Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering
61 pending office actions • 4 clients • 44 examiners • 10 art units • 0 of 61 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready
Womble (previously Lewis Roca) has a broad practice in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering, with 35635 career applications. The firm currently manages 54 pending office actions. It has a resolved allowance rate of 83.87 percent, which demonstrates a consistent ability to secure patent grants across a very large volume of filings. The firm averages 3.22 office actions per allowance, indicating a standard iterative process with patent examiners.
This average of 3.22 suggests that the firm is effective at moving applications toward allowance within a reasonable number of interactions. Given the 35635 career applications, the 83.87 percent allowance rate highlights the firm's stability and success in the mechanical and medical device sectors over a long period. Practitioners can interpret the 54 pending office actions as a sign of continued engagement in these fields. The firm's historical performance, including its 83.87 percent allowance rate and average of 3.22 office actions per allowance, provides a reliable benchmark for its capacity to handle large scale patent portfolios in Medical Devices & Mechanical Engineering.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 20 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. 20 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 | 1 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 4 (7%) |
| §103 only | 23 (38%) |
| §102 only | 9 (15%) |
| Double-patenting only | 3 (5%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 1 (2%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 20 (33%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLARK, RYAN T | 6 | 50.4% | +18.2% |
| LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 5 | 72.3% | +20.5% |
| PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 3 | 28.0% | +43.1% |
| RUSSELL, SYDNEY REYES | 3 | 48.6% | +48.5% |
| OUYANG, BO | 3 | 60.6% | +8.8% |
| CHUKWURAH, NATHANIEL C | 2 | 84.8% | +11.0% |
| ABBASI, ABDUL HADI | 2 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| IMAM, TANZIM | 1 | 71.2% | +27.2% |
| PALMER, LUCAS E A | 1 | 80.2% | +16.7% |
| CONLEY, FREDRICK C | 1 | 70.6% | +12.8% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 2 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19168380 | SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH LOCKOUT ASSEMBLIES | CHUKWURAH, NATHANIEL C | — |
| 19162428 | STAPLING DEVICE WITH FIRING LOCKOUT ASSEMBLY | PALMER, LUCAS E A | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18192273 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MISSED BREATH DETECTION AND INDICATION | AGAHI, PUYA | 156d overdue |
| 17398547 | SHAFT RETENTION FEATURES FOR SHAFT-BASED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 147d overdue |
| 18877132 | REAL-TIME STAPLING TISSUE PERFUSION ASSESSMENT | MATTSON, SEAN D | 15d overdue |
| 18347667 | PHRENIC NERVE INTEGRITY AND RAMPED-UP BURST | TU, AURELIE H | 8d |
| 17530621 | ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEALING TISSUE | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 9d |
| 18247016 | VIDEO LARYNGOSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUANTITATIVELY ASSESSMENT TRACHEA | MATTHEWS, TESSA M | 14d |
| 19087802 | POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF IDENTIFYING TISSUE TYPES THEREWITH | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 34d |
| 18356330 | CONCENTRIC BREATHING CIRCUIT WITH BOOST ZONE | SUL, DOUGLAS YOUNG | 41d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17398547 | SHAFT RETENTION FEATURES FOR SHAFT-BASED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 147d overdue |
| 19076558 | HAND-HELD SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 9d overdue |
| 17530621 | ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEALING TISSUE | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 9d |
| 17914300 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS INCORPORATING ULTRASONIC AND ELECTROSURGICAL FUNCTIONALITY | CLARK, RYAN T | 14d |
| 19087802 | POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF IDENTIFYING TISSUE TYPES THEREWITH | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 34d |
| 19213082 | HANDHELD ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL SYSTEM | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 84d |
| 19478944 | SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICE WITH ARTICULATING TOOL ASSEMBLY | IMAM, TANZIM | — |
| 19168380 | SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH LOCKOUT ASSEMBLIES | CHUKWURAH, NATHANIEL C | — |
| Client (Assignee) | Pending OAs |
|---|---|
| Covidien L.P. | 58 |
| WARSAW ORTHOPEDIC, INC. | 1 |
| Trustee Of Dartmouth College | 1 |
| DEPUY SYNTHES PRODUCTS, INC. | 1 |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 3794 | 14 |
| 3731 | 13 |
| 3771 | 8 |
| 3785 | 6 |
| 3795 | 4 |
| 3791 | 2 |
| 3679 | 1 |
| 3798 | 1 |
| 3715 | 1 |
| 3773 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Client | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19478944 | SURGICAL STAPLING DEVICE WITH ARTICULATING TOOL ASSEMBLY | Covidien LP | IMAM, TANZIM | 3731 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 27, 2025 |
| 19168380 | SURGICAL STAPLING APPARATUS WITH LOCKOUT ASSEMBLIES | Covidien LP | CHUKWURAH, NATHANIEL C | 3731 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 24, 2025 |
| 19162428 | STAPLING DEVICE WITH FIRING LOCKOUT ASSEMBLY | Covidien LP | PALMER, LUCAS E A | 3731 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2025 |
| 19162434 | STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH MOVABLE KNIFE | Covidien LP | CHUKWURAH, NATHANIEL C | 3731 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2025 |
| 19270708 | SURGICAL STAPLER WITH UNIVERSAL TIP RELOAD | Covidien LP | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §102§103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 16, 2025 |
| 19270710 | SURGICAL PLATFORM SYSTEM | Warsaw Orthopedic, Inc. | CONLEY, FREDRICK C | 3679 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 16, 2025 |
| 19213082 | HANDHELD ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL SYSTEM | Covidien LP | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §103Other | Final Rejection | 84d | Pending | May 20, 2025 |
| 19087802 | POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF IDENTIFYING TISSUE TYPES THEREWITH | Covidien LP | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 19076558 | HAND-HELD SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | Covidien LP | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | DP | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Mar 11, 2025 |
| 19053802 | METHODS FOR OPEN DISSECTION USING SEALING INSTRUMENT | Covidien LP | SHOULDERS, ANNIE LEE | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 14, 2025 | |
| 19099111 | Handheld Electromechanical Surgical System With Low Tissue Compression Indiction | Covidien LP | WITTENSCHLAEGER, THOMAS M | 3731 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 28, 2025 |
| 19036684 | UNIVERSAL SURGICAL FOOTSWITCH TOGGLING | Covidien LP | COLLINS, SEAN W | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 24, 2025 | |
| 19025436 | ULTRASONIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH COOLING SYSTEM | Covidien LP | FISHBACK, ASHLEY LAUREN | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 19014837 | INDEPENDENT CONTROL OF DUAL RF ELECTROSURGERY | Covidien LP | GUERRERO ROSARIO, ANA VERUSKA | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2025 | |
| 19014666 | DRIVE MECHANISMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | Covidien LP | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2025 | |
| 18877759 | STAPLE CARTRIDGE WITH KNIFE | Covidien LP | HODGE, LINDA J | 3731 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18877132 | REAL-TIME STAPLING TISSUE PERFUSION ASSESSMENT | Covidien LP | MATTSON, SEAN D | 3798 | §102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 15d overdue | Pending | Dec 19, 2024 |
| 18868951 | ELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE TOMOGRAPHY DEVICE AND SYSTEM | Trustee Of Dartmouth College | FERNANDES, PATRICK M | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 25, 2024 | |
| 18947767 | SURGICAL SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR TREATING TISSUE | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 14, 2024 | |
| 18946662 | DRIVE ROD AND KNIFE BLADE FOR AN ARTICULATING SURGICAL INSTRUMENT | Covidien LP | GABR, MOHAMED GAMIL | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 13, 2024 |
| 18940435 | SLOW SPEED STAPLE AND STAPLE RELAXATION FOR STAPLING OPTIMIZATION | Covidien LP | LONG, ROBERT FRANKLIN | 3731 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 07, 2024 |
| 18939147 | ARTICULATING ULTRASONIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND SYSTEMS | Covidien LP | NGUYEN, VI X | 3771 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 06, 2024 |
| 18929053 | NON-STICK COATED ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME | Covidien LP | PEFFLEY, MICHAEL F | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 28, 2024 | |
| 18914625 | ELECTROSURGICAL FORCEPS | Covidien LP | GIULIANI, THOMAS ANTHONY | §102§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 14, 2024 | |
| 18913410 | ELECTROSURGICAL FORCEPS FOR GRASPING, TREATING, AND/OR DIVIDING TISSUE | Covidien LP | DEMIE, TIGIST S | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 | |
| 18856325 | COMPRESSION ANASTOMOSIS RINGS WITH ADJUSTABLE COMPRESSION PROFILE | Covidien LP | BYRD, BRIGID K | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | 28d | Pending | Oct 11, 2024 |
| 18909766 | ADAPTIVE ANTI-TWITCH ALGORITHM FOR POWERED SURGICAL DEVICES | Covidien LP | HIBBERT, MARY C | 3731 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2024 |
| 18887931 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATING ULTRASONIC AND ELECTROSURGICAL FUNCTIONALITY | Covidien LP | VAHDAT, KHADIJEH A | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 17, 2024 | |
| 18775319 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING DELIVERY OF ELECTROSURGICAL ENERGY | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2024 |
| 18775043 | DRIVE AND ARTICULATION MECHANISMS FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR USE IN ROBOTIC SURGICAL SYSTEMS | Covidien LP | LABRANCHE, BROOKE N | 3771 | §102 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 17, 2024 |
| 18704825 | BATTERY SYSTEM FOR A LARYNGOSCOPE | Covidien LP | ROSENBAUM, AMANDA R | 3795 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2024 |
| 18630573 | DISPOSABLE ENDOSCOPE DRIVE | Covidien LP | ABBASI, ABDUL HADI | 3795 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 09, 2024 |
| 18623424 | LIGHT GUIDE PIPE FOR UNIFORM ENDOSCOPIC ILLUMINATION | Covidien LP | ABBASI, ABDUL HADI | 3795 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 01, 2024 |
| 18407601 | HANDHELD ELECTROMECHANICAL SURGICAL SYSTEM | Covidien LP | GERTH, KATIE L | 3731 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2024 |
| 18541299 | DIRECT LARYNGOSCOPE TRAINING MODE FOR VIDEO LARYNGOSCOPE | Covidien LP | ROWLAND, STEVE | 3715 | §103 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Dec 15, 2023 |
| 18558768 | AUXILIARY DEVICES FOR STAPLING APPARATUS | Covidien LP | MCGINNITY, JAMES RYAN | 3771 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 29d | Pending | Nov 03, 2023 |
| 18558632 | BLADE OPTIMIZATION FOR ROBOTIC ASSISTED SEALING INSTRUMENT | Covidien LP | LONG, SARAH A | 3771 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 02, 2023 |
| 18497051 | PATIENT-VENTILATOR ASYNCHRONY DASHBOARD | Covidien LP | RUSSELL, SYDNEY REYES | 3785 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 30, 2023 |
| 18227904 | DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR GRASPING, TREATING, AND DIVIDING TISSUE | Covidien LP | GOOD, SAMANTHA M | 3794 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 29, 2023 |
| 18356330 | CONCENTRIC BREATHING CIRCUIT WITH BOOST ZONE | Covidien LP | SUL, DOUGLAS YOUNG | 3785 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 41d | Pending | Jul 21, 2023 |
| 18347667 | PHRENIC NERVE INTEGRITY AND RAMPED-UP BURST | Covidien LP | TU, AURELIE H | 3791 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | 8d | Pending | Jul 06, 2023 |
| 18210779 | ELECTROSURGICAL FORCEPS | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | 3794 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 16, 2023 |
| 18266148 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS INCORPORATING ULTRASONIC AND ELECTROSURGICAL FUNCTIONALITY | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | 3794 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 08, 2023 |
| 18325407 | STEERABLE ENDOSCOPE WITH MOTION ALIGNMENT | Covidien AG | SHARPLESS, CHRISTEN ALICIA | 3795 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 28d overdue | Pending | May 30, 2023 |
| 18197839 | THERMAL CUTTER ASSEMBLY AND SEAL PLATE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | 3794 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2023 |
| 18296049 | REPLACEABLE FILTER SYSTEMS FOR MECHANICAL VENTILATION | Covidien LP | SIPPEL, RACHEL T | 3785 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 05, 2023 |
| 18192273 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MISSED BREATH DETECTION AND INDICATION | Covidien LP | AGAHI, PUYA | 3791 | §101Other | Non-Final OA | 156d overdue | Pending | Mar 29, 2023 |
| 18247016 | VIDEO LARYNGOSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUANTITATIVELY ASSESSMENT TRACHEA | Covidien LP | MATTHEWS, TESSA M | 3773 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 14d | Pending | Mar 28, 2023 |
| 18023799 | THERMAL CUTTING ELEMENTS, ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING THERMAL CUTTING ELEMENTS, AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING | Covidien LP | FOWLER, DANIEL WAYNE | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 11d overdue | Pending | Feb 28, 2023 |
| 18019881 | COMPUTER VISION BASED CONTROL OF AN ENERGY GENERATOR | Covidien LP | OUYANG, BO | 3794 | §103 | Final Rejection | 2d overdue | Pending | Feb 06, 2023 |
| 18065061 | EXPIRATORY FILTER WITH EMBEDDED DETECTORS | Covidien LP | DALE, ABIGAYLE ANN | 3785 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2022 |
| 17992978 | ENERGY-BASED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND SYSTEMS CONFIGURED TO MINIMIZE THERMAL SPREAD | Covidien LP | MILLER, SERENITY A | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 23, 2022 |
| 17914300 | SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS INCORPORATING ULTRASONIC AND ELECTROSURGICAL FUNCTIONALITY | Covidien LP | CLARK, RYAN T | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 14d | Pending | Sep 23, 2022 |
| 17888034 | VENTILATION MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS | Covidien LP | RUSSELL, SYDNEY REYES | 3785 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2022 |
| 17870564 | PHRENIC NERVE STIMULATION WITH MECHANICAL VENTILATION | Covidien LP | RUSSELL, SYDNEY REYES | 3785 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 21, 2022 |
| 17785494 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ULTRASONIC SURGICAL SYSTEM | Covidien LP | MCGRATH, ERIN E | 3771 | §103 | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Jun 15, 2022 |
| 17736375 | JAW APERTURE POSITION SENSOR FORELECTROSURGICAL FORCEPS | Covidien LP | RODDEN, JOANNE M | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 15d | Pending | May 04, 2022 |
| 17715986 | ENERGY ACTIVATION SWITCH FOR VESSEL SEALER | Covidien LP | OUYANG, BO | 3794 | §103 | Final Rejection | 39d | Pending | Apr 08, 2022 |
| 17702629 | ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS | Covidien LP | OUYANG, BO | 3794 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 23, 2022 |
| 17530621 | ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEALING TISSUE | Covidien LP | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 3794 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 9d | Pending | Nov 19, 2021 |
| 17398547 | SHAFT RETENTION FEATURES FOR SHAFT-BASED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS | Covidien LP | PAPE, ALYSSA MORGAN | 3794 | §103 | Final Rejection | 147d overdue | Pending | Aug 10, 2021 |
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