Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026

Examiner: KNIEF, THOMAS RAY

Tech Center 2800 • Art Units: 2853

This examiner grants 91% of resolved cases

Analysis

Thomas Ray Knief has 53 resolved cases in Art Unit 2853. The examiner has an allowance rate of 90.6 percent. This percentage indicates a very high frequency of granted applications in Tech Center 2800.

The interview lift is 10.4 percent. This 10.4 percent lift can be helpful for practitioners to consider alongside the 90.6 percent allowance rate. The data suggests that direct communication can further improve the already high probability of success.

The median days to allowance is 829. This 829 figure indicates a relatively fast timeline for reaching a grant. With 53 resolved cases, these metrics provide a clear statistical basis for managing expectations and developing strategy with this examiner.

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

Performance Statistics

90.6%
Allow Rate
+22.6% vs TC avg
62
Total Applications
+10.4%
Interview Lift
829
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 53 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

1.9%
§101 Eligibility
33.5%
§102 Novelty
44.2%
§103 Obviousness
20.4%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
19078746 PRINTING DEVICE Non-Final OA SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
19017984 PRINTING APPARATUS Non-Final OA SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
19000764 PRINTING METHOD AND PRINTING DEVICE Non-Final OA SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
18968607 PRESSURE CHANGING UNIT AND LIQUID EJECTION DEVICE Non-Final OA SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
18947017 LIQUID EJECTION APPARATUS AND PRINT HEAD Non-Final OA SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
19039264 COLOR IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS Non-Final OA RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
18740278 INK JET RECORDING METHOD, INK JET RECORDING DEVICE AND AQUEOUS INK Final Rejection CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18460164 RECORDING METHOD AND RECORDING SYSTEM Final Rejection Konica Minolta, Inc.
19078699 IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF SUPPRESSING GENERATION OF CURLS IN SHEETS, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD Non-Final OA KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
18888788 INKJET IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS Final Rejection KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
18810826 MAINTENANCE DEVICE AND INKJET RECORDING APPARATUS Final Rejection KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
18953319 ASSEMBLY FOR PROCESSING REFERENCE POINT, APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING CHEMICAL SOLUTION INCLUDING THE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING CHEMICAL SOLUTION USING THE APPARATUS Non-Final OA SEMES CO., LTD.
18747380 FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEM Final Rejection ORBOTECH LTD.

Facing This Examiner?

IP Author analyzes examiner patterns and generates tailored response strategies with the highest chance of allowance.

Build Your Strategy

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month