Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
52 pending office actions • 2 clients • 42 examiners • 24 art units • 0 of 52 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 161 patents granted in the last 365 days
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 17 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. 17 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 (6%) |
| §103 only | 16 (31%) |
| §102 only | 1 (2%) |
| §112 only | 2 (4%) |
| Double-patenting only | 4 (8%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 5 (10%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 17 (33%) |
| No statute on record | 4 (8%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KRINKER, YANA B | 5 | 58.3% | +32.9% |
| FELTON, MICHAEL J | 3 | 59.0% | +14.8% |
| NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 2 | 65.6% | +19.2% |
| YAARY, ERIC | 2 | 73.7% | +3.2% |
| SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 2 | 63.1% | +15.4% |
| KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 2 | 64.7% | +22.9% |
| WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 1 | 71.6% | +12.3% |
| TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 1 | 63.2% | +43.6% |
| MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 1 | 44.3% | +15.1% |
| TOLIN, MICHAEL A | 1 | 62.9% | +27.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17981973 | CAPSULES HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES AND HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES INCLUDING THE SAME | TOICH, SARA KATHERINE | 22d overdue |
| 17479260 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES WITH CAPSULE AUTHENTICATION | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 10d overdue |
| 18328146 | LOW IGNITION PROPENSITY CIGARETTE PAPER AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF | YAARY, ERIC | 6d |
| 18828309 | ROTATABLE DRUM AND METHOD AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF E-VAPOR DEVICES | GROSS, CARSON | 14d |
| 18426722 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | YAARY, ERIC | 30d |
| 18608007 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING AGE VERIFICATION | WELCH, DAVID T | 33d |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 36d |
| 18959984 | CONTAINER WITH FLEXIBLE WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | PAL, PRINCE | 42d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17740460 | METHOD AND DEVICES FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 26d overdue |
| 17479260 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES WITH CAPSULE AUTHENTICATION | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 10d overdue |
| 17706930 | VAPORIZER ASSEMBLY | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 9d |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 36d |
| 18306368 | HEAT-NOT-BURN DEVICE AND FLAVOR CARRIER | KRINKER, YANA B | 70d |
| 19307283 | METHOD OF FORMING ASSEMBLED PACKAGE WITH FIRST RIDGE OF FIRST TRAY FORMING PART OF OUTER SURFACE OF ASSEMBLED PACKAGE | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | — |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | — |
| 19208704 | AGE AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM | MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | — |
| Client (Assignee) | Pending OAs |
|---|---|
| Altria | 47 |
| Philip Morris | 5 |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1755 | 10 |
| 1747 | 9 |
| 3761 | 4 |
| 1745 | 3 |
| 3731 | 2 |
| 3736 | 2 |
| 3726 | 1 |
| 3692 | 1 |
| 3735 | 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 |
| 19273799 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A HEATER ASSEMBLY FOR A NON-NICOTINE POD ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | TRAVERS, MATTHEW P | 3726 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 18, 2025 |
| 19208704 | AGE AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B | 3692 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 15, 2025 |
| 18975366 | PRODUCT PORTION ENROBING MACHINES AND METHODS | Altria Client Services LLC | TOLIN, MICHAEL A | 1745 | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 10, 2024 |
| 18968285 | METHODS AND PRODUCTS FOR PRODUCT TRACING AND AUTHENTICATION USING CONDUCTIVE INKS | Altria Client Services LLC | OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P | §101§102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 04, 2024 | |
| 18959953 | CONTAINER WITH LID WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | Altria Client Services LLC | STEVENS, ALLAN D | 3736 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18959984 | CONTAINER WITH FLEXIBLE WALL LOCKING MECHANISM | Altria Client Services LLC | PAL, PRINCE | 3735 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 42d | Pending | Nov 26, 2024 |
| 18958409 | TRAY WITH BASE, DOME AND BRIM | Altria Client Services LLC | ORTIZ, RAFAEL ALFREDO | 3736 | §102 | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Nov 25, 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 | |
| 18828309 | ROTATABLE DRUM AND METHOD AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME FOR THE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF E-VAPOR DEVICES | Altria Client Services LLC | GROSS, CARSON | 1746 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | Sep 09, 2024 |
| 18816518 | SMOKING ARTICLE WITH HEAT RESISTANT SHEET MATERIAL | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | KUMAR, SRILAKSHMI K | 1748 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 27, 2024 |
| 18808598 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORAGE OF DATA FOR MANUFACTURED ITEMS | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | KHATRI, NILESH B | 2407 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 19, 2024 |
| 18736680 | ADHESIVE FREE TOBACCO PRODUCT TIP ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | EFTA, ALEX B | 1745 | DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 07, 2024 |
| 18667166 | METHOD OF MAKING AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM WITH POROUS BODY AND LIQUID RETENTION MEDIUM | Altria Client Services LLC | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 17, 2024 |
| 18650362 | MANUFACTURING A FLUID PERMEABLE HEATER ASSEMBLY WITH CAP | Altria Client Services LLC | TRINH, MINH N | 3729 | §112Other | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Apr 30, 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 |
| 18610980 | IMMOBILIZED FLAVORANTS FOR FLAVOR DELIVERY | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 20, 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 |
| 18432446 | VAPORIZER OF AN ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE AND METHOD OF FORMING A VAPORIZER | Altria Client Services LLC | KIRKWOOD, SPENCER HAMMETT | 3761 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 05, 2024 |
| 18426722 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | Altria Client Services LLC | YAARY, ERIC | 1755 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | Jan 30, 2024 |
| 18423483 | CAPSULES, HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES, AND METHODS OF GENERATING AN AEROSOL | Altria Client Services LLC | NGUYEN, PHU HOANG | 1747 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 26, 2024 |
| 18397575 | DISSOLVABLE-CHEWABLE TOBACCO TABLET | Altria Client Services LLC | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2023 |
| 18572327 | HEAT-NOT-BURN CAPSULE, MATERIAL AND PREPARATION OF HEAT-NOT-BURN CAPSULE, DIPPING MOLD, AND PRODUCTION DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 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 |
| 18519351 | BEAD FEEDER | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 27, 2023 |
| 18506565 | METHODS AND MACHINES FOR POUCHING SMOKELESS TOBACCO AND TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS | Altria Client Services LLC | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 1747 | DPOther | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 10, 2023 |
| 18494218 | ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE | Altria Client Services LLC | HYUN, PAUL SANG HWA | 1796 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 84d | Pending | Oct 25, 2023 |
| 18480639 | COMPRESSIBLE ROD FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | GRAY, LINDA LAMEY | 1745 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 04, 2023 |
| 18475591 | CARTRIDGE FOR ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | NGUYEN, PHUONG T | §102DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 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 |
| 18335561 | SOFT, CHEWABLE AND ORALLY DISSOLVABLE AND/OR DISINTEGRABLE PRODUCTS | Philip Morris Usa Inc. | KOSAR, AARON J | 1655 | Other | Non-Final OA | 17d overdue | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
| 18328146 | LOW IGNITION PROPENSITY CIGARETTE PAPER AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF | Altria Client Services LLC | YAARY, ERIC | 1755 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 6d | Pending | Jun 02, 2023 |
| 18306368 | HEAT-NOT-BURN DEVICE AND FLAVOR CARRIER | Altria Client Services LLC | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 70d | Pending | Apr 25, 2023 |
| 17981973 | CAPSULES HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES AND HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES INCLUDING THE SAME | Altria Client Services LLC | TOICH, SARA KATHERINE | 3785 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 22d overdue | Pending | Nov 07, 2022 |
| 17947345 | POWER CONTROL SYSTEM | Altria Client Services LLC | KHLOK, BONITA | 3761 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 2022 |
| 17947372 | CAPSULE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | MULLEN, MICHAEL PATRICK | 1747 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 19, 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 |
| 17939428 | LABEL FOR PACK | Altria Client Services LLC | NORDMEYER, PATRICIA L | 1788 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | 41d | Pending | Sep 07, 2022 |
| 17794642 | HYBRID HNB AND E-CIG DEVICE | Altria Client Services LLC | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 36d | Pending | Jul 22, 2022 |
| 17847676 | METHODS AND MACHINES FOR POUCHING SMOKELESS TOBACCO AND TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS | Altria Client Services LLC | CULBERT, COURTNEY GUENTHER | 1747 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 23, 2022 |
| 17845237 | EXTERNAL STERILIZATION OF AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES | Altria Client Services LLC | SEGED, NEBYATE SAMUEL | 1758 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2022 |
| 17740460 | METHOD AND DEVICES FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES | Altria Client Services LLC | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | Other | Non-Final OA | 26d overdue | Pending | May 10, 2022 |
| 17706930 | VAPORIZER ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | FELTON, MICHAEL J | 1747 | Other | Non-Final OA | 9d | Pending | Mar 29, 2022 |
| 17479260 | HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES WITH CAPSULE AUTHENTICATION | Altria Client Services LLC | KESSIE, JENNIFER A | 1747 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | 10d overdue | Pending | Sep 20, 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 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 03, 2021 |
| 17223415 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING NICOTINE GUM | Altria Client Services LLC | GROUX, JENNIFER LILA | 1754 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 06, 2021 |
| 16982606 | VAPORIZER CAPSULES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE | Altria Client Services LLC | BEHRENS JR., ANDRES E | 1741 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 21, 2020 |
| 16929386 | NON-NICOTINE ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICE INCLUDING A RESERVOIR ASSEMBLY | Altria Client Services LLC | SPARKS, RUSSELL E | 1755 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2020 |
| 16929371 | NICOTINE ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES HAVING AUTO SHUTDOWN | Altria Client Services LLC | KRINKER, YANA B | 1755 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2020 |
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