Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology areas: Semiconductors, Circuits & Optics • Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
534 pending office actions • 281 clients • 483 examiners • 229 art units • 0 of 534 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready
MERCHANT & GOULD P.C. operates in the Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering technology area. The firm has managed 32966 career applications, achieving a resolved allowance rate of 85.16 percent. Prosecution averages 2.86 office actions per allowance. Currently, the firm has 385 pending office actions.
The 85.16 percent allowance rate across this volume demonstrates an effective prosecution strategy. The 2.86 office actions per allowance indicate an efficient path to securing patent rights. With 385 pending office actions, the firm maintains a high level of activity while sustaining its performance metrics. This combination of volume and efficiency defines their practice in this sector.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 158 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. 158 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 only | 3 (1%) |
| §101 + other | 37 (7%) |
| §103 only | 160 (30%) |
| §102 only | 27 (5%) |
| §112 only | 32 (6%) |
| Double-patenting only | 15 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 27 (5%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 228 (43%) |
| No statute on record | 5 (1%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VALENCIA, ALEJANDRO | 9 | 42.5% | +5.9% |
| CHEN, SOPHIA S | 4 | 95.7% | +4.5% |
| AYDIN, SEVAN A | 3 | 80.1% | +4.6% |
| CHO, SUNG IL | 3 | 91.4% | +8.5% |
| PAK, SUNG H | 3 | 87.8% | +11.4% |
| PENG, CHARLIE YU | 3 | 75.5% | +13.0% |
| MORNHINWEG, JEFFREY P | 3 | 36.5% | +32.6% |
| STONEBRAKER, ALYSSA RAE | 3 | 58.2% | +50.0% |
| VO, ANH T N | 2 | 90.0% | +4.6% |
| RICCI, CRAIG D | 2 | 53.6% | +52.7% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19256372 | IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SHUTTER OF ATTACHED DRUM CARTRIDGE IN INTERLOCKING RELATION TO OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT OF COVER | CHEN, SOPHIA S | — |
| 19239557 | DRUM CARTRIDGE INCLUDING ELECTRICAL CONTACT SURFACE MOVABLE RELATIVE TO DRUM FRAME | CHEN, SOPHIA S | — |
| 19222028 | IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE INCLUDING CONSUMABLE INCLUDING CONSUMABLE MEMORY HAVING FIRST AREA SUBJECT TO DIGITAL SIGNATURE AND SECOND AREA NOT SUBJECT TO DIGITAL SIGNATURE | AYDIN, SEVAN A | — |
| 19219603 | IMAGE FORMATION DEVICE | CHEN, SOPHIA S | — |
| 19214885 | METHOD FOR REMOVING AND ATTACHING FIRST HOLDER MEMBER RELATIVE TO SECOND HOLDER MEMBER SUPPORTED BY HOUSING IN CARTRIDGE | CHEN, SOPHIA S | — |
| 19065527 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | AYDIN, SEVAN A | — |
| 19011055 | MEMORY DEVICE WITH A BIAS CIRCUIT | CHO, SUNG IL | — |
| 18930356 | TANK HAVING OUTLET POSITIONED IN PROTRUDING CHAMBER BELOW LIQUID STORAGE CHAMBER, AND LIQUID-CONSUMING DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME | VO, ANH T N | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16745074 | TRANSCATHETER METHODS FOR HEART VALVE REPAIR | ORKIN, ALEXANDER J | 545d overdue |
| 18744141 | VALVE WITH REPLACEABLE HARD INSERTS | DO, HAILEY KYUNG AE | 146d overdue |
| 18496647 | Joystick Chair | PANDYA, SUNIT | 121d overdue |
| 18596404 | 3D IC POWER GRID | REAMES, MATTHEW L | 119d overdue |
| 18570380 | METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A MICROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT OF A TELEOPERATED ROBOTIC SURGERY SYSTEM AND RELATED SYSTEM | LUAN, SCOTT | 114d overdue |
| 18009452 | COMPOSITION FOR PREVENTION, IMPROVEMENT OR TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC DISEASE OR ITCHING COMPRISING PENTAPEPTIDE AS ACTIVE INGREDIENT | KOMATSU, LI N | 97d overdue |
| 16973414 | METHOD FOR DETECTING A TANDEM REPEAT | JOHANNSEN, DIANA B | 87d overdue |
| 17761506 | EDIBLE SHEET CONTAINING SEAWEED AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREFOR | TAYLOR, AUSTIN PARKER | 85d overdue |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18554569 | METHODS FOR MAKING A YOGURT PRODUCT | MORNHINWEG, JEFFREY P | 42d overdue |
| 18040959 | OPTIMIZED SURGERY PROTOCOL AND KITS | RICCI, CRAIG D | 31d overdue |
| 18252398 | CONTINUOUS LACTOSE HYDROLYSIS IN MILK AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS | MORNHINWEG, JEFFREY P | 29d |
| 19396404 | JOINT CAVITY DRUG ADMINISTRATION METHOD, AND USE THEREOF | RICCI, CRAIG D | — |
| 18899853 | TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENCLOSURE MOUNTING SYSTEM | PAK, SUNG H | — |
| 18820474 | TELECOMMUNICATIONS DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS | PENG, CHARLIE YU | — |
| 18819842 | EQUIPMENT PANEL WITH TERMINATION REGION | PAK, SUNG H | — |
| 18794850 | STRAIN RELIEF BOOT | PAK, SUNG H | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 2853 | 14 |
| 2874 | 9 |
| 2852 | 7 |
| 3763 | 7 |
| 3771 | 7 |
| 1792 | 6 |
| 3753 | 5 |
| 3723 | 5 |
| 2891 | 5 |
| 3797 | 4 |
| App # | Title | Client | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19426683 | IMAGE RECORDING APPARATUS, EXTERNAL TERMINAL AND SERVER | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | VIG, NARESH | 3622 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2025 |
| 19419391 | INK CONTAINER, INK CONTAINER SET AND PRINTING SYSTEM | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | VO, ANH T N | 2853 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2025 |
| 19396404 | JOINT CAVITY DRUG ADMINISTRATION METHOD, AND USE THEREOF | Tennor Therapeutics (Suzhou) Limited | RICCI, CRAIG D | 1611 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 21, 2025 |
| 19481148 | TAIL ASSEMBLY FOR A GUIDED AND FIN-STABILIZED PROJECTILE | Leonardo S.p.A. | BADAWI, MEDHAT | 3642 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 03, 2025 |
| 19370159 | CONNECTORS FOR LIGHT FIXTURES AND METHOD OF INSTALLING THE SAME | Nulite Lighting, Inc. | CARTER, WILLIAM JOSEPH | 2875 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 27, 2025 |
| 19478303 | MEDICAL BOOT | Osborn Medical Corporation | CARREIRO, CAITLIN ANN | 3786 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 24, 2025 |
| 19476152 | MAGAZINE FOR AN ARTILLERY INSTALLATION, PROVIDED WITH A MOVING SYSTEM | Leonardo S.p.A. | WEBER, JONATHAN C | 3641 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 16, 2025 |
| 19358698 | FIBER OPTIC CONNECTION SYSTEM | Commscope Connectivity Belguim Bvba | ENGLISH, PETER C | 2883 | §112DPOther | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 15, 2025 |
| 19349368 | HIGH SURFACE-AREA LYOPHILIZED COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ARSENIC FOR ORAL ADMINISTRATION IN PATIENTS | Quetzal Therapeutics, LLC | PALENIK, JEFFREY T | 1615 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 5d | Pending | Oct 03, 2025 |
| 19167566 | Device and System for Non-Invasively Determining a Concentration of an Analyte | University Of Leeds | JACOB, OOMMEN | 3797 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 22, 2025 |
| 19313142 | HIGH EFFICIENCY WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER COILS | Resonant Link, Inc. | KAPLAN, HAL IRA | §102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2025 | |
| 19159727 | FISHING LINE GUIDE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING FISHING GEAR ITEM | Globeride, Inc. | ALMEIDA BONNIN, ANGELICA ALEJANDRA | 3643 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 26, 2025 |
| 19157208 | AN APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY OPERATING A PLURALITY OF VEHICLES | Ola Electric Mobility Limited | RAMIREZ, ELLIS B | 3658 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2025 |
| 19293179 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING DEVICE MAIN BODY AND CONSUMABLE ATTACHABLE THERETO AND INCLUDING CONSUMABLE MEMORY FOR STORING RECYCLING HISTORY INFORMATION | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | TRAN, HOAN H | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 07, 2025 | |
| 19273995 | THREE-DIMENSIONAL AIRFOIL AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION | Greenheck Fan Corporation | CHRISTENSEN, DANIELLE M | 3745 | §102 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 18, 2025 |
| 19256372 | IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SHUTTER OF ATTACHED DRUM CARTRIDGE IN INTERLOCKING RELATION TO OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT OF COVER | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | CHEN, SOPHIA S | 2852 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 01, 2025 |
| 19254164 | IMPEDANCE MATCHING CIRCUIT AND METHOD | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | CHEN, PATRICK C | 2836 | §102DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 30, 2025 |
| 19246974 | VIRTUAL REPLICATION OF UNSTRUCTURED DATA | Restorvault, LLC | HASAN, SYED HAROON | 2139 | §102§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 24, 2025 |
| 19239557 | DRUM CARTRIDGE INCLUDING ELECTRICAL CONTACT SURFACE MOVABLE RELATIVE TO DRUM FRAME | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | CHEN, SOPHIA S | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 16, 2025 | |
| 19238086 | MEDICAL DEVICE INSPECTION SCOPE | Clarus Medical, LLC | CAREY, MICHAEL JAMES | 3795 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 13, 2025 |
| 19226424 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE AMENITIES | Throne Labs, Inc. | GIRMA, FEKADESELASS | 2689 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2025 |
| 19222028 | IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE INCLUDING CONSUMABLE INCLUDING CONSUMABLE MEMORY HAVING FIRST AREA SUBJECT TO DIGITAL SIGNATURE AND SECOND AREA NOT SUBJECT TO DIGITAL SIGNATURE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | AYDIN, SEVAN A | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 29, 2025 | |
| 19222593 | REMOTE CARE MANAGEMENT | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | GARTLAND, SCOTT D | 3685 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 29, 2025 |
| 19220854 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | BRASE, SANDRA L | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 28, 2025 | |
| 19219603 | IMAGE FORMATION DEVICE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | CHEN, SOPHIA S | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 27, 2025 | |
| 19219575 | USING PSYCHOMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR DETERMINING CREDIT RISK | Zip Co. US Inc. | FELTEN, DANIEL S | 3692 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 27, 2025 |
| 19215816 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING IMMUTABLE DIGITAL TESTIMONY | Alibi LLC | NARRAMORE, BLAKE I | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 22, 2025 | |
| 19214885 | METHOD FOR REMOVING AND ATTACHING FIRST HOLDER MEMBER RELATIVE TO SECOND HOLDER MEMBER SUPPORTED BY HOUSING IN CARTRIDGE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | CHEN, SOPHIA S | §102DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 21, 2025 | |
| 19210584 | PEX TUBING EXPANDER HEAD | Brochman Innovations, LLC | BEHRENS JR., ANDRES E | 1741 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2025 |
| 19207511 | TANK INCLUDING FRAME DEFINING FIRST OPENING, AND COVER COVERING AT LEAST PART OF FIRST OPENING | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | ELOSHWAY, NIKI MARINA | 3736 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 14, 2025 |
| 19128924 | MAGNETIC ROBOTIC ASSEMBLY, MAGNETIC ROBOTIC SYSTEM, METHOD FOR LOCATING A MEDICAL DEVICE | Atlas Endoscopy Limited | CELESTINE, NYROBI I | 3798 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2025 |
| 19199186 | UI FOR HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY SYSTEM | Beyeonics Surgical Ltd. | RAYAN, MIHIR K | 2621 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 05, 2025 |
| 19194652 | DIAPHRAGM PUMP AND VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR A DIAPHRAGM PUMP | Wanner Engineering, Inc. | ZOLLINGER, NATHAN C | 3746 | §103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Apr 30, 2025 |
| 19190924 | BALL WITH FILTER | Double G Games LLC | ENGLISH, PETER C | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 28, 2025 | |
| 19188345 | CARTRIDGE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | BEATTY, ROBERT B | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 24, 2025 | |
| 19186278 | CONNECTING ASSEMBLY FOR CONNECTING HOSE SEGMENTS TOGETHER, AND MAPLE TREE SAP HARVESTING SYSTEM PROVIDED WITH THE SAME | Les Equipements Lapierre Inc. | RUFRANO, ALEXANDER TYLER | 3679 | §103DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 22, 2025 |
| 19174589 | CONDENSER APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOVING WATER FROM AIR | Aresco Technologies, LLC | MARTIN, ELIZABETH J | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 09, 2025 | |
| 19171664 | FERTILIZER COMPOSITION CONTAINING A CARBON-BASED ADDITIVE AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME | The Mosaic Company | PEEBLES, KATHERINE | 1617 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 38d overdue | Pending | Apr 07, 2025 |
| 19170997 | SYSTEM FOR THERMOREGULATING METAL ROTATING CYLINDERS IN PLASTIC FILM CONVERTING AND EXTRUDING SYSTEMS BY MEANS OF INDUCTION HEATERS | Colines S.p.A. | LUK, EMMANUEL S | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2025 | |
| 19169608 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | CURRAN, GREGORY H | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 03, 2025 | |
| 19096873 | OPTICAL POWER DETECTOR AND READER | Commscope Technologies LLC | NGUYEN, SANG H | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 01, 2025 | |
| 19093542 | CONNECTION FOR A FLUID WITH A RING | Hutchinson S.r.l. | DRAGICEVICH, ZACHARY T | 3679 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 28, 2025 |
| 19089787 | IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING FAN CONFIGURED TO DISCHARGE AIR THROUGH LOUVER ON HOUSING AND FILTER POSITIONED BETWEEN FAN AND LOUVER IN AIR DISCHARGING DIRECTION | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | ROTH, LAURA K | 2852 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Mar 25, 2025 |
| 19088269 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITHOUT DEDICATED POWER SUPPLY FOR COMPARATOR REFERENCE VOLTAGE | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | ROTH, LAURA K | 2852 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 19082435 | ELECTRODE DEVICES FOR NEUROSTIMULATION | Galvani Bioelectronics Limited | MOSS, JAMES R | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 18, 2025 | |
| 19081531 | LIQUID COOLING ASSEMBLY | Cooler Master Co., Ltd. | DUONG, THO V | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 17, 2025 | |
| 19078969 | LIQUID CONTAINMENT BOTTLE AND LIQUID SUPPLY APPARATUS | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | UHLENHAKE, JASON S | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 13, 2025 | |
| 19077048 | STRUCTURAL FLOOR TRANSPORT SYSTEM | Uni-Frame, LLC | FERGUSON, TYLER RAY | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 11, 2025 | |
| 19076830 | RADIAL CUTTER IMPLANT | Medi-Tate Ltd. | SCHERBEL, TODD J | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 11, 2025 | |
| 19075364 | LOW-DROPOUT (LDO) REGULATOR WITH A FEEDBACK CIRCUIT | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | GBLENDE, JEFFREY A | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 10, 2025 |
IP Author helps law firms respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free Trial85.2% of resolved applications prosecuted by Merchant & Gould P.C. were allowed, across 32,966 applications in USPTO records.
2.86 office actions per allowed application on average.
534 pending office actions as of October 2026, for 281 clients, before 483 examiners in 229 art units.