USPTO Examiner CROW ROBERT THOMAS - Art Unit 1634

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17137837METHOD TO FABRICATE A NANOCHANNEL FOR DNA SEQUENCING BASED ON NARROW TRENCH PATTERNING PROCESSDecember 2020April 2023Allow2701YesNo
17090711METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MICROFLUIDIC SCREENINGNovember 2020January 2023Abandon2720YesNo
17090665METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MICROFLUIDIC SCREENINGNovember 2020January 2023Abandon2631YesNo
17064616METHODS AND DEVICES FOR RAPID DETECTION OF TARGET GENETIC MATERIALOctober 2020July 2023Abandon3401NoNo
17063608MULTIPART REAGENTS HAVING INCREASED AVIDITY FOR POLYMERASE BINDINGOctober 2020August 2021Abandon1110NoNo
17061048METHYLATION MARKERS AND TARGETED METHYLATION PROBE PANELOctober 2020September 2023Allow3540YesYes
17030886COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCINGSeptember 2020November 2021Allow1322NoNo
17022607DEVICES AND METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF MOLECULES USING A FLOW CELLSeptember 2020October 2023Abandon3611NoNo
16983669METHOD FOR ISOLATING NUCLEIC ACIDS FROM A FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER STABILIZED SAMPLEAugust 2020January 2024Abandon4210NoYes
16963690SEQUENCING FLOWCELLSJuly 2020January 2024Abandon4201NoNo
16921566NANO-PEN SEQUENCING: AN INTEGRATED NANOTUBE AND TUNNEL GAP PLATFORM FOR POLYMER SEQUENCINGJuly 2020October 2023Abandon3911NoNo
16909827FABRICATION OF NANOCHANNEL WITH INTEGRATED ELECTRODES FOR DNA SEQUENCING USING TUNNELING CURRENTJune 2020September 2022Allow2700YesNo
16906093HETERODIMERIC CORE-SHELL NANOPARTICLE IN WHICH RAMAN-ACTIVE MOLECULES ARE LOCATED AT A BINDING PORTION OF A NANOPARTICLE HETERODIMER, USE THEREOF, AND METHOD FOR PREPARING SAMEJune 2020October 2023Abandon3911NoNo
16905270COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR BARCODINGJune 2020October 2023Abandon3921NoNo
16891575DEVICES AND METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF MOLECULES USING A FLOW CELLJune 2020March 2024Abandon4521YesNo
16888397MODIFICATION OF DNA ON MAGNETIC BEADSMay 2020July 2023Allow3721NoNo
16868308ARRAYS WITH QUALITY CONTROL TRACERSMay 2020December 2023Allow4321YesNo
16862300TRANSLOCATION CONTROL FOR SENSING BY A NANOPOREApril 2020September 2023Abandon4020NoNo
16851884NANOPORE BASED MOLECULAR DETECTION AND SEQUENCINGApril 2020December 2023Allow4430YesNo
16848038MICROBIAL SENSOR SYSTEM FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENTSApril 2020December 2022Allow3210NoNo
16842466HYBRIDIZATION COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS USING FORMAMIDEApril 2020March 2024Abandon4741NoNo
16842510HYBRIDIZATION COMPOSITIONS AND METHODSApril 2020January 2024Abandon4540NoNo
16837463SUPER RESOLUTION IMAGINGApril 2020February 2023Allow3510YesNo
16825126METHOD AND MATERIALS FOR ISOLATION OF NUCLEIC ACID MATERIALSMarch 2020September 2022Abandon3010NoNo
16746650DEVICES WITH LOW BINDING SUPPORTS AND USES THEREOFJanuary 2020October 2020Abandon910NoNo
16746424Particle MixingJanuary 2020March 2023Abandon3820NoNo
16745182METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPOSITIONS FOR STUDYING SOLVENT ACCESSIBILITY AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF BIOLOGICAL MOLECULESJanuary 2020December 2021Allow2310NoNo
16741278HEXAGONAL FLOW CELL WITH INTEGRATED CMOS SENSOR ARRAYJanuary 2020July 2022Abandon3010NoNo
16739007SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION USING LOW BINDING SURFACEJanuary 2020October 2020Abandon910NoNo
16738629METHODS TO FABRICATE DUAL PORE DEVICESJanuary 2020September 2022Allow3311YesNo
16735501FILMS FOR BIOLOGIC ANALYTE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS AND METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE THEREOFJanuary 2020July 2022Abandon3020NoNo
16735001INTEGRATED OPTOELECTRONIC READ HEAD AND FLUIDIC CARTRIDGE USEFUL FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCINGJanuary 2020September 2022Allow3310NoNo
16728891BIOLOGIC SAMPLE COLLECTION DEVICES AND METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE THEREOFDecember 2019October 2022Abandon3301NoNo
16723356NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION METHOD AND ASSAY KITDecember 2019February 2022Abandon2611NoNo
16624793Method for Detecting and/or Characterizing the Interaction Between Proteins and Small MoleculesDecember 2019August 2022Allow3201YesNo
16620571FORCE-MODULATED HYBRIDIZATION FOR VISUALIZING NUCLEIC ACID LENGTH AND FUNCTIONDecember 2019January 2024Allow5001NoNo
16670226METHOD OF IMPROVING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE SIGNAL IN BIOANALYTICAL ASSAYSOctober 2019June 2022Abandon3210NoNo
16665559IMPLEMENTING BARRIERS FOR CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS DURING SAMPLE PROCESSING AND DETECTIONOctober 2019January 2023Allow3820YesNo
16665540IMPLEMENTING BARRIERS FOR CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS DURING SAMPLE PROCESSING AND DETECTIONOctober 2019March 2022Allow2910NoNo
16661885METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR IDENTIFYING LIGANDS ON ARRAYS USING INDEXES AND BARCODESOctober 2019February 2023Allow4011YesNo
16658190SAMPLE ANALYZING METHOD AND SAMPLE ANALYZEROctober 2019June 2022Allow3220NoNo
16593450On-Chip Nanoscale Storage System Using Chimeric DNAOctober 2019April 2023Allow4251YesNo
16586507HIGHLY ACTIVE SILICA MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES FOR PURIFYING BIOMATERIAL AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREOFSeptember 2019June 2020Allow820NoNo
16575610METHOD FOR NANOPORE RNA CHARACTERISATIONSeptember 2019January 2021Allow1610NoNo
16569472TRANSLOCATION CONTROL FOR SENSING BY A NANOPORESeptember 2019January 2020Allow410NoNo
16566373MINIATURIZED LATERAL FLOW DEVICE FOR RAPID AND SENSITIVE DETECTION OF PROTEINS OR NUCLEIC ACIDSSeptember 2019April 2024Abandon5650NoNo
16546233METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS USING FET ARRAYSAugust 2019April 2022Abandon3211NoNo
16543351NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION METHODSAugust 2019December 2020Abandon1621YesNo
16484142MICRODEVICE FOR DIFFERENTIAL SEPARATION, PURIFICATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF FORENSIC SAMPLESAugust 2019January 2024Allow5331YesNo
16532138RADIATION BIODOSIMETRY SYSTEMSAugust 2019April 2020Allow911YesNo
16530275Methods for Detection of Nucleotide ModificationAugust 2019March 2021Abandon1910NoNo
16513231METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING NANOPARTICLE ARRAY, SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE-BASED SENSOR AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING USING SAMEJuly 2019April 2021Abandon2110NoNo
16512986COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PREPARING OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SOLUTIONSJuly 2019April 2021Abandon2110NoNo
16445170BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR TESTINGJune 2019May 2023Abandon4740NoNo
16440026IMPLEMENTING BARRIERS FOR CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS DURING SAMPLE PROCESSING AND DETECTIONJune 2019August 2019Allow200YesNo
16434785ACTIVITY SENSOR DESIGNJune 2019June 2024Abandon6021YesYes
16347165HYBRID NANOPORES WITH ANNULAR DNA NANOSTRUCTURESMay 2019December 2022Abandon4311NoNo
16398327MAGNETIC FLUX DENSITY BASED DNA SEQUENCINGApril 2019January 2021Allow2120NoNo
16345175SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPTICAL SENSING OF BIOMOLECULAR TARGETSApril 2019October 2023Abandon5371NoNo
16391176MULTIPORE DETERMINATION OF FRACTIONAL ABUNDANCE OF POLYNUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCES IN A SAMPLEApril 2019June 2022Allow3811YesNo
16387241BIOMOLECULE ANALYSIS METHODApril 2019February 2022Allow3420YesNo
16340995METHOD FOR TREATING BIOMOLECULES AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING BIOMOLECULESApril 2019April 2022Allow3631NoNo
16376498Detection Comprising Signal AmplifierApril 2019December 2020Abandon2120NoNo
16338996METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION OF MOLECULESApril 2019August 2022Allow4121YesNo
16367240SURFACE-IMMOBILIZED BISTABLE POLYNUCLEOTIDE DEVICES FOR THE SENSING AND QUANTIFICATION OF MOLECULAR EVENTSMarch 2019May 2022Allow3821YesNo
16363842LOW BINDING SUPPORTS FOR IMPROVED SOLID-PHASE DNA HYBRIDIZATION AND AMPLIFICATIONMarch 2019October 2020Abandon1830YesNo
16362367APPARATUSES, METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA FOR FLUID POTENTIAL ARTIFACT CORRECTION IN REAGENT DELIVERY SYSTEMSMarch 2019July 2021Allow2800NoNo
16285304THIN FILM BULK ACOUSTIC RESONATOR WITH SIGNAL ENHANCEMENTFebruary 2019September 2019Allow600YesNo
16277920SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPOSITIONS FOR ENHANCING THE SPECIFICITY OF NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATIONFebruary 2019May 2020Allow1520YesNo
16325235GENE SEQUENCING CHIP AND SEQUENCING METHOD THEREOF, AND GENE SEQUENCING DEVICEFebruary 2019April 2023Abandon5051NoNo
16267253FLEXIBLE PRINTED ELECTRONICSFebruary 2019January 2022Abandon3640YesYes
16257780RUGGEDIZED APPARATUS FOR ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINSJanuary 2019May 2022Abandon4011NoNo
16317010OPTICALLY-BASED NANOPORE SEQUENCING USING QUENCHING AGENTSJanuary 2019May 2022Abandon4110NoNo
16243928POLYMER-BASED NANOPARTICLES, RELATED FORMULATIONS METHODS, AND APPARATUSJanuary 2019November 2021Abandon3401NoNo
16234287Systems and Methods for Assessing of Biological SamplesDecember 2018January 2024Allow6081YesNo
16229741DEVICES AND METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF MOLECULES USING A FLOW CELLDecember 2018April 2020Allow1611YesNo
16311161NANO-NEUROTOXICITY BIO-MARKER COMPOSITION BASED ON INTRACELLULAR AGGREGATES WHICH ARE BIO-MARKERS OF DEGENERATIVE BRAIN DISEASESDecember 2018November 2021Allow3421NoNo
16219070CONCENTRATION OF ANALYTESDecember 2018March 2024Abandon6061YesNo
16217566DETECTING APPARATUS FOR DNA OR RNA, KIT COMPRISING SAME, AND SENSING METHOD FOR DNA OR RNADecember 2018April 2022Abandon4021NoNo
16216306NANOPLASMONIC SENSOR AND KIT FOR BIOMOLECULE ANALYSIS, AND METHOD OF ANALYZING BIOMOLECULE USING THE SAMEDecember 2018November 2022Allow4731YesNo
16309097OPTICALLY BASED NANOPORE SEQUENCINGDecember 2018September 2020Allow2110YesNo
16211866METHODS AND DEVICES FOR STORING OR STABILIZING MOLECULESDecember 2018January 2022Abandon3811NoNo
16307047NUCLEIC ACID MUTATION DETECTION USING MAGNETIC BEAD ACTUATION AND DETECTIONDecember 2018March 2022Abandon4030NoNo
16207490Method for Forming Biochips and Biochips With Non-Organic Landings for Improved Thermal BudgetDecember 2018November 2021Allow3511YesNo
16202718METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THE SELECTION AND/OR PROCESSING OF PARTICLES, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE SELECTIVE AND/OR OPTIMISED LYSIS OF CELLSNovember 2018August 2021Allow3310YesNo
16303207POLYNUCLEOTIDE PURIFICATION WITH MONOLITH COLUMNSNovember 2018December 2022Abandon4931YesNo
16186240DEVICES AND METHODS FOR NUCLEIC ACID EXTRACTIONNovember 2018August 2021Allow3311YesNo
16183618SYSTEM FOR DETECTING ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF A MOLECULAR COMPLEXNovember 2018January 2020Allow1410YesNo
16176877INTEGRATED ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION AND PURIFICATION OF NUCLEIC ACID BIOMARKERSOctober 2018August 2021Allow3421YesNo
16169631MULTI-AMPLITUDE MODULAR LABELED COMPOUNDSOctober 2018June 2021Allow3211YesNo
16095456Methods for Attaching Cellular Constituents to a MatrixOctober 2018February 2021Allow2801YesNo
16164373MODIFICATION OF DNA ON MAGNETIC BEADSOctober 2018May 2020Allow1912NoNo
16154045DETECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDSOctober 2018June 2023Abandon5650NoNo
16350115BISTABLE POLYNUCLEOTIDE DEVICES FOR THE SENSING AND QUANTIFICATION OF MOLECULAR EVENTSSeptember 2018August 2021Allow3511YesNo
16127617FLOW CELLS HAVING REACTIVE SURFACES FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE ANALYSISSeptember 2018June 2024Abandon6081YesNo
16125488MICROBIAL SENSOR SYSTEM FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENTSSeptember 2018February 2020Allow1720YesNo
16121615SCAFFOLDED NUCLEIC ACID POLYMER PARTICLES AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USINGSeptember 2018August 2019Allow1100YesNo
16114447OPTOELECTRONIC CARTRIDGE FOR CANCER BIOMARKER DETECTION UTILIZING SILICON NANOWIRE ARRAYSAugust 2018September 2023Abandon6061NoNo
16114399HIGH-DENSITY NUCLEIC ACID ARRAYS ON POLYESTER SUBSTRATESAugust 2018May 2023Abandon5720NoYes
16079762Nanopore Discrimination of Target Polynucleotides from Sample Background by Fragmentation and Payload BindingAugust 2018July 2021Abandon3511NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner CROW, ROBERT THOMAS.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
26
Examiner Affirmed
14
(53.8%)
Examiner Reversed
12
(46.2%)
Reversal Percentile
68.2%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 46.2% reversal rate, the PTAB reverses the examiner's rejections in a meaningful percentage of cases. This reversal rate is above the USPTO average, indicating that appeals have better success here than typical.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
97
Allowed After Appeal Filing
20
(20.6%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
77
(79.4%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
28.1%
Lower than average

Understanding Appeal Filing Strategy

Filing a Notice of Appeal can sometimes lead to allowance even before the appeal is fully briefed or decided by the PTAB. This occurs when the examiner or their supervisor reconsiders the rejection during the mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) after the appeal is filed.

In this dataset, 20.6% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is below the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal has limited effectiveness in prompting favorable reconsideration.

Strategic Recommendations

Appeals to PTAB show good success rates. If you have a strong case on the merits, consider fully prosecuting the appeal to a Board decision.

Filing a Notice of Appeal shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.

Examiner CROW, ROBERT THOMAS - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner CROW, ROBERT THOMAS works in Art Unit 1634 and has examined 685 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 34.6%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 40 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner CROW, ROBERT THOMAS's allowance rate of 34.6% places them in the 6% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by CROW, ROBERT THOMAS receive 2.80 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 78% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues more office actions than most examiners, which may indicate thorough examination or difficulty in reaching agreement with applicants.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by CROW, ROBERT THOMAS is 40 months. This places the examiner in the 23% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +34.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by CROW, ROBERT THOMAS. This interview benefit is in the 81% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner and should be strongly considered as a prosecution strategy. Per MPEP § 713.10, interviews are available at any time before the Notice of Allowance is mailed or jurisdiction transfers to the PTAB.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 10.1% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 6% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show lower effectiveness with this examiner compared to others. Consider whether a continuation application might be more strategic, especially if you need to add new matter or significantly broaden claims.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 18.4% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 23% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments compared to other examiners. You should generally plan to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry. Per MPEP § 714.12, primary examiners have discretion in entering after-final amendments, and this examiner exercises that discretion conservatively.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 53.3% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 47% percentile among all examiners. Note: Pre-appeal conferences show below-average success with this examiner. Consider whether your arguments are strong enough to warrant a PAC request.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 45.8% of appeals filed. This is in the 12% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 45.5% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner rarely withdraws rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. If you file an appeal, be prepared to fully prosecute it to a PTAB decision. Per MPEP § 1207, the examiner will prepare an Examiner's Answer maintaining the rejections.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 56.7% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 56% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions show above-average success regarding this examiner's actions. Petitionable matters include restriction requirements (MPEP § 1002.02(c)(2)) and various procedural issues.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 1.0% of allowed cases (in the 67% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments more often than average to place applications in condition for allowance (MPEP § 1302.04).

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 5.1% of allowed cases (in the 82% percentile). Per MPEP § 714.14, a Quayle action indicates that all claims are allowable but formal matters remain. This examiner frequently uses Quayle actions compared to other examiners, which is a positive indicator that once substantive issues are resolved, allowance follows quickly.

Prosecution Strategy Recommendations

Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:

  • Prepare for rigorous examination: With a below-average allowance rate, ensure your application has strong written description and enablement support. Consider filing a continuation if you need to add new matter.
  • Expect multiple rounds of prosecution: This examiner issues more office actions than average. Address potential issues proactively in your initial response and consider requesting an interview early in prosecution.
  • Prioritize examiner interviews: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner. Request an interview after the first office action to clarify issues and potentially expedite allowance.
  • Plan for RCE after final rejection: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments. Budget for an RCE in your prosecution strategy if you receive a final rejection.
  • Plan for extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.

Relevant MPEP Sections for Prosecution Strategy

  • MPEP § 713.10: Examiner interviews - available before Notice of Allowance or transfer to PTAB
  • MPEP § 714.12: After-final amendments - may be entered "under justifiable circumstances"
  • MPEP § 1002.02(c): Petitionable matters to Technology Center Director
  • MPEP § 1004: Actions requiring primary examiner signature (allowances, final rejections, examiner's answers)
  • MPEP § 1207.01: Appeal conferences - mandatory for all appeals
  • MPEP § 1214.07: Reopening prosecution after appeal

Important Disclaimer

Not Legal Advice: The information provided in this report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified patent attorney or agent for advice specific to your situation.

No Guarantees: We do not provide any guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the statistics presented above. Patent prosecution statistics are derived from publicly available USPTO data and are subject to data quality limitations, processing errors, and changes in USPTO practices over time.

Limitation of Liability: Under no circumstances will IronCrow AI be liable for any outcome, decision, or action resulting from your reliance on the statistics, analysis, or recommendations presented in this report. Past prosecution patterns do not guarantee future results.

Use at Your Own Risk: While we strive to provide accurate and useful prosecution statistics, you should independently verify any information that is material to your prosecution strategy and use your professional judgment in all patent prosecution matters.