Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026

Examiner: JOHNSON, KARA D

Tech Center 1600 • Art Units: 1600 1632 1657

This examiner grants 70% of resolved cases

Analysis

Kara D. Johnson is an examiner in Art Unit 1600 within Tech Center 1600. She has 505 resolved cases and an allowance rate of 69.5 percent. This suggests a generally positive environment for applicants, with a majority of cases reaching allowance. The examiner's experience with 505 cases indicates a well-established and predictable approach to the examination process.

The interview lift is 24.6 percent. This is a significant positive lift, indicating that interviews are a very effective tool for increasing the 69.5 percent baseline allowance rate. Direct communication is highly recommended to resolve technical issues and clarify claim language. Practitioners should use the 24.6 percent lift to their advantage to secure a grant more reliably.

The median days to allowance is 1135. This is a moderate pendency, representing a reasonable timeline for successful prosecution. Given the 24.6 percent lift, practitioners should use interviews to improve the 69.5 percent odds of success and manage the 1135 day timeline. This proactive strategy can help move applications through the process more efficiently and address the examiner's specific concerns.

Written from this page's own data; every figure is computed from USPTO records and verified before publication.

Performance Statistics

69.5%
Allow Rate
+9.5% vs TC avg
529
Total Applications
+24.6%
Interview Lift
1135
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 505 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

5.5%
§101 Eligibility
15.5%
§102 Novelty
41.9%
§103 Obviousness
28.8%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
17996943 METHOD FOR PRODUCING MILK LIKE PRODUCTS Non-Final OA SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A.
18742930 SC-BETA CELLS AND COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING THE SAME Non-Final OA President and Fellows of Harvard College
18672600 METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF OLIGODENDROCYTE PROGENITOR CELLS Non-Final OA President and Fellows of Harvard College
17693457 Methods And Compositions For Aesthetic And Cosmetic Treatment And Stimulating Hair Growth Non-Final OA Pluri Biotech Ltd.
17045459 3D SPATIALLY PATTERNED LYMPH NODE ON A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE Non-Final OA University of Virginia Patent Foundation
18167467 Improved Cortical Spheroids and Methods of Making the Same Final Rejection The Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc.
18819281 TISSUE MATRIX MATERIALS AND ENZYMATIC ADHESIVES Non-Final OA LifeCell Corporation
18661510 TIL EXPANSION PROCESSES USING SPECIFIC CYTOKINE COMBINATIONS AND/OR AKTI TREATMENT Non-Final OA Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
17859466 METHOD FOR PRODUCING FUSION PROTEIN HAVING IGG FC DOMAIN Final Rejection ALTEOGEN, INC.
18697799 CELL CULTURE PLATFORMS, METHODS AND USES THEREOF Non-Final OA ACADEMIA SINICA
18262441 APPLICATION OF PERMITTIVITY MEASUREMENT PROBES IN AN SUSPENSION CULTURE AGGREGATE COMPRISING CELL AGGREGATES Non-Final OA REPAIRON GMBH

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