Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
60 pending office actions • 16 art units • 54 examiners • 0 of 60 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 69 patents granted in the last 365 days
W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. currently has 63 pending office actions within its company patent portfolio in the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. These actions are being reviewed by 57 distinct examiners, which suggests that the vast majority of examiners are handling a single matter, while a few are responsible for multiple cases. The prosecution is distributed across 18 distinct art units, reflecting a broad technical scope for the company's medical and mechanical filings.
OU, JING RUI is the busiest examiner for this portfolio, currently overseeing 3 busiest examiner pending office actions. These 3 actions represent a small fraction of the 63 total pending office actions, indicating that the workload is highly decentralized across the 57 distinct examiners. The influence of any single examiner is therefore minimal compared to the overall volume of the portfolio.
For practitioners, the presence of 18 distinct art units suggests that the 63 pending office actions cover a wide range of technical classifications. The involvement of 57 distinct examiners requires a highly individualized approach to almost every case. Successfully managing this portfolio involves balancing the technical standards of the 18 art units with the diverse examination styles of the 57 distinct examiners, as there is very little examiner-level overlap to leverage across the 63 pending actions.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 18 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. 18 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 | 2 (3%) |
| §103 only | 13 (22%) |
| §112 only | 4 (7%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (2%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (10%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 33 (55%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (2%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OU, JING RUI | 3 | 53.3% | +51.5% |
| NERENBERG, RENEE FLORENCIA | 2 | 66.7% | +0.0% |
| BARIA, DINAH N | 2 | 72.9% | +28.5% |
| SLAUGOVSKY, RACHEL MARIE | 2 | 70.7% | +39.3% |
| LABRANCHE, BROOKE N | 2 | 72.7% | +15.7% |
| HE, QIANPING | 1 | 66.8% | +15.9% |
| FISHBACK, ASHLEY LAUREN | 1 | 80.1% | +21.9% |
| HOAG, MITCHELL BRAIN | 1 | 70.4% | +18.8% |
| ORKIN, ALEXANDER J | 1 | 65.4% | +26.7% |
| HURLEY, SHAUN R | 1 | 77.5% | +17.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18206215 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AN ADJUSTABLE STIFFNESS CATHETER | WILLIAMS, CATHERINE SERKE | 264d overdue |
| 18388416 | SEAWEED CULTIVATION SYSTEM | NGUYEN, BAO-THIEU L | 134d overdue |
| 18888666 | PHYSICAL DEMANDS CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEM AND METHODS | LEE, PO HAN | 16d overdue |
| 18276149 | IMPLANTABLE CONDUIT WITH SELF-SEALING FENESTRATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | NERENBERG, RENEE FLORENCIA | 12d |
| 18436370 | BIOLOGICAL FLUID DRAINAGE DEVICES AND METHODS | WENG, KAI H | 16d |
| 17726362 | BRANCHED ENDOPROSTHESIS WITH TAIL FOR CONTROLLED BRANCH DEPLOYMENT | PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D | 26d |
| 19106749 | CONVERTIBLE PACK SYSTEMS AND METHODS | MAI, TRI M | 40d |
| 17795099 | SUSTAINED-RELEASE MATRICES FOR ADVENTITIAL OR PERIADVENTITIAL NEURAL ABLATION AND USES THEREOF | MEYERS, ELIZABETH ANNE | 40d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19089886 | COMPOSITE MATERIALS PROMOTING THE CATCHMENT AND ATTACHMENT OF SEAWEED HOLDFASTS | HURLEY, SHAUN R | 153d overdue |
| 18198656 | ENDOPROSTHESIS HAVING ALIGNED LEGS FOR EASE OF CANNULATION | LABRANCHE, BROOKE N | 14d |
| 17203982 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR APPROXIMATING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL PROFILE OF VASCULATURE HAVING BRANCHES | BARIA, DINAH N | 29d |
| 19291811 | Multilayer Coated Vent Assembly | HE, QIANPING | — |
| 19249426 | ANASTOMOTIC DEVICES AND METHODS | FISHBACK, ASHLEY LAUREN | — |
| 19139697 | DEVICES AND SYSTEMS FOR THROMBUS TREATMENT FIELD | HOAG, MITCHELL BRAIN | — |
| 19233956 | SPACE FILLING DEVICES | ORKIN, ALEXANDER J | — |
| 18421615 | BIOABSORBABLE MEDICAL DEVICES | BARIA, DINAH N | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3771 | 15 |
| 3774 | 10 |
| 1776 | 5 |
| 3781 | 5 |
| 3732 | 2 |
| 3783 | 2 |
| 1777 | 2 |
| 3733 | 1 |
| 3623 | 1 |
| 1734 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19291811 | Multilayer Coated Vent Assembly | HE, QIANPING | 1776 | §101§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 06, 2025 |
| 19249426 | ANASTOMOTIC DEVICES AND METHODS | FISHBACK, ASHLEY LAUREN | 3771 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 25, 2025 |
| 19139697 | DEVICES AND SYSTEMS FOR THROMBUS TREATMENT FIELD | HOAG, MITCHELL BRAIN | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 16, 2025 |
| 19233956 | SPACE FILLING DEVICES | ORKIN, ALEXANDER J | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 10, 2025 |
| 19089886 | COMPOSITE MATERIALS PROMOTING THE CATCHMENT AND ATTACHMENT OF SEAWEED HOLDFASTS | HURLEY, SHAUN R | 3732 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | 153d overdue | Pending | Mar 25, 2025 |
| 19069523 | BRANCHED GRAFT ASSEMBLY METHOD IN VIVO | LYNCH, ROBERT A | — | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 04, 2025 |
| 19106749 | CONVERTIBLE PACK SYSTEMS AND METHODS | MAI, TRI M | 3733 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 40d | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19022228 | BALLOON EXPANDABLE ENDOPROSTHESIS | SEVERSON, RYAN J | — | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 15, 2025 |
| 18978206 | IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICES AND RELATED DELIVERY SYSTEMS | KNAUSS, CHRISTIAN D | 3771 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2024 |
| 18936047 | DELIVERY AIDS FOR GLAUCOMA SHUNTS | NGO, MEAGAN N | — | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18910378 | SMART GARMENT AND SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING BREATHING EVENTS | HUH, VYNN V | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 09, 2024 |
| 18888666 | PHYSICAL DEMANDS CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEM AND METHODS | LEE, PO HAN | 3623 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Sep 18, 2024 |
| 18839618 | GAS SEPARATION DEVICE | LETTMAN, BRYAN MATTHEW | — | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 19, 2024 |
| 18728207 | Moisture Removal Device and Method | KEYWORTH, PETER | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 11, 2024 |
| 18767760 | SEPTAL CLOSURE DEVICE WITH CENTERING MECHANISM | LAUER, CHRISTINA C | 3771 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 09, 2024 |
| 18750170 | Automated System for Assembling A Pre-Filled Syringe | FARRAR, LAUREN PENG | — | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2024 |
| 18737399 | SUPRACHOROIDAL IMPLANTABLE DEVICES AND METHODS FOR TREATING HYPERTENSION WITHIN AN EYE | CHATRATHI, ARJUNA P | 3781 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 07, 2024 |
| 18698859 | DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INFLOW / OUTFLOW CANNULAS | STEPHENS, JACQUELINE F | 3781 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2024 |
| 18686946 | FORMATION OF INJECTOR DEVICE STOPPER FEATURES | WHITROCK, ZACHARIAH KIRBY | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2024 |
| 18686593 | CONFORMABLE COVER FOR MEDICAL DEVICES | NERENBERG, RENEE FLORENCIA | 3774 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18587717 | SPACE FILLING DEVICES | HIGHLAND, RACHEL S | 3774 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18436370 | BIOLOGICAL FLUID DRAINAGE DEVICES AND METHODS | WENG, KAI H | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 16d | Pending | Feb 08, 2024 |
| 18436294 | STENT GRAFT WITH FEATURES FOR SIDE BRANCH VESSEL PERFUSION | BLANCO, JAVIER G | 3774 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 08, 2024 |
| 18421615 | BIOABSORBABLE MEDICAL DEVICES | BARIA, DINAH N | 3774 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 24, 2024 |
| 18545138 | MODULAR MULTI-CARTRIDGE STRUCTURAL FRAME WITH WATER MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATED HEATING FOR SORBENT ARTICLES IN DIRECT AIR CAPTURE SYSTEMS | DIETERLE, JENNIFER M | 1776 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2023 |
| 18562963 | DENSE PHOTOLUMINESCENT COMPOSITES AND PROCESSES FOR FABRICATING THE SAME | EDMONDSON, LYNNE RENEE | 1734 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 21, 2023 |
| 18560554 | HIGH TEMPERATURE INSULATION COMPOSITE | SUN, MICHAEL Y | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 13, 2023 |
| 18388416 | SEAWEED CULTIVATION SYSTEM | NGUYEN, BAO-THIEU L | 3732 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 134d overdue | Pending | Nov 09, 2023 |
| 18287907 | METAL ORGANIC FRAMEWORK POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME | TUROCY, DAVID P | 1718 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 23, 2023 |
| 18287282 | IMPROVED BATTERY | NGUYEN, HUY TRAM | 1774 | §103 | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Oct 17, 2023 |
| 18280404 | FLEXIBLE SORBENT POLYMER COMPOSITE ARTICLE HAVING ADSORPTIVE AND DESORPTIVE CONFIGURATIONS | SLAUGOVSKY, RACHEL MARIE | 1776 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2023 |
| 18547673 | GEOMETRICALLY DEFORMABLE IMPLANTABLE CONTAINMENT DEVICES FOR RETENTION OF BIOLOGICAL MOIETIES | SHAH, NILAY J | 3783 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 61d | Pending | Aug 23, 2023 |
| 18278213 | MULTI-COMPONENT DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODS | GHERBI, SUZETTE JAIME J | 3774 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2023 |
| 18234014 | STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR ENHANCING CAPTURE OF CARBON DIOXIDE FROM AMBIENT AIR | LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M | 1776 | §112 | Non-Final OA | 57d | Pending | Aug 15, 2023 |
| 18276149 | IMPLANTABLE CONDUIT WITH SELF-SEALING FENESTRATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | NERENBERG, RENEE FLORENCIA | 3774 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Aug 07, 2023 |
| 18272048 | EMBOLIC FILTER WITH FLEXION | NEMER, OSAMA MOHAMMAD | 3771 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 62d | Pending | Jul 12, 2023 |
| 18215975 | DEPLOYMENT CONSTRAINING SHEATH THAT ENABLES STAGED DEPLOYMENT BY DEVICE SECTION | RESTAINO, ANDREW PETER | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 29, 2023 |
| 18267930 | WIRE MANAGEMENT FOR DEVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM | BAHENA, CHRISTIE L. | 3774 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 62d | Pending | Jun 16, 2023 |
| 18206215 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AN ADJUSTABLE STIFFNESS CATHETER | WILLIAMS, CATHERINE SERKE | 3993 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 264d overdue | Pending | Jun 06, 2023 |
| 18198656 | ENDOPROSTHESIS HAVING ALIGNED LEGS FOR EASE OF CANNULATION | LABRANCHE, BROOKE N | 3771 | — | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | May 17, 2023 |
| 18037139 | FORMULATIONS, METHODS, AND PRE-FILLED INJECTION DEVICES WITHOUT FATTY ACID PARTICLES | GONZALEZ, LEI NMN | 3783 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2023 |
| 18032386 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR TREATING OCCLUSIONS | PELLEGRINO, BRIAN E | 3799 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 18, 2023 |
| 18024626 | AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY DEVICES CONTAINING A HEAT TREATED FIBRILLATED POLYMER MEMBRANE AND MANIFOLDS CONTAINING THE SAME | PATEL, PRANAV N | 1777 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 21d | Pending | Mar 03, 2023 |
| 18101736 | SORBENT ARTICLE WITH WATER EXCLUSIONARY PROPERTIES AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME | SLAUGOVSKY, RACHEL MARIE | 1776 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 26, 2023 |
| 17797359 | INFLOW / OUTFLOW CANNULA | KALIHER, HANS CHRISTIAN | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 03, 2022 |
| 17795099 | SUSTAINED-RELEASE MATRICES FOR ADVENTITIAL OR PERIADVENTITIAL NEURAL ABLATION AND USES THEREOF | MEYERS, ELIZABETH ANNE | 1617 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 40d | Pending | Jul 25, 2022 |
| 17758351 | COMPOSITE MEMBRANE WITH NANOSELECTIVE SURFACE FOR ORGANIC SOLVENT NANOFILTRATION | GERMAIN, ADAM ADRIEN | 1777 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 01, 2022 |
| 17843045 | INTEGRATED AQUEOUS SHUNT FOR GLAUCOMA TREATMENT | ZIMBOUSKI, ARIANA | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 17, 2022 |
| 17726362 | BRANCHED ENDOPROSTHESIS WITH TAIL FOR CONTROLLED BRANCH DEPLOYMENT | PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D | 3774 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 26d | Pending | Apr 21, 2022 |
| 17762839 | ANCHORS FOR MITRAL CHORDAE REPAIR | SPENCER, MAXIMILIAN TOBIAS | 3774 | §103 | Final Rejection | 13d | Pending | Mar 23, 2022 |
| 17571125 | SPACE FILLING DEVICES | MCGINNITY, JAMES RYAN | 3771 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 07, 2022 |
| 17619452 | CONTINUOUS TETHERED TISSUE ANCHOR AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | GEIGER, RACHAEL L | 3771 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2021 |
| 17609085 | CONTINUOUS TETHERED TISSUE ANCHOR AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | BYRD, BRIGID K | 3771 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 05, 2021 |
| 17605117 | EXPANDABLE SHEATH | LABRANCHE, BROOKE N | 3771 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 20, 2021 |
| 17604677 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ACUTE TREATMENT OF FLUID OVERLOAD IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE | OU, JING RUI | 3771 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 18, 2021 |
| 17427383 | REMOTELY ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | OU, JING RUI | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 30, 2021 |
| 17282907 | CONSTRAINING MECHANISMS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS | HOUSTON, ELIZABETH | 3771 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2021 |
| 17203982 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR APPROXIMATING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL PROFILE OF VASCULATURE HAVING BRANCHES | BARIA, DINAH N | 3774 | §112DP | Final Rejection | 29d | Pending | Mar 17, 2021 |
| 16827259 | SLEEVES FOR EXPANDABLE MEDICAL DEVICES | OU, JING RUI | 3771 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 23, 2020 |
| 16724791 | IMPLANTABLE CARDIAC SENSORS | CATINA, MICHAEL ANTHONY | 3791 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 23, 2019 |
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