Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Chemistry & Materials • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
58 pending office actions • 3 clients • 48 examiners • 23 art units • 0 of 58 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 157 patents granted in the last 365 days
Harness, Dickey & Pierce-Altria specializes in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering. The firm shares a career application count of 95002 with its affiliates, achieving a resolved allowance rate of 87.63 percent. On average, the firm receives 3.17 office actions per allowance.
The firm currently has 41 pending office actions. The 87.63 percent allowance rate across 95002 career applications shows a strong success record. With 3.17 average office actions per allowance, the firm demonstrates a consistent approach to overcoming examiner rejections in the medical and mechanical sectors. This established track record is a key consideration for the 41 pending office actions currently being handled by the firm. Practitioners can evaluate the 87.63 percent allowance rate as a reliable metric of the firm's performance across its 95002 career applications.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 15 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 15 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
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 | 3 (5%) |
| §103 only | 24 (41%) |
| §112 only | 2 (3%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (7%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 6 (10%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (31%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (2%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FELTON, MICHAEL J | 4 | 59.9% | +14.1% |
| TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 2 | 63.2% | +43.6% |
| JENNISON, BRIAN W | 2 | 71.9% | +22.0% |
| TRAN, THIEN S | 2 | 71.9% | +24.1% |
| DODSON, JUSTIN C | 2 | 46.8% | +35.6% |
| SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 2 | 63.7% | +14.3% |
| SAMUELS, LAWRENCE H | 2 | 56.3% | +37.7% |
| KHLOK, BONITA | 2 | 49.1% | +48.3% |
| WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 1 | 71.5% | +11.8% |
| MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 1 | 44.5% | +14.7% |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18808394 | METHODS, SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR VALIDATING ENCODED INFORMATION | HAYLES, ASHFORD S | 25d overdue |
| 17525815 | COMPOSITIONS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR NICOTINE AEROSOL DELIVERY | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 9d |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | KHLOK, BONITA | 15d |
| 18608007 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AGE VERIFICATION | WELCH, DAVID T | 33d |
| 18620414 | SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING A LIQUID AEROSOL | VO, TU A | 40d |
| 18959984 | CONTAINER WITH FLEXIBLE WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | PAL, PRINCE | 42d |
| 18669148 | METHOD OF MAKING AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE WITH POROUS BODY AND AEROSOL-FORMING SUBSTRATE | TRAN, THIEN S | 60d |
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | — |
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 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17672882 | CIGARETTES AND CIGARETTE FILTERS INCLUDING ACTIVATED CARBON FOR REMOVING NITRIC OXIDE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 162d overdue |
| 17525815 | COMPOSITIONS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR NICOTINE AEROSOL DELIVERY | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 9d |
| 17537899 | INKS, COATINGS AND ADHESIVES AS CARRIERS FOR TAGGANTS FOR TOBACCO PRODUCT AUTHENTICATION AND COMPONENT DETECTION | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 14d |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | KHLOK, BONITA | 15d |
| 18669148 | METHOD OF MAKING AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE WITH POROUS BODY AND AEROSOL-FORMING SUBSTRATE | TRAN, THIEN S | 60d |
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | — |
| 19280597 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | — |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | — |
| Client (Assignee) | Pending OAs |
|---|---|
| Altria | 52 |
| Philip Morris | 5 |
| NJOY, LLC | 1 |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3761 | 12 |
| 1747 | 8 |
| 1755 | 5 |
| 3731 | 4 |
| 3726 | 2 |
| 3735 | 2 |
| 1615 | 2 |
| 3692 | 1 |
| 3736 | 1 |
| 1612 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Client | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | Altria Client Services LLC | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 3731 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2025 |
| 19280597 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 3726 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 25, 2025 |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 3726 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 18, 2025 |
| 19208704 | AGE AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 3692 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2025 |
| 18975172 | BEAD FEED UNIT AND METHOD | Altria Client Services LLC | KUMAR, RAKESH | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 | |
| 18973711 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING LOOSE PRODUCT | Altria Client Services LLC | FERRERO, EDUARDO R | 3731 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 09, 2024 |
| 18971770 | INSERT WITH BASE AND UPPER BRIM | Altria Client Services LLC | ORTIZ, RAFAEL ALFREDO | 3736 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2024 |
| 18959984 | CONTAINER WITH FLEXIBLE WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | Altria Client Services LLC | PAL, PRINCE | 3735 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 42d | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18901351 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH PUMP | Altria Client Services LLC | JENNISON, BRIAN W | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 | |
| 18884334 | SOLUBLE FIBER LOZENGE | Altria Client Services LLC | WEBB, WALTER E | 1612 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 13, 2024 |
| 18883015 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CHECKING FILL LEVEL OF A CARTRIDGE | Altria Client Services LLC | SHABMAN, MARK A | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 12, 2024 | |
| 18808394 | METHODS, SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR VALIDATING ENCODED INFORMATION | Altria Client Services LLC | HAYLES, ASHFORD S | 3627 | §101§102§103Other | Final Rejection | 25d overdue | Pending | Aug 19, 2024 |
| 18799358 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEMS WITH USAGE DETERMINATION | Altria Client Services LLC | ROSARIO-APONTE, ALBA T | 3761 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 09, 2024 |
| 18757732 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM COMPRISING A VIBRATABLE ELEMENT | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAN, TIFFANY T | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 | |
| 18750207 | METHOD OF FORMING POUCH BY ADHERING OXYGEN SCAVENGER TO POUCH MATERIAL | Altria Client Services LLC | IGBOKWE, NICHOLAS E | 3731 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2024 |
| 18743548 | ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE | Altria Client Services LLC | DELACRUZ, MADELEINE PAULINA | 1747 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2024 |
| 18731897 | ASSEMBLY WITH CAPILLARY MEDIUM DEFINING DUCT THAT ABUTS SURFACE OF AIR IMPINGEMENT STRUCTURE | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAN, THIEN S | 3761 | §103DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2024 |
| 18669148 | METHOD OF MAKING AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE WITH POROUS BODY AND AEROSOL-FORMING SUBSTRATE | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAN, THIEN S | 3761 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 60d | Pending | May 20, 2024 |
| 18648926 | FLUID PERMEABLE HEATER ASSEMBLY AND CARTRIDGE FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | WILL, KATHERINE A | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 29, 2024 | |
| 18625427 | ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE | Altria Client Services LLC | PAUDEL, PRADEEP | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 03, 2024 | |
| 18620414 | SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING A LIQUID AEROSOL | Altria Client Services LLC | VO, TU A | 3785 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 40d | Pending | Mar 28, 2024 |
| 18618735 | CAPSULE INCLUDING ONE OR MORE PORTIONS OF FILLER MATERIAL INFUSED WITH AT LEAST ONE FIRST SUBSTANCE | Altria Client Services LLC | NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 1747 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2024 |
| 18608007 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AGE VERIFICATION | Altria Client Services LLC | WELCH, DAVID T | 2613 | §102§103Other | Final Rejection | 33d | Pending | Mar 18, 2024 |
| 18588258 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | TANINGCO, MARCUS H | 2884 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2024 |
| 18432352 | SMOKING ARTICLE FILTER WITH FLAVORANT DELIVERY SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | YAARY, ERIC | 1755 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 05, 2024 |
| 18409059 | SMOKING ARTICLE USING A CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE OF AN ENCAPSULATED MATERIAL | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | NGUYEN, SONNY V | 1755 | DP | Final Rejection | 45d overdue | Pending | Jan 10, 2024 |
| 18396145 | METHOD OF MAKING E-VAPING DEVICE WITH FIRST-SHAPED CAVITY AND SECOND-SHAPED CAVITY | Altria Client Services LLC | CHABREYRIE, RODOLPHE ANDRE | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 26, 2023 | |
| 18538654 | SUSCEPTOR FOR USE WITH AN INDUCTIVELY HEATED AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE OR SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | DODSON, JUSTIN C | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2023 |
| 18533789 | SUPPORT BRACKET WITH AT LEAST ONE CENTER BRACKET SLIDEABLE ALONG FIRST SURFACE OF MAJOR BODY | Altria Client Services LLC | WOOD, KIMBERLY T | 3631 | §102§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 08, 2023 |
| 18520932 | HOT-WIRE CONTROL FOR AN ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE | Altria Client Services LLC | SCHNEIDER, THOMAS FRANK | 1749 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 28, 2023 |
| 18519351 | BEAD FEEDER | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 27, 2023 |
| 18480639 | COMPRESSIBLE ROD FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | GRAY, LINDA LAMEY | 1745 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 04, 2023 |
| 18467173 | BANDED PAPERS, SMOKING ARTICLES AND METHODS | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | MAYES, DIONNE WALLS | 1747 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 22d overdue | Pending | Sep 14, 2023 |
| 18466420 | E-VAPOR DEVICE INCLUDING PUNCTURE DEVICE AND SEALED PACKET OF PRE-VAPOR FORMULATION | Altria Client Services LLC | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 13, 2023 |
| 18456763 | CHEWABLE DISSOLVABLE NICOTINE TABLET | Altria Client Services LLC | TCHERKASSKAYA, OLGA V | 1615 | §103§112Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2023 |
| 18348529 | METHOD FOR OPERATING DEVICE USING MULTI-STAGE HEATING | Altria Client Services LLC | DODSON, JUSTIN C | 3761 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 07, 2023 |
| 18318196 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH ELECTRODES | Altria Client Services LLC | RALIS, STEPHEN J | 3992 | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2023 |
| 18178838 | CARTRIDGE WITH A CAPACITY SENSOR | Altria Client Services LLC | SAMUELS, LAWRENCE H | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 06, 2023 |
| 18061044 | ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE AND COMPONENTS THEREOF | Altria Client Services LLC | MULLEN, MICHAEL PATRICK | 1747 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 02, 2022 |
| 18053149 | ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES AND POWER-RECEIVING UNITS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES INCLUDING THE SAME | Altria Client Services LLC | LOPEZ PAGAN, CARLOS EMILIO | 2834 | §103 | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 17982138 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES AND CAPSULES HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES | Altria Client Services LLC | MOORE, STEPHANIE LYNN | 1700 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 18053086 | BLANK WITH WIDE PANELS AND NARROW PANELS, AND PACKAGE WITH BLANK | Altria Client Services LLC | ATTEL, NINA KAY | 3734 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 17947436 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES AND CAPSULES | Altria Client Services LLC | DIYAN, OLUWATOSIN OLUWATUMININ | 1755 | §103 | Final Rejection | 35d overdue | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17947345 | POWER CONTROL SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17939428 | LABEL FOR PACK | Altria Client Services LLC | NORDMEYER, PATRICIA L | 1788 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | 41d | Pending | Sep 07, 2022 |
| 17672882 | CIGARETTES AND CIGARETTE FILTERS INCLUDING ACTIVATED CARBON FOR REMOVING NITRIC OXIDE | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | 162d overdue | Pending | Feb 16, 2022 |
| 17551745 | COLLOIDAL PLANT POWDER/EXTRACT ENCAPSULATION WITH PECTIN-PROTEIN COACERVATE GELS | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2021 |
| 17537899 | INKS, COATINGS AND ADHESIVES AS CARRIERS FOR TAGGANTS FOR TOBACCO PRODUCT AUTHENTICATION AND COMPONENT DETECTION | Altria Client Services LLC | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | 14d | Pending | Nov 30, 2021 |
| 17525815 | COMPOSITIONS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR NICOTINE AEROSOL DELIVERY | Njoy, LLC | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §102§112 | Final Rejection | 9d | Pending | Nov 12, 2021 |
| 17520938 | CONTROL OF TOTAL PARTICULATE MATTER PRODUCTION | Altria Client Services LLC | SAMUELS, LAWRENCE H | 3761 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 08, 2021 |
| 17466445 | UNITARY HEATING ELEMENT AND HEATER ASSEMBLIES, CARTRIDGES, AND E-VAPOR DEVICES INCLUDING A UNITARY HEATING ELEMENT | Altria Client Services LLC | RHUE, ABIGAIL H | 3761 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 03, 2021 |
| 17223756 | SPRAY DRIED NICOTINE FOR INCLUSION IN ORAL PRODUCTS | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAN, SUSAN T | 1615 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 06, 2021 |
| 17223773 | ORAL POUCH PRODUCT | Altria Client Services LLC | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 06, 2021 |
| 17159600 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR EXECUTING AN E-VAPING DEVICE OPERATING SYSTEM, E-VAPING PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE, AND E-VAPING APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE | Altria Client Services LLC | ISKRA, JOSEPH W | 3761 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 27, 2021 |
| 17086735 | LID WITH INTEGRATED STORAGE | Altria Client Services LLC | BALDRIGHI, ERIC C | 3733 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 02, 2020 |
| 16826739 | ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE WITH VISIBLE LIQUID CONTAINER | Altria Client Services LLC | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Mar 23, 2020 |
| 16670199 | BOX-IN-BOX PACKAGE | Altria Client Services LLC | NEWAY, BLAINE GIRMA | 3735 | §103 | Final Rejection | 51d overdue | Pending | Oct 31, 2019 |
| 16030255 | AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH FOUR CONTACTS | Altria Client Services LLC | JENNISON, BRIAN W | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 09, 2018 |
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