Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
56 pending office actions • 30 art units • 55 examiners • 0 of 56 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 56 patents granted in the last 365 days
Vanderbilt University currently has 58 pending office actions within the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. These actions are assigned to 57 distinct examiners, meaning that almost every case is being handled by a different official. The prosecution spans 31 distinct art units, reflecting a broad range of medical and mechanical research topics across many specialized administrative groups at the patent office.
SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L is the busiest examiner, managing 2 pending office actions. With 57 distinct examiners for 58 pending actions, there is virtually no examiner-level concentration. The 31 distinct art units indicate that the university's innovations are being reviewed by many different specialized groups, requiring a flexible prosecution approach. Practitioners should focus on the 2 pending office actions with SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L while also preparing for the varied standards of the 31 distinct art units involved in the 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 | 10 (18%) |
| §103 only | 14 (25%) |
| §102 only | 3 (5%) |
| §112 only | 4 (7%) |
| Double-patenting only | 2 (4%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 5 (9%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (32%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L | 2 | 37.3% | +16.2% |
| DENNIS, KEVIN M | 1 | 36.5% | +48.4% |
| DAVIS, AMELIE R | 1 | 65.0% | +33.4% |
| ROY, BAISAKHI | 1 | 77.7% | +18.7% |
| POLAND, CHERIE MICHELLE | 1 | 59.5% | +33.3% |
| RAHMAN, MD M | 1 | 92.3% | +12.1% |
| WEHRHEIM, LINDSEY GAIL | 1 | 78.8% | +19.7% |
| LE, QUYNH DAO | 1 | 34.8% | +10.1% |
| OLSON, JENNIFER MAR B | 1 | 54.5% | +19.4% |
| ISLAM, PROMOTTO TAJRIAN | 1 | 77.4% | +13.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19004757 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INTRAOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PARATHYROID GLAND VASCULARITY USING LASER SPECKLE CONTRAST IMAGING AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | RAHMAN, MD M | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18223785 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OPTICAL NEURAL STIMULATION FOR INTRAOPERATIVE NERVE MONITORING | TU, AURELIE H | 60d overdue |
| 17993218 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ENHANCED LEARNING USING BRAIN-GUIDED NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION | HUSSAINI, ATTIYA SAYYADA | 45d overdue |
| 18226204 | HUMAN ADAPTABLE VARIABLE STIFFNESS SPRINGS | STOKLOSA, JOSEPH A | 24d overdue |
| 18567888 | COMPOSITE FIBER INKS AND ELECTRODES AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | ALEJANDRO, RAYMOND | 23d overdue |
| 18531168 | TARGETING ANTI-HUMAN PD 1H/VISTA TO TREAT HEMATOLOGIC DISORDERS | NICKOL, GARY B | 1d overdue |
| 18379251 | SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN PARATHYROID TISSUE AND THYROID TISSUE AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | MUSTANSIR, ABID A | 21d |
| 19293012 | METHODS OF USING OPTICAL FIBER-BASED FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR SURGICAL GUIDANCE AND/OR TISSUE DIAGNOSTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | DAVIS, AMELIE R | — |
| 19118598 | MODIFYING EARLY-STAGE PARKINSON'S DISEASE PROGRESSION WITH DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION | ROY, BAISAKHI | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19343098 | METABOLIC CAGE COLLECTION ARRAY | DENNIS, KEVIN M | — |
| 19293012 | METHODS OF USING OPTICAL FIBER-BASED FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR SURGICAL GUIDANCE AND/OR TISSUE DIAGNOSTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | DAVIS, AMELIE R | — |
| 19118598 | MODIFYING EARLY-STAGE PARKINSON'S DISEASE PROGRESSION WITH DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION | ROY, BAISAKHI | — |
| 19043654 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERCUTANEOUS TREATMENT AND DEBRIDEMENT OF INFECTIONS | POLAND, CHERIE MICHELLE | — |
| 19004757 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INTRAOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PARATHYROID GLAND VASCULARITY USING LASER SPECKLE CONTRAST IMAGING AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | RAHMAN, MD M | — |
| 18879734 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF IMPROVING SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING | WEHRHEIM, LINDSEY GAIL | — |
| 18989242 | SMART PROGRAMMABLE BLOOD PUMP FOR CONTROLLING AND AUTOMATING EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT APPLICATIONS | LE, QUYNH DAO | — |
| 18982030 | STEERABLE ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE FOR TARGETED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND DELIVERY | OLSON, JENNIFER MAR B | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3791 | 3 |
| 3796 | 2 |
| 1628 | 2 |
| 1629 | 2 |
| 3792 | 2 |
| 3774 | 2 |
| 3647 | 1 |
| 3798 | 1 |
| 3797 | 1 |
| 3771 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19343098 | METABOLIC CAGE COLLECTION ARRAY | DENNIS, KEVIN M | 3647 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 29, 2025 |
| 19293012 | METHODS OF USING OPTICAL FIBER-BASED FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR SURGICAL GUIDANCE AND/OR TISSUE DIAGNOSTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | DAVIS, AMELIE R | 3798 | §101§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 07, 2025 |
| 19118598 | MODIFYING EARLY-STAGE PARKINSON'S DISEASE PROGRESSION WITH DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION | ROY, BAISAKHI | 3797 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 |
| 19043654 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERCUTANEOUS TREATMENT AND DEBRIDEMENT OF INFECTIONS | POLAND, CHERIE MICHELLE | 3771 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 03, 2025 |
| 19004757 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INTRAOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PARATHYROID GLAND VASCULARITY USING LASER SPECKLE CONTRAST IMAGING AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | RAHMAN, MD M | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 30, 2024 |
| 18879734 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF IMPROVING SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING | WEHRHEIM, LINDSEY GAIL | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2024 |
| 18989242 | SMART PROGRAMMABLE BLOOD PUMP FOR CONTROLLING AND AUTOMATING EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT APPLICATIONS | LE, QUYNH DAO | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18982030 | STEERABLE ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE FOR TARGETED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND DELIVERY | OLSON, JENNIFER MAR B | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 16, 2024 |
| 18967022 | Systems and Methods for Pathological Image Segmentation via Molecular-Empowered Learning | ISLAM, PROMOTTO TAJRIAN | — | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 03, 2024 |
| 18936386 | CONFIGURABLE PHANTOM FOR END-TO-END VERIFICATION OF ADAPTIVE RADIOTHERAPY SYSTEMS | KAO, CHIH CHENG G | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18922313 | ANACARDIC ACID FOR INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS | OH, TAYLOR V | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 21, 2024 |
| 18857424 | POLYSULFIDE MICROPARTICLES AND USES THEREOF | ZHANG SPIERING, DONGXIU | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 16, 2024 |
| 18903075 | POSITIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS OF THE MUSCARINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR M4 | WELLS, LAUREN QUINLAN | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 01, 2024 |
| 18853029 | INERTIA-BASED IMPROVEMENTS TO ROBOTS AND ROBOTIC SYSTEMS | CAMERON, ATTICUS A | 3658 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18882674 | USE OF 2-HYDROXYBENZYLAMINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS | NEAGU, IRINA | — | §101§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 11, 2024 |
| 18796266 | ANACARDIC ACID FOR NEURAL REPAIR | JUSTICE, GINA CHIEUN YU | — | §101DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 06, 2024 |
| 18778217 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TREATING SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING | TEJANI, ANKIT D | 3796 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 19, 2024 |
| 18729768 | POSITIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS OF THE MUSCARINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR M4 | BRAM, STANLEY | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2024 |
| 18755002 | ANNULATED 2-AMINO-3-CYANO THIOPHENES AND DERIVATIVES FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER | WHITE, DAWANNA SHAR-DAY | — | §101DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 26, 2024 |
| 18622134 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NAVIGATION AND IDENTIFICATION DURING ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY | PARK, SOO JIN | 2675 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 29, 2024 |
| 18695945 | PEANUT ALLERGY EPITOPE | GUSTILO, ESTELLA M | — | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2024 |
| 18606343 | METHODS OF BOOSTING AN IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST HIV USING COMMENSAL MICROBE ANTIGENS | KINSEY WHITE, NICOLE ERIN | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 15, 2024 |
| 18691641 | PHENYL CORE COMPOUNDS AS MGLU5 NEGATIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME | SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L | 1628 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2024 |
| 18691617 | HETEROARYL-LINKED ANALOGS AS MGLU5 NEGATIVE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME | SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L | 1628 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2024 |
| 18604346 | SYSTEMS, COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR TREATING DIABETES | LIEB, JEANETTE M | — | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2024 |
| 18688282 | LIPOPHILIC OLIGONUCLEOTIDE CONJUGATES | TATGE, LEXUS MARC | — | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18685204 | Nucleotides Comprising CasPhi Modified for Nuclear Targeting | MCLEOD, AFRICA MHAIRIE | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 20, 2024 |
| 18684796 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF IMPROVING SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING | STICE, PAULA J | 3796 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 19, 2024 |
| 18575437 | FLUID SHEAR STRESS FOR EX VIVO ACTIVATION OF IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELLS | BARRON, SEAN C | 1653 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 15d | Pending | Dec 29, 2023 |
| 18567888 | COMPOSITE FIBER INKS AND ELECTRODES AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | ALEJANDRO, RAYMOND | 1752 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 23d overdue | Pending | Dec 07, 2023 |
| 18531168 | TARGETING ANTI-HUMAN PD 1H/VISTA TO TREAT HEMATOLOGIC DISORDERS | NICKOL, GARY B | 1643 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 1d overdue | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18559184 | WDR5 INHIBITORS AND MODULATORS | TRAN, ERIC | 1629 | DP | Final Rejection | 20d | Pending | Nov 06, 2023 |
| 18496026 | ENGINEERED LIPOSOMES FOR NEUTRALIZATION OF SARS-COV-2 AND OTHER ENVELOPED VIRUSES | WANG, RUIXUE | 1672 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 27, 2023 |
| 18288034 | HYDROPHILIC POLY(THIOKETAL) URETHANE SCAFFOLDS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | LEONARD, MICHAEL L | 1763 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 86d | Pending | Oct 23, 2023 |
| 18556407 | METHODS OF ATTACHING AZIDE COMPOUNDS TO SURFACES AND COMPOUNDS AND PRODUCTS THEREOF | PEPITONE, MICHAEL F | 1767 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 20, 2023 |
| 18379251 | SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN PARATHYROID TISSUE AND THYROID TISSUE AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | MUSTANSIR, ABID A | 3791 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 21d | Pending | Oct 12, 2023 |
| 18549844 | GENERATION OF HUMAN PEANUT ALLERGEN-SPECIFIC IGE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC USE | SANG, HONG | 1646 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 08, 2023 |
| 18547549 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR B1-SELECTIVE EXCITATION FOR SPATIAL LOCALIZATION IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING | NAVARRO, HUGO IVAN | 2858 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 35d | Pending | Aug 23, 2023 |
| 18264741 | A CONTINUOUS METRIC TO MEASURE ENDOTYPE AND CORTICOSTEROID INTERACTION IN SEPTIC SHOCK | CASH, KAILEY ELIZABETH | 1683 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 08, 2023 |
| 18226204 | HUMAN ADAPTABLE VARIABLE STIFFNESS SPRINGS | STOKLOSA, JOSEPH A | 3794 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 24d overdue | Pending | Jul 25, 2023 |
| 18223785 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OPTICAL NEURAL STIMULATION FOR INTRAOPERATIVE NERVE MONITORING | TU, AURELIE H | 3791 | §101§103§112 | Final Rejection | 60d overdue | Pending | Jul 19, 2023 |
| 18212949 | METHODS OF TREATING CANCER | LIN, JERRY | — | §101§102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 22, 2023 |
| 18309362 | BIOPSY PHANTOM | HULL, JAMES B | 3715 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 28, 2023 |
| 18033662 | PDE9 INHIBITORS FOR TREATING CARDIAC FAILURE | NOLAN, JASON MICHAEL | 1623 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2023 |
| 18179941 | MULTI-ARTICULATED CATHETERS WITH SAFETY METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMAGE-GUIDED COLLABORATIVE INTRAVASCULAR DEPLOYMENT | NGO, MEAGAN N | 3781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 22d | Pending | Mar 07, 2023 |
| 18177068 | LIPOPHILIC SIRNA CONJUGATES FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY DISEASES | SULLIVAN, STEPHANIE LAUREN | 1635 | §112DP | Final Rejection | 38d overdue | Pending | Mar 01, 2023 |
| 18041656 | VALVELESS DEVICES FOR PULSATILE FLUID FLOW | PEKARSKAYA, LILYA | 3746 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 14, 2023 |
| 18017877 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING MUSCULOSKELETAL LOADING AND APPLICATIONS OF SAME | GOMES, SRISTI DIVINA | 3791 | §101§102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 25, 2023 |
| 18009449 | IMPLANTABLE DEVICE FOR ORGAN OPERATION MODULATION | PATEL, NIKETA I | 3792 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2022 |
| 17993218 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ENHANCED LEARNING USING BRAIN-GUIDED NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION | HUSSAINI, ATTIYA SAYYADA | 3792 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 45d overdue | Pending | Nov 23, 2022 |
| 17920710 | HYOLARYNGEAL SUSPENSION FOR TREATING SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING | FISHER, VICTORIA HICKS | 3786 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 21, 2022 |
| 17932466 | 2-BETA-NAPHTHYL-ACETIC ACID ANALOGS AS AKR1C3 INHIBITORS AND METHODS OF USING SAME | ROMERO, KRISTEN WANG | 1626 | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 15, 2022 |
| 17797320 | METHOD FOR DETECTING INTENT IN AN ADAPTIVE LOWER LIMB DEVICE | WOZNICKI, JACQUELINE | 3774 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 03, 2022 |
| 17602222 | PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS STENT | BLASS, PARIS MARIE | 3774 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 07, 2021 |
| 17425894 | MITOCHONDRIA-TARGETED ISOKETAL/ISOLEVUGLANDIN SCAVENGERS | BORI, IBRAHIM D | 1629 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 26, 2021 |
| 17273407 | PEDIATRIC CATHETER | DANIEL, ANTARIUS S | 3783 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 04, 2021 |
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