Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026

James N Smalley, USPTO Patent Examiner

Listed by the USPTO as SMALLEY, JAMES N

Tech Center 3700 • Art Units: 3612 3733 3781

This examiner grants 71% of resolved cases

Performance Statistics

70.7%
Allow Rate
+0.7% vs TC avg
1,382
Total Applications
-9.8%
Interview Lift
1015
Avg Prosecution Days
Based on 1337 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Rejection Statute Breakdown

0.1%
§101 Eligibility
27.3%
§102 Novelty
41.0%
§103 Obviousness
27.3%
§112 Clarity

Currently Pending Office Actions

App #TitleStatusAssignee
18901665 SEALING STRUCTURE AND MATERIAL CONTAINING DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME Final Rejection SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
18522669 Closure Device and Method for Closing Openings in Carrier Components Non-Final OA Illinois Tool Works Inc.
19410737 TWO-PART PLUG ASSEMBLY FOR A SPOUT Non-Final OA Steuben Foods, Inc.
19490748 SUBSTRATE STORAGE CONTAINER DOOR Non-Final OA Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.
19489014 BOTTLE WITH SCREW CAP AND ANTI-DRIP DEVICE Non-Final OA TECHNO FOR FUTURE SRL
18292116 Closure Element, Vehicle Subassembly, and Vehicle Non-Final OA Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
19386952 TAMPER RESISTANT CONTAINER Non-Final OA Polarpak Company
19161800 OPENING MECHANISM FOR A WASTE CONTAINER WITH ELECTRICALLY OPERABLE BENDING ACTUATOR Non-Final OA Siemens Mobility GmbH
19368189 VACUUM BARREL AND BARREL BODY THEREOF Non-Final OA SHENZHEN PETABOO TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
19236557 NOZZLE FOR WATER BOTTLE Non-Final OA Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc.
19144109 MEDICAL CAP, MEDICAL CONTAINER, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING MEDICAL CAP Non-Final OA OTSUKA PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY, INC.
19140232 CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER AND CONTAINER WITH SUCH A CLOSURE Non-Final OA Aptar Freyung GmbH
19136497 Lock Mechanism for Storage Box and Storage Box Non-Final OA Ningbo Meiqi Tool Co., Ltd.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is examiner James N Smalley's allowance rate?

70.7% of resolved applications examined by James N Smalley were allowed (1,337 resolved cases), compared with 74.4% across Art Unit 3612 over the last five years.

Does an interview help with examiner James N Smalley?

This examiner's interview lift is -9.8 percentage points: the difference in allowance rate between resolved applications that had an examiner interview and those that did not.

How long does examiner James N Smalley take to allow a patent?

Applications allowed by James N Smalley took 1,015 days on average from filing to allowance.

Which art unit does examiner James N Smalley work in?

James N Smalley examines applications in Art Unit 3612 in Tech Center 3700 (Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering).

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