERIC S | 3763 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 26, 2025 |
| 19091034 | FILTER APPARATUS FOR SUBSTRATE TREATMENT APPARATUS AND CLEAN AIR SUPPLY METHOD | TIETJEN, MARINA ANNETTE | 3799 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 26, 2025 |
| 19090475 | SUBSTRATE EVALUATION METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | AKANBI, ISIAKA O | 2877 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 26, 2025 |
| 18684088 | FILM FORMING METHOD AND FILM FORMING APPARATUS | TADAYYON ESLAMI, TABASSOM | 1718 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 19082337 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | LOUIE, MANDY C | 1718 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 |
| 19082876 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | AYALEW, TINSAE B | 1711 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 |
| 19078750 | INSPECTION METHOD, INSPECTION DEVICE, AND PROGRAM | SANGHERA, JAS A | 2852 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2025 |
| 19070912 | FILM FORMING METHOD AND FILM FORMING APPARATUS | TUROCY, DAVID P | 1718 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 05, 2025 |
| 19063605 | MONITORING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, MONITORING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | WASEL, MOHAMED A | 2454 | §102Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19056816 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | NUCKOLS, TIFFANY Z | 1716 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 19, 2025 |
| 19050019 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING DEVICE AND POSITIONING METHOD OF CONVEYANCE ARM | AN, IG TAI | 3662 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 10, 2025 |
| 19034684 | INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS | PATEL, DHRUVKUMAR | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 23, 2025 |
| 19033032 | COATING FILM FORMING METHOD, COATING FILM FORMING APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | TADESSE, YEWEBDAR T | 1718 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 21, 2025 |
| 19032918 | SUBSTRATE HOLDER AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | JOERGER, KAITLIN S | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 21, 2025 |
| 19023579 | PLACING TABLE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | KENDALL, BENJAMIN R | 2896 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19023119 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD INCLUDING A PRE-TREATMENT PROCESS OF SUPPLYING A HEATED FLUID TO A SECOND SURFACE OF A SUBSTRATE AND SUPPLYING A PRE-WETTING LIQUID TO A FIRST SURFACE OF THE SUBSTRATE, WHILE ROTATING THE SUBSTRATE | BERGNER, ERIN FLANAGAN | 1713 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 15, 2025 |
| 19021284 | CONTROL PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM, CONTROL METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PLASMA PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE | LEE, WILSON | 2844 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 15, 2025 |
| 19012374 | INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD | HATCHER, DEIRDRE D | 3625 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 07, 2025 |
| 19010575 | BONDING METHOD AND BONDING APPARATUS | PATWARDHAN, ABHISHEK A | 1746 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 06, 2025 |
| 19005674 | Transfer System and Semiconductor Manufacturing Method | TIGHE, BRENDAN P | 3652 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 30, 2024 |
| 18879383 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | LEE, DOUGLAS | 1714 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2024 |
| 18999454 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS | VETERE, ROBERT A | 1712 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 63d | Pending | Dec 23, 2024 |
| 18986780 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | NGUYEN, CHI Q | 3635 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2024 |
| 18985733 | INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | CHAN, CAROL WANG | 2672 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2024 |
| 18986429 | MEASUREMENT SYSTEM, MEASUREMENT METHOD, AND PLASMA PROCESSING DEVICE | FABIAN JR, ROBERTO | — | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2024 |
| 18984165 | TREATMENT SOLUTION SUPPLY APPARATUS, REPORTING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | PAN, YONGJIA | 2118 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 17, 2024 |
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Start Free TrialTokyo Electron Limited has 295 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 76 art units and 182 examiners.
Keath T Chen has the most, with 8 of Tokyo Electron Limited's pending office actions.
Mostly Chemistry & Materials (USPTO Tech Center 1700), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
