USPTO Examiner WHISENANT ETHAN C - Art Unit 1634

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17113940REMOVAL OF DNA FRAGMENTS IN MRNA PRODUCTION PROCESSDecember 2020February 2024Abandon3910NoNo
17053690MASSIVELY PARALLEL DISCOVERY METHODS FOR OLIGONUCLEOTIDE THERAPEUTICSNovember 2020March 2024Abandon4001NoNo
17061552INACTIVATABLE TARGET CAPTURE OLIGOMERS FOR USE IN THE SELECTIVE HYBRIDIZATION AND CAPTURE OF TARGET NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCESOctober 2020April 2024Allow4211NoNo
17021528SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING BACTERIAL POPULATIONSSeptember 2020April 2021Allow710NoNo
17019775METHOD FOR ISOLATING NUCLEIC ACIDSSeptember 2020May 2023Abandon3210NoNo
17014939ARRAY-BASED TRANSLOCATION AND REARRANGEMENT ASSAYSSeptember 2020June 2024Abandon4511NoNo
17003709REAGENTS AND METHODS FOR ISOTHERMAL CHAIN REACTIONAugust 2020January 2024Allow4010NoNo
16968000PREDICTION OF PREGNANCY LOSSAugust 2020June 2024Abandon4711NoNo
16983015PROBES FOR IMPROVED MELT DISCRIMINATION AND MULTIPLEXING IN NUCLEIC ACID ASSAYSAugust 2020February 2024Abandon4310NoNo
16927898METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR ENRICHMENT OF AMPLIFICATION PRODUCTSJuly 2020October 2022Allow2710YesNo
16960037Method For Isolating DNA By Using Cas Protein SystemJuly 2020December 2023Abandon4110NoNo
16909261POLYMER-BASED SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION FOR PROTEIN AND CELL DETECTIONJune 2020October 2023Abandon4010NoNo
16955593Template-Directed Nucleic Acid Targeting CompoundsJune 2020August 2023Allow3810NoNo
16955657PARTICLES ASSOCIATED WITH OLIGONUCLEOTIDESJune 2020September 2023Allow3911NoNo
16898338COLOCALIZATION-BY-LINKAGE SANDWICH ASSAYSJune 2020July 2022Allow2510YesNo
16896450NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE EXCLUSION ENRICHMENT BY DROPLET SORTING (NEEDLS)June 2020May 2022Allow2310NoNo
16886205PROBES AND METHODS FOR MEASURING TANDEM REPEATSMay 2020July 2021Allow1310NoNo
16879228SINGLE-STRANDED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE PROBES FOR CHROMOSOME OR GENE COPY ENUMERATIONMay 2020May 2023Allow3611NoNo
16878549APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PICKING BIOLOGICAL SAMPLEMay 2020June 2024Allow4921NoNo
16765375FORCE-CONTROLLED NANOSWITCH ASSAYS FOR SINGLE-MOLECULE DETECTION IN COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL FLUIDSMay 2020October 2022Allow2900NoNo
16765341EXPANSION MICROSCOPY COMPATIBLE AND MULTIPLEXED IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION OF FORMALIN FIXED PARAFFIN EMBEDDED TISSUE SECTIONS FOR SPATIALLY RESOLVED TRANSCRIPTOMICSMay 2020June 2022Allow2510NoNo
16876956METHOD FOR PREPARING DNA UNIT COMPOSITION, AND METHOD FOR CREATING CONCATENATED DNAMay 2020April 2022Allow2320YesNo
16874499ROOM TEMPERATURE METHODS FOR PREPARING BIOLOGICAL ANALYTESMay 2020June 2023Allow3711YesNo
15930891Detection of Target Nucleic Acids in a Cellular SampleMay 2020May 2022Abandon2420NoNo
16762898HOOKED PROBE, METHOD FOR LIGATING NUCLEIC ACID AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING SEQUENCING LIBRARYMay 2020March 2023Allow3511NoNo
16865246METHOD OF NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE DETECTIONMay 2020April 2021Abandon1140YesNo
16855877MULTIPART REAGENTS HAVING INCREASED AVIDITY FOR POLYMERASE BINDINGApril 2020November 2020Allow710YesNo
16756320EFFICIENT SCREENING LIBRARY PREPARATIONApril 2020March 2023Abandon3511NoNo
16754713METHOD FOR IMPROVING LOADING AND STABILITY OF NUCLEIC ACIDApril 2020September 2022Allow2920NoNo
16841078REAGENTS AND METHODS FOR ISOTHERMAL CHAIN REACTIONApril 2020March 2022Allow2310NoNo
16837535SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ISOLATING NUCLEIC ACIDSApril 2020August 2021Abandon1710NoNo
16828741COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SELECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDSMarch 2020October 2022Allow3110YesNo
16649601IN SITU COMBINATORIAL LABELING OF CELLULAR MOLECULESMarch 2020November 2022Allow3210YesNo
16647860RNA TEMPLATED LIGATIONMarch 2020October 2022Allow3110YesNo
16815963METHODS AND MATERIALS FOR ASSESSING ALLELIC IMBALANCEMarch 2020September 2021Allow1820NoNo
16804060PROBES FOR IMPROVED MELT DISCRIMINATION AND MULTIPLEXING IN NUCLEIC ACID ASSAYSFebruary 2020October 2021Allow2010NoNo
16798911COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR AMPLIFICATION AND DETECTION OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS RNA, INCLUDING HBV RNA TRANSCRIBED FROM cccDNAFebruary 2020April 2023Allow3810NoNo
16794677OLIGONUCLEOTIDE-BASED PROBES AND METHODS FOR DETECTION OF MICROBESFebruary 2020June 2021Allow1620YesNo
16789358MEASUREMENT OF PROTEIN EXPRESSION USING REAGENTS WITH BARCODED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCESFebruary 2020June 2022Allow2840NoNo
16782833OFF-TARGET CAPTURE REDUCTION IN SEQUENCING TECHNIQUESFebruary 2020October 2022Allow3311NoNo
16781259HIGH RESOLUTION SYSTEMS, KITS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS USING MAGNETIC BEADS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT MICROBIOLOGY APPLICATIONSFebruary 2020February 2023Abandon3710NoNo
16780234HIGH-THROUGHPUT NUCLEOTIDE LIBRARY SEQUENCINGFebruary 2020December 2022Abandon3410NoNo
16752205COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING VIRUSES IN A SAMPLEJanuary 2020March 2024Allow5070NoNo
16631937ANTISENSE FINGERLOOP DNAS AND USES THEREOFJanuary 2020September 2022Allow3220YesNo
16743148Nanopore-based method and double stranded nucleic acid construct thereforJanuary 2020March 2022Allow2600NoNo
16740357MULTIPART REAGENTS HAVING INCREASED AVIDITY FOR POLYMERASE BINDINGJanuary 2020March 2020Allow200NoNo
16492079CUSTOMIZED SKIN CARE PRODUCTS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF SKIN FLORADecember 2019October 2023Allow5011NoNo
16711307METHODS FOR ANALYZING RARE CIRCULATING CELLSDecember 2019January 2022Allow2520NoNo
16615922TARGET MEDIATED IN SITU SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION WITH DUAL INTERACTING HAIRPIN PROBESNovember 2019June 2022Allow3120NoNo
16615725DETECTION OF BLAIMP ANTIBACTERIAL RESISTANCE GENESNovember 2019August 2022Allow3210NoNo
16675756METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SAMPLE PROCESSING OR ANALYSISNovember 2019July 2021Allow2120YesNo
16609722METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR RECOMBINASE-MEDIATED SELECTIVE CLEAVAGE OF NUCLEIC ACIDSOctober 2019January 2023Allow3921NoNo
16666188ENZYMATIC LIGATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDSOctober 2019January 2023Allow3922NoNo
16664771UNIVERSAL METHOD FOR EXTRACTING NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULES FROM A DIVERSE POPULATION OF ONE OR MORE TYPES OF MICROBES IN A SAMPLEOctober 2019April 2023Abandon4220NoYes
16580489Fluorescence-Based Computation SystemSeptember 2019May 2022Allow3110NoNo
16580426Time-Resolved Nucleic Acid Hybridization ProbesSeptember 2019May 2022Allow3110NoNo
16579794MULTIVALENT BINDING COMPOSITION FOR NUCLEIC ACID ANALYSISSeptember 2019July 2020Allow1010YesNo
16572511MULTIPLEX LABELING OF MOLECULES BY SEQUENTIAL HYBRIDIZATION BARCODINGSeptember 2019April 2022Allow3121YesNo
16569510FRACTIONAL INITIATOR HYBRIDIZATION CHAIN REACTIONSeptember 2019May 2021Allow2020NoNo
16559490QUANTITATIVE DNA-BASED IMAGING AND SUPER-RESOLUTION IMAGINGSeptember 2019August 2022Allow3631NoNo
16557565Systems and Methods for Securing Anti-Tamper Label and Tape Adhesive Chemistry with Molecular TaggantsAugust 2019August 2023Abandon4720YesNo
16489779METHOD FOR REDUCING INTRACELLULAR NON-SPECIFIC STAINING CAUSED BY METAL COMPLEXAugust 2019July 2022Allow3410NoNo
16535722MULTIPLEXED AND RECYCLABLE SINGLE-MOLECULE SENSORS FOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC-ACID BIOMARKERSAugust 2019April 2022Allow3210NoNo
16478413METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR NANOPORE SEQUENCINGJuly 2019August 2022Allow3710NoNo
16503222MULTIPLEX PROBESJuly 2019June 2023Allow4821NoNo
16459444MEASUREMENT OF PROTEIN EXPRESSION USING REAGENTS WITH BARCODED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCESJuly 2019June 2023Allow4720NoNo
16442395FULLY AUTOMATED NUCLEIC ACID EXTRACTION METHODS FOR TISSUE SAMPLESJune 2019April 2022Allow3421NoNo
16442349HIGHLY-MULTIPLEXED FLUORESCENT IMAGINGJune 2019July 2021Allow2510YesNo
16434056DETECTION ASSAY FOR PROTEIN-POLYNUCLEOTIDE CONJUGATESJune 2019August 2021Allow2600NoNo
164297393.4 KB MITOCHONDRIAL DNA DELETION FOR USE IN THE DETECTION OF CANCERJune 2019April 2021Allow2310NoNo
16464170MULTIPLEXED SIGNAL AMPLIFICATIONMay 2019June 2022Allow3711NoNo
16417742METHOD FOR CHARACTERISING A DOUBLE STRANDED NUCLEIC ACID USING A NANO-PORE AND ANCHOR MOLECULES AT BOTH ENDS OF SAID NUCLEIC ACIDMay 2019September 2021Allow2811NoNo
16462324Methods For Preventing Titration Of Bimolecular Templated Assembly Reactions By Structurally-Determined Differential HybridizationsMay 2019July 2021Allow2610NoNo
16412527COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED RNA CAPTUREMay 2019August 2022Allow3911NoNo
16347658METHODS OF PERFORMING NUCLEIC ACID STABILIZATION AND SEPARATIONMay 2019January 2022Allow3310YesNo
16400885HIGH THROUGHPUT MULTIOMICS SAMPLE ANALYSISMay 2019October 2022Allow4121NoNo
16400886MOLECULAR BARCODING ON OPPOSITE TRANSCRIPT ENDSMay 2019April 2022Allow3611NoNo
16345437DETECTION METHOD USING EUKARYOTIC CELLSApril 2019July 2022Allow3911YesNo
16344413Method For Detecting A Target Base SequenceApril 2019May 2022Allow3721YesNo
16342297METHODS FOR SINGLE-CELL PROSTATE TISSUE CLASSIFICATION AND PREDICTION OF CANCER PROGRESSIONApril 2019April 2024Allow6031NoNo
16373387UNIVERSAL METHOD FOR EXTRACTING NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULES FROM A DIVERSE POPULATION OF ONE OR MORE TYPES OF MICROBES IN A SAMPLEApril 2019August 2023Allow5241YesYes
16335505MOLECULAR HYBRIDIZATION PROBES FOR COMPLEX SEQUENCE CAPTURE AND ANALYSISMarch 2019June 2022Allow3921NoNo
16351488COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR MULTIPLEX NUCLEIC ACIDS SYNTHESISMarch 2019May 2021Allow2610NoNo
16332672Method for Detecting BacteriaMarch 2019May 2022Abandon3801NoNo
16331842SOLID PHASE CONJUGATEMarch 2019April 2021Abandon2501NoNo
16277632Reporter Construct and Biosensor for Interferon Second Messenger 2-5AFebruary 2019September 2022Allow4320YesNo
16265880METHODS OF SEQUENCING NUCLEIC ACIDS IN MIXTURES AND COMPOSITIONS RELATED THERETOFebruary 2019August 2021Allow3011YesNo
16322824METHODS OF IDENTIFYING NOVEL PROTEINS AND ANTIGENS IN CANCER CELLSFebruary 2019November 2023Allow5750YesNo
16322363BUFFER COMPOSITION FOR HYBRIDIZATION AND HYBRIDIZATION METHODJanuary 2019May 2021Allow2710NoNo
16254926Molecular Detection Using Ligation AmplificationJanuary 2019July 2020Allow1820YesNo
16317085MEMBRANE-SPANNING NANOPORESJanuary 2019June 2022Allow4121YesNo
16315975METHOD FOR FINDING LOW ABUNDANCE SEQUENCES BY HYBRIDIZATION (FLASH)January 2019March 2021Allow2610NoNo
16240448COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING HYBRIDIZATIONS WITH SEPARATE DENATURATION OF THE SAMPLE AND PROBEJanuary 2019January 2021Allow2430YesNo
16235996ANALYSIS OF NUCLEIC ACIDSDecember 2018May 2022Allow4110YesNo
16234521HIGH RESOLUTION SYSTEMS, KITS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT MICROBIOLOGY APPLICATIONSDecember 2018May 2021Allow2910NoNo
16234544HIGH RESOLUTION SYSTEMS, KITS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT MICROBIOLOGY APPLICATIONSDecember 2018June 2021Allow3010NoNo
16234505HIGH RESOLUTION SYSTEMS, KITS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT MICROBIOLOGY APPLICATIONSDecember 2018May 2021Allow2810YesNo
16313670DOUBLE-STRANDED NUCLEIC ACID SIGNAL PROBE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING TARGET MOLECULE USING SAMEDecember 2018October 2022Abandon4621NoNo
16225244AFFINITY TAG NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS, AND PROCESSES FOR USING SAMEDecember 2018June 2021Allow3030NoNo
16224475FLUORESCENT LABELING OF TRANSFER RNA AND STUDY OF PROTEIN SYNTHESISDecember 2018October 2020Allow2220YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner WHISENANT, ETHAN C.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
4
Examiner Affirmed
4
(100.0%)
Examiner Reversed
0
(0.0%)
Reversal Percentile
0.5%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 0.0% reversal rate, the PTAB affirms the examiner's rejections in the vast majority of cases. This reversal rate is in the bottom 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals face significant challenges here.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
34
Allowed After Appeal Filing
3
(8.8%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
31
(91.2%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
12.9%
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, 8.8% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is in the bottom 25% across the USPTO, indicating that filing appeals is less effective here than in most other areas.

Strategic Recommendations

Appeals to PTAB face challenges. Ensure your case has strong merit before committing to full Board review.

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

Examiner WHISENANT, ETHAN C - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner WHISENANT, ETHAN C works in Art Unit 1634 and has examined 783 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 59.6%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 33 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner WHISENANT, ETHAN C's allowance rate of 59.6% places them in the 21% 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 WHISENANT, ETHAN C receive 1.85 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 40% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues fewer office actions than average, which may indicate efficient prosecution or a more lenient examination style.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by WHISENANT, ETHAN C is 33 months. This places the examiner in the 46% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +33.9% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by WHISENANT, ETHAN C. 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, 27.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 50% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. Consider whether your amendments or new arguments are strong enough to warrant an RCE versus filing a continuation.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 59.2% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 86% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner is highly receptive to after-final amendments compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 714.12, after-final amendments may be entered "under justifiable circumstances." Consider filing after-final amendments with a clear showing of allowability rather than immediately filing an RCE, as this examiner frequently enters such amendments.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 57.1% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 49% 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 77.8% of appeals filed. This is in the 69% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 78.6% 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, 64.3% 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 2.9% of allowed cases (in the 80% 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 11.1% of allowed cases (in the 91% 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.
  • 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.
  • Consider after-final amendments: This examiner frequently enters after-final amendments. If you can clearly overcome rejections with claim amendments, file an after-final amendment before resorting to an RCE.
  • 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.