Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 27, 2026

Francis Z Santiago-Merced, USPTO Patent Examiner

Listed by the USPTO as SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z

Tech Center 3600 • Art Units: 3623 3624 3625 3683

This examiner grants 26% of resolved cases

Analysis

SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z is assigned to Tech Center 3600 and Art Unit 3623. The profile records 140 resolved cases, a 26.4% allowance rate, and a 37.5% interview lift. Median time to allowance is 1222 days. The case volume is limited, but the relationship between the reported allowance and interview figures makes examiner interaction an important issue for prosecution planning.

Listed companies include Capital One Services LLC, Salesforce Inc., and Teachers Insurance And Annuity Association Of America. Listed firms include FOLEY & LARDNER LLP, ALSTON & BIRD LLP, and Arch & Lake LLP. Applicants can use these recurring participants to identify relevant financial and software prosecution experience in the Art Unit.

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

Performance Statistics

26.4%
Allow Rate
-25.6% vs TC avg
191
Total Applications
+37.5%
Interview Lift
1222
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 140 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

44.1%
§101 Eligibility
11.0%
§102 Novelty
37.1%
§103 Obviousness
6.5%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
18457757 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING PRICE COMPARISONS Final Rejection Capital One Services, LLC
17868693 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING A TRIP PLAN WITH TRIP RECOMMENDATIONS Non-Final OA Capital One Services, LLC
18417173 GENERATING A PREBUILT WORKFLOW BASED ON A PROMPT Non-Final OA Salesforce, Inc.
18401338 INCREASING MEETING PRODUCTIVITY UTILIZING ROLE-BASED EVENT GENERATION Final Rejection Salesforce, Inc.
18673758 ACTIVITY NOTIFICATIONS OF USERS HAVING CUSTOMIZED CALENDARS WITH SHORTENED ATTENDANCE PERIODS Non-Final OA Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
18723388 APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A DATABASE FOR CONTROLLING A WORKFLOW OF A PRODUCTION PROCESS Non-Final OA BASF SE
18633438 AI-DRIVEN ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION Final Rejection INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
18341236 TARGETED KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR IMPACT ALERTS Final Rejection International Business Machines Corporation
18917815 System and Method of Segmented Modelling for Campaign Planning in a Very Large-Scale Supply Chain Network Final Rejection Blue Yonder Group, Inc.
18622010 GENERATION OF CAUSAL TEMPORAL GRAPHS FROM ANALYSIS REPORTS Final Rejection Dell Products L.P.
18755323 INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE PLANNING AND TRACKING Final Rejection Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
18732081 CUSTOMIZED PRODUCT BUNDLES Final Rejection STRIPE, INC.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is examiner Francis Z Santiago-Merced's allowance rate?

26.4% of resolved applications examined by Francis Z Santiago-Merced were allowed (140 resolved cases), compared with 24.1% across Art Unit 3623 over the last five years.

Does an interview help with examiner Francis Z Santiago-Merced?

This examiner's interview lift is +37.5 percentage points: the difference in allowance rate between resolved applications that had an examiner interview and those that did not.

How long does examiner Francis Z Santiago-Merced take to allow a patent?

Applications allowed by Francis Z Santiago-Merced took 1,222 days on average from filing to allowance.

Which art unit does examiner Francis Z Santiago-Merced work in?

Francis Z Santiago-Merced examines applications in Art Unit 3623 in Tech Center 3600 (Transportation, E-Commerce & Mechanical Systems).

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