Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026

Examiner: MERLINO, DAVID P

Tech Center 3600 • Art Units: 3661 3665 3669

This examiner grants 71% of resolved cases

Performance Statistics

71.4%
Allow Rate
+19.4% vs TC avg
477
Total Applications
+11.1%
Interview Lift
964
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 458 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

12.3%
§101 Eligibility
20.2%
§102 Novelty
36.6%
§103 Obviousness
29.2%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
18971715 VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM Final Rejection TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18595728 VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE Final Rejection TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
18987662 COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED VEHCILE Final Rejection VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
18581414 VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD Final Rejection HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
18356101 SYSTEM FOR NAVIGATING DRIVERS TO PASSENGERS BASED ON START TIMES OF EVENTS Non-Final OA Lyft, Inc.
18841681 IMPROVED OVERTAKING MANEUVER FOR OVERTAKING A PRECEDING THIRD PARTY VEHICLE Non-Final OA VALEO SCHALTER UND SENSOREN GMBH
18114035 TECHNIQUES FOR GENERATING SIMULATIONS FOR AUTONOMOUS MACHINES AND APPLICATIONS Final Rejection NVIDIA Corporation
19226442 Continuing Lane Driving Prediction Non-Final OA WAYMO LLC
18828510 BLACK BOX DATA RECORDER FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING VEHICLE Non-Final OA Lodestar Licensing Group LLC
18894073 CONTROL SYSTEM AND CONTROL DEVICE Final Rejection SUBARU CORPORATION
18766759 LONGITUDINAL VELOCITY PLANNING FOR LANE CHANGE MANEUVERS Non-Final OA GM Global Technology Operations LLC

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