USPTO Examiner LU FRANK WEI MIN - Art Unit 1634

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17137853FINE-TUNED ULTRASPECIFIC NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION PROBESDecember 2020January 2024Abandon3611NoNo
17137807INTEGRATED SAMPLE PROCESSING SYSTEMDecember 2020May 2023Allow2810YesNo
17054288METHODS FOR ESTIMATING MICROBIAL DENSITY IN SPECIMENS BY MEASUREMENT OF RIBOSOMAL RNANovember 2020October 2023Abandon3521YesNo
17086016MOLECULAR IMAGING AND RELATED METHODSOctober 2020January 2024Abandon3911NoNo
17078907HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT NUCLEIC ACID PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS METHODSOctober 2020August 2024Abandon4621NoNo
17046228METHODS TO FURTHER ENHANCE SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION FOR THE IN SITU DETECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDSOctober 2020June 2023Allow3211YesNo
17062405METHODS OF GENERATING NANOARRAYS AND MICROARRAYSOctober 2020September 2021Allow1221YesNo
17033017METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CHIP-BASED DNA ERROR REDUCTIONSeptember 2020July 2022Abandon2210YesNo
17005662METHODS FOR SEQUENCING A POLYNUCLEOTIDE TEMPLATEAugust 2020August 2022Allow2421YesNo
16975875ULTRASENSITIVE METHOD FOR MULTIPLEXED DETECTION OF BIOMARKERSAugust 2020October 2023Abandon3721NoNo
16996996COMBINED LYSIS PROTOCOL FOR COMPREHENSIVE CELL LYSISAugust 2020June 2022Abandon2210YesNo
16989014MULTIPLEX TARGET DETECTION ASSAYAugust 2020January 2023Allow3011YesNo
16967556Methods for Multiplexed Cell Isolation Using DNA GatesAugust 2020June 2023Allow3421YesNo
16934530SINGLE CELL CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION SEQUENCING ASSAYJuly 2020December 2023Allow4021YesNo
16914682ACTIVE-ELECTRODE INTEGRATED BIOSENSOR ARRAY AND METHODS FOR USE THEREOFJune 2020June 2022Abandon2410NoNo
16910682General Functional AssayJune 2020January 2024Abandon4321NoNo
16896231Multiplexed Method for Detecting DNA Mutations and Copy Number VariationsJune 2020April 2024Abandon4631YesNo
16882461METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING NUCLEOTIDES IN TARGET SEQUENCESMay 2020August 2022Abandon2721NoNo
16882357Spatial AnalysisMay 2020October 2023Abandon4121NoNo
16875856METHOD FOR DETECTING NUCLEOSOMES CONTAINING NUCLEOTIDESMay 2020December 2022Abandon3121YesNo
16856589SIGNALING CONJUGATES AND METHODS OF USEApril 2020January 2024Allow4462YesNo
16849857ASYMMETRIC HAIRPIN TARGET CAPTURE OLIGOMERSApril 2020December 2022Allow3220YesYes
16755274MULTIPLEXED IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION OF TISSUE SECTIONS FOR SPATIALLY RESOLVED TRANSCRIPTOMICS WITH EXPANSION MICROSCOPYApril 2020April 2023Allow3621YesNo
16841450MODIFIED BIOTIN-BINDING PROTEINS FOR IMMOBILIZATIONApril 2020May 2023Allow3811YesNo
16651450CLICK BASED LIGATIONMarch 2020July 2023Abandon4021NoNo
16830050SET OF OLIGONUCLEOTIDE PROBES AS WELL AS METHODS AND USES THERETOMarch 2020April 2022Allow2511YesNo
16643133GENETIC PROBE FOR THE DETECTION OF A SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM (SNP) OR A SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE MODIFICATION OF A TARGET NUCLEIC ACIDFebruary 2020October 2023Allow4421YesNo
16797405AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR THE LYSIS OF MICROORGANISMS PRESENT IN A SAMPLE, FOR EXTRACTION AND FOR PURIFICATION OF THE NUCLEIC ACIDS OF SAID MICROORGANISMS FOR PURPOSES OF ANALYSISFebruary 2020May 2022Allow2711YesNo
16798275COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCINGFebruary 2020August 2023Abandon4231YesYes
16639716PROCESSIVE ENZYME MOLECULAR ELECTRONIC SENSORS FOR DNA DATA STORAGEFebruary 2020November 2021Abandon2131YesNo
16781814METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR LIBRARY NORMALIZATIONFebruary 2020February 2022Allow2411YesNo
16741678PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR ANALYTE DETECTIONJanuary 2020August 2023Abandon4322YesNo
16630229DNA POLYMERASE WITH INCREASED GENE MUTATION SPECIFICTYJanuary 2020October 2023Allow4531YesNo
16737770METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MULTIPLEXING OF DROPLET BASED ASSAYSJanuary 2020July 2023Allow4321YesNo
16721696GENERIC SAMPLE PREPARATIONDecember 2019December 2023Allow4841YesNo
16619294RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN-BASED IMAGING AND DETECTIONDecember 2019September 2023Abandon4521NoNo
16703357NUCLEIC ACID QUANTIFICATION PRODUCTS AND PROCESSESDecember 2019November 2021Abandon2301NoNo
16693611Sequencing by Structure AssemblyNovember 2019December 2021Allow2511YesNo
16676886COMPARATIVE GENOMIC HYBRIDIZATION ARRAY METHOD FOR PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC SCREENINGNovember 2019March 2022Allow2821YesNo
16606046RNA TAGGING SYSTEM FOR VISUALIZATION OF SINGLE MRNA MOLECULESOctober 2019May 2023Allow4321YesNo
16605308IN SILICO DESIGN OF MAMMALIAN PROMOTERS WITH USER-DEFINED FUNCTIONALITYOctober 2019April 2022Allow3011YesNo
16599407MUTANT REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE WITH INCREASED THERMAL STABILITY AS WELL AS PRODUCTS, METHODS AND USES INVOLVING THE SAMEOctober 2019September 2022Allow3521YesNo
16597827Methods for Isolating Immune Binding ProteinsOctober 2019March 2023Allow4121YesNo
16591162METHODS OF SEQUENCING NUCLEIC ACIDS ON MAGNETIC SENSOROctober 2019May 2022Abandon3101NoNo
16540425METHOD FOR ATTACHING ONE OR MORE POLYNUCLEOTIDE BINDING PROTEINS TO A TARGET POLYNUCLEOTIDEAugust 2019March 2023Allow4321YesNo
16480655METHODS FOR CONSTRUCTING COPIES OF NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULESJuly 2019January 2024Allow5331YesNo
16441751EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF NUCLEASE CLEAVAGE SPECIFICITYJune 2019January 2024Allow5641YesNo
16440582Methods and Compositions for Improving Removal of Ribosomal RNA from Biological SamplesJune 2019June 2022Allow3640YesNo
16440113ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION NANOSTRUCTURE, SYSTEMS, AND USES THEREOFJune 2019September 2022Allow3921YesNo
16438102ASSAYS TO IDENTIFY GENETIC ELEMENTS AFFECTING PHENOTYPEJune 2019November 2023Abandon5351NoNo
16436525METHODS FOR SEQUENCING POLYNUCLEOTIDESJune 2019November 2021Allow2921YesNo
16425929SEQUENCING BY EMERGENCEMay 2019April 2022Allow3411YesNo
16416099METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCINGMay 2019June 2021Allow2541YesYes
16404695HANDHELD NUCLEIC ACID-BASED ASSAY FOR RAPID IDENTIFICATIONMay 2019August 2022Allow3911YesNo
16384396Methods for Sequencing Repetitive Genomic RegionsApril 2019February 2023Abandon4611YesNo
16351456SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING GENETIC DATAMarch 2019April 2022Allow3821YesNo
16295306Methods for Cell Lysis and Preparation of High Molecular Weight DNA from Modified CellsMarch 2019August 2021Allow3011YesNo
16325621CLOSED LINEAR DNA PRODUCTIONFebruary 2019July 2022Allow4121YesNo
16272487BIOMOLECULAR PROBES AND METHODS OF DETECTING GENE AND PROTEIN EXPRESSIONFebruary 2019April 2022Abandon3821NoNo
16319196MICROFLUIDIC SEQUENCING TECHNIQUESJanuary 2019March 2021Abandon2601NoNo
16233860METHODS FOR MULTIPLEX CHROMATIN INTERACTION ANALYSIS BY DROPLET SEQUENCING WITH SINGLE MOLECULE PRECISIONDecember 2018April 2021Allow2811YesNo
16312654QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI AFFECTING FATTY ACID COMPOSITION IN MILKDecember 2018April 2024Abandon6001NoNo
16210165METHODS FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLEXED ASSAYSDecember 2018June 2021Allow3011YesNo
16205155SEQUENCING BY EMERGENCENovember 2018December 2020Allow2421YesNo
16304323CONDITIONAL PRIMER EXTENSION FOR SINGLE-MOLECULE DETECTIONNovember 2018August 2021Allow3211YesNo
16304517Biomolecule Measuring DeviceNovember 2018August 2022Allow4520NoNo
16300148CONSECUTIVE HYBRIDIZATION FOR MULTIPLEXED ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICAL SAMPLESNovember 2018July 2022Allow4531YesNo
16178647SPLINTED LIGATION ADAPTER TAGGINGNovember 2018August 2021Allow3421YesNo
16158129INTEGRATED SAMPLE PROCESSING SYSTEMOctober 2018April 2021Abandon3011NoNo
16154414METHODS OF DEPLETING A TARGET MOLECULE FROM AN INITIAL COLLECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS, AND COMPOSITIONS AND KITS FOR PRACTICING THE SAMEOctober 2018December 2020Allow2711YesNo
16089150Increased Efficiency and Diversity of Microbes Cultured from Environmental SamplesSeptember 2018May 2022Abandon4401NoNo
16140171MAGNETIC LYSIS METHOD AND DEVICESeptember 2018May 2021Allow3211YesNo
16079017MULTIPLEXED SINGLE MOLECULE RNA VISUALIZATION WITH A TWO-PROBE PROXIMITY LIGATION SYSTEMAugust 2018January 2021Allow2911YesNo
16076259SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING FECAL-DERIVED BACTERIAL POPULATIONSAugust 2018January 2023Abandon5411YesNo
16054968METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR EFFICIENT BASE CALLING IN SEQUENCING REACTIONSAugust 2018February 2020Allow1820YesNo
16073058SINGLE MOLECULE TIMERS AND CLOCKSJuly 2018January 2021Abandon3001NoNo
16043109METHOD FOR DETECTING SPECIFIC NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCESJuly 2018September 2021Allow3721YesNo
16038389SIGNALING CONJUGATES AND METHODS OF USEJuly 2018November 2019Allow1621YesNo
15963831PAPER-BASED SYNTHETIC GENE NETWORKSApril 2018October 2021Abandon4221NoNo
15955199Methods for Detecting Signatures of Disease or Conditions in Bodily FluidsApril 2018July 2024Abandon6080YesYes
15922292COMPARTMENTALISED COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY BY MICROFLUIDIC CONTROLMarch 2018August 2023Allow6081YesNo
15920392DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGHLY SENSITIVE QUANTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING DNA DEGRADATION AND QUALITY IN FORENSIC SAMPLESMarch 2018April 2022Allow4941YesNo
15756050METHOD FOR BIDIRECTIONAL SEQUENCINGFebruary 2018July 2022Allow5341YesYes
15906964ADAPTORS FOR NUCLEIC ACID CONSTRUCTS IN TRANSMEMBRANE SEQUENCINGFebruary 2018August 2022Allow5442YesYes
15887334AMPLIFIED NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION METHOD AND DETECTION DEVICEFebruary 2018July 2020Allow2910YesNo
15875764SEQUENCING USING CONCATEMERS OF COPIES OF SENSE AND ANTISENSE STRANDSJanuary 2018February 2023Allow6041YesNo
15854157COMBINED LYSIS PROTOCOL FOR COMPREHENSIVE CELL LYSISDecember 2017June 2020Allow3011YesNo
15851383METHOD AND SYSTEM EMPLOYING DISTINGUISHABLE POLYMERASES FOR DETECTING TERNARY COMPLEXES AND IDENTIFYING COGNATE NUCLEOTIDESDecember 2017September 2021Allow4531YesNo
15829469ALKYLENE GLYCOLS AND POLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS THEREOF FOR DIRECT ISOLATION OF NUCLEIC ACID FROM EMBEDDED SAMPLESDecember 2017September 2019Allow2131YesYes
15827141MULTIPLEX NUCLEIC ACID REACTIONSNovember 2017August 2020Allow3211YesNo
15821373NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION METHOD, NUCLEIC ACID QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION METHOD, NUCLEIC ACID BASE SEQUENCE IDENTIFICATION METHOD, NUCLEIC ACID MUTATION OR POLYMORPHISM IDENTIFICATION METHOD, NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION KIT, AND REACTION CHIPNovember 2017February 2019Abandon1500NoNo
15802066NUCLEIC ACID-POLYMER CONJUGATES FOR BRIGHT FLUORESCENT TAGSNovember 2017December 2020Allow3721YesNo
15570070FORMATION OF HAIRPINS IN SITU USING FORCE-INDUCED STRAND INVASIONOctober 2017September 2018Allow1111YesNo
15792126METHOD FOR DETECTING MUTANT DNAOctober 2017July 2020Allow3320YesNo
15567504METHOD FOR IMMOBILIZING A NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULE ON A SOLID SUPPORTOctober 2017March 2021Allow4112YesNo
15567560METHOD FOR HYBRIDIZING A NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULEOctober 2017September 2023Abandon6051NoNo
15567563METHOD FOR IMMOBILIZING A NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULE ON SOLID SUPPORTOctober 2017August 2021Allow4621YesNo
15724693MATERIALS AND METHODS FOR SERIAL MULTIPLEXED DETECTION OF RNA IN CELLS AND TISSUESOctober 2017January 2022Allow5231YesNo
15563419GENE MUTATION DETECTION METHOD AND FLUORESCENCE-LABELED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE USED IN SAMESeptember 2017October 2020Abandon3621NoNo
15561447PHYSICAL LINKAGE PRESERVATION IN DNA STORAGESeptember 2017December 2022Allow6041YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner LU, FRANK WEI MIN.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
9
Examiner Affirmed
4
(44.4%)
Examiner Reversed
5
(55.6%)
Reversal Percentile
81.2%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 55.6% reversal rate, the PTAB has reversed the examiner's rejections more often than affirming them. This reversal rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals are more successful here than in most other areas.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
97
Allowed After Appeal Filing
26
(26.8%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
71
(73.2%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
40.0%
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, 26.8% 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 LU, FRANK WEI MIN - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner LU, FRANK WEI MIN works in Art Unit 1634 and has examined 712 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 43.0%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 42 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner LU, FRANK WEI MIN's allowance rate of 43.0% places them in the 9% 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 LU, FRANK WEI MIN receive 2.49 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 68% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues a slightly above-average number of office actions.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by LU, FRANK WEI MIN is 42 months. This places the examiner in the 18% 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 +72.4% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by LU, FRANK WEI MIN. This interview benefit is in the 98% 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, 14.3% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 12% 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 24.2% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 34% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner shows below-average receptiveness to after-final amendments. You may need to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 85.7% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 66% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. If you have strong arguments, a PAC request may result in favorable reconsideration.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 81.2% of appeals filed. This is in the 74% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 59.0% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner shows above-average willingness to reconsider rejections during appeals. The mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) provides an opportunity for reconsideration.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 63.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 67% 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 4.6% of allowed cases (in the 86% percentile). Per MPEP § 1302.04, examiner's amendments are used to place applications in condition for allowance when only minor changes are needed. This examiner frequently uses this tool compared to other examiners, indicating a cooperative approach to getting applications allowed. Strategic Insight: If you are close to allowance but minor claim amendments are needed, this examiner may be willing to make an examiner's amendment rather than requiring another round of prosecution.

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 0.7% of allowed cases (in the 59% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions more often than average when claims are allowable but formal matters remain (MPEP § 714.14).

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.
  • 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 extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.
  • Examiner cooperation: This examiner frequently makes examiner's amendments to place applications in condition for allowance. If you are close to allowance, the examiner may help finalize the claims.

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.