Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
60 pending office actions • 20 art units • 48 examiners • 0 of 60 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 245 patents granted in the last 365 days
WHIRLPOOL Corporation has a robust portfolio with 62 pending office actions in the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. These actions are distributed among 51 distinct examiners and 22 distinct art units. Such a wide distribution indicates that the corporation's patent strategy involves a broad range of technologies and requires interaction with a large cross-section of the patent office's examining corps.
CHOU, JIMMY is the busiest examiner for the corporation, currently overseeing 3 pending office actions. With 62 pending office actions in total, the relatively low number of actions assigned to the busiest examiner highlights the decentralized nature of Whirlpool's current prosecution. Practitioners must be prepared to manage 51 distinct examiner relationships, as most examiners are likely handling only one or two of the company's matters.
The presence of 22 distinct art units suggests that while the portfolio is categorized under Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering, the underlying inventions are technically diverse. This diversity requires a prosecution team capable of addressing the specific standards and precedents of 22 distinct art units. Effectively managing 62 pending office actions across 51 distinct examiners requires a coordinated effort to ensure consistency in claim construction and overall strategy.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 15 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. 15 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 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 1 (2%) |
| §103 only | 20 (33%) |
| §102 only | 1 (2%) |
| §112 only | 6 (10%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (2%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 2 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 28 (47%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHOU, JIMMY | 3 | 71.0% | +14.9% |
| LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 3 | 57.1% | +56.9% |
| INSLER, ELIZABETH | 3 | 66.9% | +25.4% |
| LEE, KEVIN G | 2 | 64.1% | +27.2% |
| KO, JASON Y | 2 | 75.6% | +16.7% |
| PERRIN, JOSEPH L | 2 | 77.3% | +21.2% |
| HOWELL, MARC C | 2 | 68.6% | +24.7% |
| TREMARCHE, CONNOR J. | 2 | 65.6% | +27.7% |
| TRAN, THIEN S | 2 | 71.9% | +24.1% |
| CHEYNEY, CHARLES | 1 | 56.7% | +42.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17894308 | LAUNDRY APPLIANCE HAVING AN ENCLOSED SUPPLEMENTAL HEAT EXCHANGE SPACE THAT SURROUNDS A ROTATING DRUM | HU, XIAOTING | 49d overdue |
| 18232521 | FOOD PROCESSING APPLIANCE HAVING AN ELECTRICAL HUB CONNECTION | INSLER, ELIZABETH | 23d overdue |
| 17960951 | SENSOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSISTED FOOD PREPARATION | BULLINGTON, ROBERT P | 5d |
| 18222573 | COOKING APPLIANCE CONSOLE ASSEMBLY WITH ATTACHMENT FEATURES ADAPTED FOR STRUCTURAL SUPPORT | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 7d |
| 18316741 | TWO-STEP DOOR OPENING COMBINATION | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 12d |
| 18908198 | OBJECT RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR AN APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR MANAGING HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY OF CONSUMABLES | RACIC, MILENA | 14d |
| 19063663 | BRACKET FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR USE | MCDUFFIE, MICHAEL D | 36d |
| 18211899 | INSULATION MATERIALS FOR A VACUUM INSULATED STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING | CHOI, PETER Y | 54d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18232521 | FOOD PROCESSING APPLIANCE HAVING AN ELECTRICAL HUB CONNECTION | INSLER, ELIZABETH | 23d overdue |
| 18222573 | COOKING APPLIANCE CONSOLE ASSEMBLY WITH ATTACHMENT FEATURES ADAPTED FOR STRUCTURAL SUPPORT | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 7d |
| 18541934 | PRESSURE SENSITIVE PASSIVE LAUNDRY MICROPLASTIC FILTRATION | PERRIN, JOSEPH L | 9d |
| 18461167 | LAUNDRY MACHINE AND CORRESPONDING CABINET CONFIGURATION | TREMARCHE, CONNOR J. | 12d |
| 18316741 | TWO-STEP DOOR OPENING COMBINATION | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 12d |
| 19079049 | ANYSIZE AUTOFILL WITH MACHINE LEARNING | CHEYNEY, CHARLES | — |
| 18931274 | FOREIGN SUBSTRATE COLLECTOR FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE | LEE, KEVIN G | — |
| 18894832 | SYSTEM FOR LAUNDRY DETERGENT DELIVERY | KO, JASON Y | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3762 | 8 |
| 3761 | 6 |
| 1711 | 5 |
| 1774 | 5 |
| 3637 | 2 |
| 3632 | 1 |
| 1713 | 1 |
| 3763 | 1 |
| 3627 | 1 |
| 3753 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19079049 | ANYSIZE AUTOFILL WITH MACHINE LEARNING | CHEYNEY, CHARLES | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2025 |
| 19063663 | BRACKET FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR USE | MCDUFFIE, MICHAEL D | 3632 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 36d | Pending | Feb 26, 2025 |
| 19059885 | ICE MAKING MACHINE | BAUER, CASSEY D | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 21, 2025 |
| 19054058 | REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE AND CORRESPONDING CONTROL SYSTEM | FURDGE, LARRY L | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 |
| 19024525 | SCRATCH-RESISTANT COATING FOR GLASS CERAMIC COOKTOP | FLETCHER III, WILLIAM P | — | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 18987583 | DISHWASHER | BERGNER, ERIN FLANAGAN | 1713 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2024 |
| 18934401 | AIR DUCT ATTACHMENT HOOK SYSTEM | GAYE, SAMBA NMN | 3763 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2024 |
| 18934884 | WALL PANEL ASSEMBLY FOR A VACUUM INSULATED APPLIANCE | WRIGHT, KIMBERLEY S | 3637 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2024 |
| 18931274 | FOREIGN SUBSTRATE COLLECTOR FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE | LEE, KEVIN G | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 30, 2024 |
| 18908198 | OBJECT RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR AN APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR MANAGING HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY OF CONSUMABLES | RACIC, MILENA | 3627 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | Oct 07, 2024 |
| 18894832 | SYSTEM FOR LAUNDRY DETERGENT DELIVERY | KO, JASON Y | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 24, 2024 |
| 18799057 | AIR KNIFE ASSEMBLY FOR A DISHWASHER | OSTERHOUT, BENJAMIN LEE | 1711 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 09, 2024 |
| 18791802 | SIDE ACCESS PANEL FOR LINT FILTER OF LAUNDRY APPLIANCE | GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL | 3753 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 01, 2024 |
| 18782511 | NIGHT CYCLE FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE | SURYAWANSHI, SURESH | 2116 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 24, 2024 |
| 18761838 | REMOVABLE FLUID PUMPING AND FILTRATION APPARATUS | KO, JASON Y | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 02, 2024 |
| 18743630 | REINFORCING CAP FOR A TUB REAR WALL OF AN APPLIANCE | PERRIN, JOSEPH L | 1711 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2024 |
| 18735650 | COUNTERTOP APPLIANCE WITH PHYSICAL AND REMOTE MOTOR CONTROL | HOWELL, MARC C | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 06, 2024 |
| 18733070 | ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY FOR APPLIANCE DOOR | TRAN, HANH VAN | 3637 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 04, 2024 |
| 18657312 | COOKING APPLIANCE AND CONVECTIVE HEATING MODULE | CARTER, AMY ELIZABETH | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 07, 2024 |
| 18644741 | VACUUM INSULATED STRUCTURE WITH THERMAL BRIDGE BREAKER WITH HEAT LOOP | ZERPHEY, CHRISTOPHER R | 3799 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 24, 2024 |
| 18634855 | PIZZA STONE | ROSARIO-APONTE, ALBA T | 1792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 12, 2024 |
| 18591535 | COOKING VESSEL | KASZTEJNA, MATTHEW JOHN | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18587393 | COOKING APPLIANCE WITH CLIP | TREMARCHE, CONNOR J. | 3762 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18440370 | PERFECT FONDUE/BOURGUIGNONNE WITH TEMPERATURE CONTROL | JENNISON, BRIAN W | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 13, 2024 |
| 18439148 | LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE HAVING A REMOVABLE CLOTHES MOVER | CORMIER, DAVID G | 1711 | §102DP | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Feb 12, 2024 |
| 18437874 | INDUCTION COIL ASSEMBLY | TRAN, THIEN S | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 09, 2024 |
| 18435341 | INSULATOR FOR INDUCTION APPLIANCE | CHAMBERS, JOHN MICHAEL | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 07, 2024 |
| 18431509 | LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE DOOR ASSEMBLY | GOFF II, JOHN L | 1746 | §103 | Final Rejection | 29d | Pending | Feb 02, 2024 |
| 18396907 | REMOVABLE COOKING VESSEL HEATER SAFETY LOCK SYSTEM WITH STATUS INDICATOR | BOSS, MARISSA RAE | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2023 |
| 18394173 | FABRIC TREATING APPLIANCE COMPRISING A SCRUBBING TOOL | LEE, KEVIN G | 1711 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 22, 2023 |
| 18390598 | 100 HZ NOISE REDUCTION IN A COOKTOP | TRAN, THIEN S | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18545246 | INDICATION SYSTEM FOR A COOKTOP | HEMMINGS, HUNTER GARRETT | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2023 |
| 18541934 | PRESSURE SENSITIVE PASSIVE LAUNDRY MICROPLASTIC FILTRATION | PERRIN, JOSEPH L | 1711 | §103 | Final Rejection | 9d | Pending | Dec 15, 2023 |
| 18516287 | REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE | MALLON, BRETT PETERSON | 3762 | §103 | Final Rejection | 60d | Pending | Nov 21, 2023 |
| 18378762 | AUDIBLE FEEDBACK SYSTEM TO GUIDE POT CENTERING ON A COOKTOP | CHOU, JIMMY | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2023 |
| 18483817 | COOKING APPLIANCE | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 3762 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 10, 2023 |
| 18374431 | COOKTOP THAT PREVENTS COOKING TEMPERATURE FROM EXCEEDING SMOKE POINT OF INCLUDED FAT FOR THE COOKING OPERATION AND RELATED METHODS | CHOU, JIMMY | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 28, 2023 |
| 18284493 | COOKING ASSEMBLY FOR A MICROWAVE OVEN | CHOU, JIMMY | — | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2023 |
| 18461167 | LAUNDRY MACHINE AND CORRESPONDING CABINET CONFIGURATION | TREMARCHE, CONNOR J. | 3762 | §103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Sep 05, 2023 |
| 18232521 | FOOD PROCESSING APPLIANCE HAVING AN ELECTRICAL HUB CONNECTION | INSLER, ELIZABETH | 1774 | §102§112 | Final Rejection | 23d overdue | Pending | Aug 10, 2023 |
| 18222573 | COOKING APPLIANCE CONSOLE ASSEMBLY WITH ATTACHMENT FEATURES ADAPTED FOR STRUCTURAL SUPPORT | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 3762 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 7d | Pending | Jul 17, 2023 |
| 18215363 | BLENDER JAR WITH PROTRUSIONS INTRODUCING ASYMMETRIC FLOW PATTERN AND BLENDER CONTAINING THE SAME | HOWELL, MARC C | 1774 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2023 |
| 18211899 | INSULATION MATERIALS FOR A VACUUM INSULATED STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING | CHOI, PETER Y | 1786 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 54d | Pending | Jun 20, 2023 |
| 18199534 | HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH IMMERSIBLE HEATER | NGUYEN, HUNG D | 3761 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 19, 2023 |
| 18198887 | COFFEE MACHINE DRIP TRAY WITH INTEGRATED STORAGE | ASSANTE, KEITH BRIAN | 3761 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | May 18, 2023 |
| 18316741 | TWO-STEP DOOR OPENING COMBINATION | LAUGHLIN, ELIZABETH ANN | 3762 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 12d | Pending | May 12, 2023 |
| 18116015 | METHOD OF CONTROLLING A SWITCHING CONVERTER AND RELATED INDUCTION COOKTOP | COLLINS, DANIEL S. | 3745 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 01, 2023 |
| 18115069 | CHARGER AND BATTERY FOR CORDLESS APPLIANCE | OMAR, AHMED H | 2859 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2023 |
| 18174914 | APPLIANCE LID ASSEMBLY | INSLER, ELIZABETH | 1774 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2023 |
| 18114541 | CORDLESS FOOD PROCESSOR | SORKIN, DAVID L | 1774 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2023 |
| 18169533 | HYBRID EASY TO CLEAN COATING FOR MICROWAVE APPLIANCE | MEADE, LORNE EDWARD | 3741 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 15, 2023 |
| 17985524 | CONTAINER DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A COUNTERTOP APPLIANCE | INSLER, ELIZABETH | 1774 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 11, 2022 |
| 17971934 | DIVIDER ASSEMBLY | WEN, KEVIN GUANHUA | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 24, 2022 |
| 17960951 | SENSOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSISTED FOOD PREPARATION | BULLINGTON, ROBERT P | 3715 | §101§112 | Final Rejection | 5d | Pending | Oct 06, 2022 |
| 17941765 | MULTILEVEL COOKING ACCESSORY FOR A COOKING SYSTEM | CRABB, STEVEN W | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 71d overdue | Pending | Sep 09, 2022 |
| 17894308 | LAUNDRY APPLIANCE HAVING AN ENCLOSED SUPPLEMENTAL HEAT EXCHANGE SPACE THAT SURROUNDS A ROTATING DRUM | HU, XIAOTING | 3762 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 49d overdue | Pending | Aug 24, 2022 |
| 17861897 | FLUID EMITTING FEATURE FOR A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE | YUEN, JESSICA JIPING | 3762 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 11, 2022 |
| 17829561 | POLYMER TRIM BREAKER HAVING GAS-BLOCKING FLAKES AND AN EPOXY COATING | BEHRENS JR., ANDRES E | 1741 | §103 | Final Rejection | 25d overdue | Pending | Jun 01, 2022 |
| 17702942 | HEATING APPARATUS | HUNTER, JOHN S | 3761 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 24, 2022 |
| 17117010 | SELF-CLEANING OVEN | WANG, FRANKLIN JEFFERSON | 3761 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2020 |
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