Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
21 pending office actions • 1 client • 21 examiners • 11 art units • 0 of 21 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 25 patents granted in the last 365 days
ALG Intellectual Property | ISRG is a patent law firm that specializes in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering, where it has managed 1970 career applications. The firm maintains a resolved allowance rate of 91.92 percent, reflecting an ability to secure patent grants for mechanical and medical device inventions. This success rate is a performance metric for their work in these technical fields.
The firm currently has 11 pending office actions. Their prosecution history shows an average of 3.43 office actions per allowance. This metric indicates a persistent approach to examiner interaction, ensuring that the 91.92 percent allowance rate is maintained through the efforts recorded in the data. For practitioners, the 3.43 average provides an expectation for the intensity of the prosecution cycle in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering.
The 1970 career applications provide a data set for evaluating the firm's long-term performance. The 91.92 percent allowance rate and 3.43 office actions per allowance together characterize a firm that is both successful and dedicated. The 11 pending office actions represent an active current docket.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 1 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 + other | 2 (10%) |
| §103 only | 10 (48%) |
| §102 only | 2 (10%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (19%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 3 (14%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| MALDONADO, STEVEN | 1 | 26.9% | +42.9% |
| SHAHNAMI, AMIR | 1 | 82.0% | +9.8% |
| PARK, PATRICIA JOO YOUNG | 1 | 57.8% | +14.7% |
| CAMBY, RICHARD M | 1 | 89.3% | +6.4% |
| TOKARCZYK, CHRISTOPHER B | 1 | 43.7% | +23.7% |
| WANG, YI | 1 | 77.2% | +14.3% |
| ADAMS, EILEEN M | 1 | 86.2% | +4.1% |
| PENG, BO JOSEPH | 1 | 69.5% | +13.6% |
| LAU, MICHAEL J | 1 | 72.0% | +23.4% |
| HAIDER, SYED | 1 | 83.4% | +7.0% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 3 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19325130 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED IMAGE SENSOR TIMING | SHAHNAMI, AMIR | — |
| 19236170 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIFURCATED NAVIGATION CONTROL OF A MANIPULATOR CART INCLUDED WITHIN A COMPUTER-ASSISTED MEDICAL SYSTEM | CAMBY, RICHARD M | — |
| 18986240 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING OPTIMIZATION OF AN IMAGING DEVICE VIEWPOINT DURING AN OPERATING SESSION OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED OPERATION SYSTEM | HAIDER, SYED | — |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 5 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19440445 | WAVEBAND-SELECTIVE IMAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS | MALDONADO, STEVEN | — |
| 19073796 | APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR MANAGING AUTO-EXPOSURE OF IMAGE FRAMES DEPICTING COLOR-BIASED CONTENT | ADAMS, EILEEN M | — |
| 18874382 | NON-VISIBLE-SPECTRUM LIGHT IMAGE-BASED OPERATIONS FOR VISIBLE-SPECTRUM IMAGES | NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K | — |
| 18186493 | ENHANCING VISIBLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT TISSUES IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED TELE-OPERATED SURGERY | KOROMA, SORIE IBRAHIM | — |
| 17785265 | SYSTEMS FOR FACILITATING GUIDED TELEOPERATION OF A NON-ROBOTIC DEVICE IN A SURGICAL SPACE | SCHMITT, BENJAMIN ALLYN | — |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 6 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19440445 | WAVEBAND-SELECTIVE IMAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS | MALDONADO, STEVEN | — |
| 19255709 | SYSTEMS AND A METHOD FOR DIRECTING AN IMAGING DEVICE TO DETECT FLOURESCENCE AND FOR DETERMINING A LIFETIME OF THE FLOURESCENCE | PARK, PATRICIA JOO YOUNG | — |
| 19226789 | BEACON-BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATIVELY PAIRING A DEVICE WITH A MEDICAL SYSTEM | TOKARCZYK, CHRISTOPHER B | — |
| 19098396 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MASKING A RECOGNIZED OBJECT DURING AN APPLICATION OF A SYNTHETIC ELEMENT TO AN ORIGINAL IMAGE | WANG, YI | — |
| 19025746 | ILLUMINATION CORRECTED NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) IMAGING FOR IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY | PENG, BO JOSEPH | — |
| 19015301 | CAMERA CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A COMPUTER-ASSISTED SURGICAL SYSTEM | LAU, MICHAEL J | — |
| Client (Assignee) | Pending OAs |
|---|---|
| INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC. | 21 |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3797 | 2 |
| 2483 | 1 |
| 3793 | 1 |
| 2481 | 1 |
| 3795 | 1 |
| 3796 | 1 |
| 2681 | 1 |
| 2617 | 1 |
| 1797 | 1 |
| 3792 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Client | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19440445 | WAVEBAND-SELECTIVE IMAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | MALDONADO, STEVEN | 3797 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 05, 2026 |
| 19325130 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED IMAGE SENSOR TIMING | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | SHAHNAMI, AMIR | 2483 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 10, 2025 |
| 19255709 | SYSTEMS AND A METHOD FOR DIRECTING AN IMAGING DEVICE TO DETECT FLOURESCENCE AND FOR DETERMINING A LIFETIME OF THE FLOURESCENCE | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | PARK, PATRICIA JOO YOUNG | 3793 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 30, 2025 |
| 19236170 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIFURCATED NAVIGATION CONTROL OF A MANIPULATOR CART INCLUDED WITHIN A COMPUTER-ASSISTED MEDICAL SYSTEM | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | CAMBY, RICHARD M | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 12, 2025 | |
| 19226789 | BEACON-BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATIVELY PAIRING A DEVICE WITH A MEDICAL SYSTEM | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | TOKARCZYK, CHRISTOPHER B | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2025 | |
| 19098396 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MASKING A RECOGNIZED OBJECT DURING AN APPLICATION OF A SYNTHETIC ELEMENT TO AN ORIGINAL IMAGE | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | WANG, YI | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 02, 2025 | |
| 19073796 | APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR MANAGING AUTO-EXPOSURE OF IMAGE FRAMES DEPICTING COLOR-BIASED CONTENT | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | ADAMS, EILEEN M | 2481 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 07, 2025 |
| 19025746 | ILLUMINATION CORRECTED NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) IMAGING FOR IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | PENG, BO JOSEPH | 3797 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19015301 | CAMERA CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A COMPUTER-ASSISTED SURGICAL SYSTEM | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | LAU, MICHAEL J | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2025 | |
| 18986240 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING OPTIMIZATION OF AN IMAGING DEVICE VIEWPOINT DURING AN OPERATING SESSION OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED OPERATION SYSTEM | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | HAIDER, SYED | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2024 | |
| 18874382 | NON-VISIBLE-SPECTRUM LIGHT IMAGE-BASED OPERATIONS FOR VISIBLE-SPECTRUM IMAGES | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K | §101§102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2024 | |
| 18974172 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING A VOLUME OF RESECTED TISSUE DURING A SURGICAL PROCEDURE | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | LEE, JOHN J | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 | |
| 18867593 | NON-VISIBLE-SPECTRUM LIGHT IMAGE-BASED TRAINING AND USE OF A MACHINE LEARNING MODEL | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | VANCHY JR, MICHAEL J | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2024 | |
| 18911077 | CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT AND A CORRESPONDING RECEIVER ASSEMBLY | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | BOICE, JAMES EDWARD | 3795 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 09, 2024 |
| 18851598 | Surgical Accessory Element-Based Setup of a Robotic System | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | SAHAND, SANA | 3796 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2024 |
| 18724290 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PARTITIONING MODELS OF ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES INTO FUNCTIONAL SEGMENTS | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | POPOVICI, DOV | 2681 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 26, 2024 |
| 18704649 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING MATERIAL PROPERTY VALUES FOR A THREE-DIMENSIONAL VIRTUAL MODEL OF AN ANATOMICAL OBJECT | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | PRINGLE-PARKER, JASON A | 2617 | §103 | Final Rejection | 21d | Pending | Apr 25, 2024 |
| 18266770 | FLUORESCENCE EVALUATION APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | ALABI, OYELEYE A | 1797 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 12, 2023 |
| 18186493 | ENHANCING VISIBLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT TISSUES IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED TELE-OPERATED SURGERY | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | KOROMA, SORIE IBRAHIM | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 20, 2023 | |
| 18010166 | USER INPUT SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A COMPUTER-ASSISTED MEDICAL SYSTEM | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | WEBSTER, KARMEL JOHANNA | 3792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2022 |
| 17785265 | SYSTEMS FOR FACILITATING GUIDED TELEOPERATION OF A NON-ROBOTIC DEVICE IN A SURGICAL SPACE | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | SCHMITT, BENJAMIN ALLYN | 3700 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2022 |
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