Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026

Helen Li, USPTO Patent Examiner

Listed by the USPTO as LI, HELEN

Tech Center 3600 • Art Units: 3646 3665

This examiner grants 69% of resolved cases

Analysis

LI, HELEN is assigned to Tech Center 3600 and Art Unit 3646. Her profile records 68 resolved cases, a 69.1% allowance rate, and a median of 1049 days to allowance. The interview lift is 13.5%, reflecting a positive association that may justify targeted examiner contact when a technical explanation can materially narrow the dispute.

Representative companies include Toyota Motor Corporation, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, and Toyota Group. The leading firms are SoraIP, Inc., Anova Law Group, PLLC, and CANTOR COLBURN LLP. The relatively limited resolved-case record calls for application-specific judgment, while the median timing supports active docket management.

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

Performance Statistics

69.1%
Allow Rate
+17.1% vs TC avg
101
Total Applications
+13.5%
Interview Lift
1049
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 68 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

5.8%
§101 Eligibility
14.6%
§102 Novelty
73.1%
§103 Obviousness
6.1%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
18802918 GENERATING GROUND TRUTH AND CALIBRATION OF HARVESTER LOSS SENSING SYSTEM Non-Final OA Deere & Company
18985497 ROADSIDE APPARATUS AND NOTIFICATION METHOD Final Rejection TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18953469 INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE Final Rejection TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18922415 ESTIMATION METHOD FOR ROAD SURFACE CONDITION Final Rejection TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18087425 ADAPTIVE BATCHING FOR OPTIMIZING EXECUTION OF MACHINE LEARNING TASKS Non-Final OA Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
19068225 INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND RECORDING MEDIUM Non-Final OA Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
18013194 OBSTACLE DETECTOR AND OBSTACLE DETECTION METHOD Non-Final OA KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
19229415 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF TARGET BRAKE TORQUE DATA Non-Final OA VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
18117928 VEHICLE HAVING SLOPE DRIVING ASSIST FUNCTION AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME Final Rejection Kia Corporation
18922690 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS, AND METHOD, APPARATUS AND MEDIUM FOR CONTROLLING HEATING THEREOF Final Rejection CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY (HONG KONG) LIMITED
18865033 WORK MACHINE, SYSTEM INCLUDING WORK MACHINE, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING WORK MACHINE Non-Final OA KOMATSU LTD.
18881849 DRONE OPERABLE FOR FLIGHT Non-Final OA BAE SYSTEMS PLC
18008845 AUTOMATIC SHIP HANDLING SYSTEM, SHIP CONTROL DEVICE, SHIP CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM Non-Final OA NHK SPRING Co., Ltd.
18490853 INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING CONTROL PROGRAM OF INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE Non-Final OA SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.

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Who Appears Before This Examiner

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is examiner Helen Li's allowance rate?

69.1% of resolved applications examined by Helen Li were allowed (68 resolved cases), compared with 54.4% across Art Unit 3646 over the last five years.

Does an interview help with examiner Helen Li?

This examiner's interview lift is +13.5 percentage points: the difference in allowance rate between resolved applications that had an examiner interview and those that did not.

How long does examiner Helen Li take to allow a patent?

Applications allowed by Helen Li took 1,049 days on average from filing to allowance.

Which art unit does examiner Helen Li work in?

Helen Li examines applications in Art Unit 3646 in Tech Center 3600 (Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems).

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