Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.
| Application Number | Title | Filing Date | Disposal Date | Disposition | Time (months) | Office Actions | Restrictions | Interview | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19031111 | Method for improving the uniformity of rare earth nickelate thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering | January 2025 | August 2025 | Allow | 7 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18939732 | FILM FORMATION APPARATUS AND FILM FORMATION METHOD OF GALLIUM NITRIDE FILM | November 2024 | February 2026 | Allow | 15 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 18815625 | SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING EQUIPMENT PART AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME | August 2024 | February 2026 | Allow | 18 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18774819 | ACTIVELY COOLED ANODE FOR SPUTTERING PROCESSES | July 2024 | July 2025 | Allow | 12 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18547470 | SUBSTRATE RESTRAINING SYSTEM | August 2023 | June 2025 | Allow | 21 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18450956 | PLASMA BASED SYSTEM FOR GENERATING ANTIMICROBIAL COATING ON FLEXIBLE POLYMERIC SUBSTRATES AND PROCESS THEREOF | August 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 23 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18230669 | IN SITU AND TUNABLE DEPOSITION OF A FILM | August 2023 | February 2026 | Allow | 30 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18340942 | CERAMIC SUSCEPTOR | June 2023 | February 2026 | Allow | 32 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18209026 | PUMP LINER FOR PROCESS CHAMBER | June 2023 | March 2026 | Allow | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18256261 | CoZrTa(X) Sputtering Target with Improved Magnetic Properties | June 2023 | March 2026 | Allow | 33 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18330005 | APPARATUS TO CONTROL A WAVEFORM | June 2023 | September 2024 | Allow | 15 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18256116 | DIAPHRAGM ASSEMBLY FOR DELIMITING THE COATING REGION OF A SPUTTER SOURCE, AND SPUTTERING DEVICE | June 2023 | March 2025 | Allow | 21 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 18198788 | APPARATUS TO PRODUCE A WAVEFORM | May 2023 | August 2025 | Allow | 27 | 5 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18318096 | THERMALLY STABLE METALLIC GLASS FILMS VIA STEEP COMPOSITIONAL GRADIENTS | May 2023 | November 2025 | Allow | 30 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 18251400 | FILM-FORMING DEVICE, FILM-FORMING UNIT, AND FILM-FORMING METHOD | May 2023 | November 2024 | Allow | 19 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18141923 | SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESS EQUIPMENT | May 2023 | June 2025 | Allow | 26 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18132420 | SPUTTERING TARGET AND SPUTTERING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME | April 2023 | October 2024 | Allow | 18 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 18246360 | SPUTTERING TARGET-BACKING PLATE ASSEMBLY, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR, AND RECOVERY METHOD FOR SPUTTERING TARGET | March 2023 | January 2026 | Abandon | 33 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 18110668 | PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION SOURCE AND CHAMBER ASSEMBLY | February 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 29 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18109130 | GAS INJECTION PROCESS KIT TO ELIMINATE ARCING AND IMPROVE UNIFORM GAS DISTRIBUTION FOR A PVD PROCESS | February 2023 | August 2024 | Allow | 18 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18106365 | MODULE FOR FLIPPING SUBSTRATES IN VACUUM | February 2023 | December 2025 | Allow | 34 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18101273 | ION BEAM SPUTTERING WITH ION ASSISTED DEPOSITION FOR COATINGS ON CHAMBER COMPONENTS | January 2023 | August 2024 | Allow | 19 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18016812 | Sputtering Target, Manufacturing Method Therefor, And Manufacturing Method For Magnetic Recording Medium | January 2023 | May 2024 | Allow | 16 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18016114 | MANUFACTURE AND REFILL OF SPUTTERING TARGETS | January 2023 | October 2024 | Abandon | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18016078 | DENSE TARGET | January 2023 | February 2025 | Abandon | 25 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18151031 | APPARATUS FOR ACCOMMODATING AN ARTICLE IN A VACUUM-COATING INSTALLATION | January 2023 | January 2024 | Allow | 12 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 18002616 | SHOWERHEAD WITH REDUCED INTERIOR VOLUMES | December 2022 | February 2026 | Abandon | 38 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18074261 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD | December 2022 | December 2025 | Allow | 36 | 5 | 0 | No | No |
| 17949570 | ELECTROLUMINESCENT VEHICLE ORNAMENT | September 2022 | August 2025 | Abandon | 35 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17945726 | Coating with Solar Control Properties for a Glass Substrate | September 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 31 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 17910824 | Method for producing a coating of a base body and functional element having a base body with a coating | September 2022 | July 2025 | Abandon | 34 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 17905989 | FILM FORMING APPARATUS | September 2022 | December 2024 | Allow | 27 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17930728 | APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE | September 2022 | September 2024 | Allow | 25 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17799003 | Sputtering Target Material and Method of Producing the Same | August 2022 | January 2025 | Abandon | 29 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17861969 | EM SOURCE FOR ENHANCED PLASMA CONTROL | July 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 33 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 17737061 | ELECTRICALLY AND MAGNETICALLY ENHANCED IONIZED PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION UNBALANCED SPUTTERING SOURCE | May 2022 | April 2024 | Abandon | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17755159 | VACUUM PROCESS TREATMENT CHAMBER AND METHOD OF TREATING A SUBSTRATE BY MEANS OF A VACUUM TREATMENT PROCESS | April 2022 | November 2024 | Abandon | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17710565 | SPUTTER TARGET MAGNET | March 2022 | February 2024 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17641251 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING RARE EARTH MAGNET | March 2022 | March 2026 | Allow | 48 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 17587196 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING LAMINATE | January 2022 | October 2024 | Abandon | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17507553 | MULTI-PATTERNED SPUTTER TRAPS AND METHODS OF MAKING | October 2021 | March 2024 | Allow | 29 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17444990 | GLASS PALLET FOR SPUTTERING SYSTEMS | August 2021 | August 2025 | Allow | 48 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 17335011 | Dual Reverse Pulse Sputtering System | May 2021 | June 2024 | Allow | 36 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17327667 | ENGINEERED MULTI-DIMENSIONAL METALLURGICAL PROPERTIES IN PVD MATERIALS | May 2021 | January 2025 | Allow | 44 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 17319375 | SPUTTERING TARGET | May 2021 | April 2024 | Abandon | 35 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17317723 | Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron (ICM) System and Methods of Use | May 2021 | July 2024 | Allow | 38 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17291841 | Cubic Al-rich AlTiN Coatings Deposited from Ceramic Targets | May 2021 | March 2024 | Allow | 35 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 17288677 | Erbium-Doped Bismuth Oxide Film | April 2021 | February 2024 | Allow | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17286590 | MAGNETRON WITH CONTROLLER FOR MONITORING AND CONTROL | April 2021 | January 2026 | Allow | 57 | 7 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17206738 | SPUTTERING APPARATUS | March 2021 | February 2024 | Allow | 35 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17194956 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE USING IMPROVED SHIELD CONFIGURATIONS | March 2021 | July 2023 | Abandon | 28 | 6 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17185397 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR HOMOGENEOUSLY COATING 3D SUBSTRATES | February 2021 | November 2023 | Allow | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17268344 | METHODS OF FABRICATING THIN FILMS COMPRISING LITHIUM-CONTAINING MATERIALS | February 2021 | May 2023 | Allow | 27 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17267106 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING LAYERS WITH IMPROVED UNIFORMITY IN COATING SYSTEMS WITH HORIZONTALLY ROTATING SUBSTRATE GUIDING | February 2021 | June 2025 | Allow | 52 | 8 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17122493 | RATE ENHANCED PULSED DC SPUTTERING SYSTEM | December 2020 | June 2025 | Allow | 54 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 17121603 | GAS INJECTION PROCESS KIT TO ELIMINATE ARCING AND IMPROVE UNIFORM GAS DISTRIBUTION FOR A PVD PROCESS | December 2020 | November 2022 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17103647 | NiW(X) Sputtering Target with Improved Structure | November 2020 | September 2022 | Allow | 22 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17101586 | Electromagnetic Module for Physical Vapor Deposition | November 2020 | March 2022 | Allow | 16 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17078383 | PVD TARGET HAVING SELF-RETAINED LOW FRICTION PADS | October 2020 | December 2022 | Allow | 26 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17063953 | METHOD FOR DECORATING A MECHANICAL PART | October 2020 | January 2025 | Allow | 51 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17041315 | SPUTTERING TARGET | September 2020 | January 2024 | Abandon | 40 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17020374 | DEPOSITION METHODS FOR HIGH QUALITY REFLECTANCE COATINGS | September 2020 | September 2022 | Abandon | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17016614 | METHOD FOR DEPOSITING HIGH QUALITY PVD FILMS | September 2020 | June 2023 | Allow | 33 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17002822 | FILM FORMING APPARATUS AND FILM FORMING METHOD | August 2020 | April 2024 | Allow | 44 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16986331 | Sputtering Target Material | August 2020 | March 2022 | Allow | 20 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 16985998 | LARGE-GRAIN TIN SPUTTERING TARGET | August 2020 | June 2022 | Allow | 22 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16966807 | SPUTTERING TARGET AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME | July 2020 | December 2022 | Allow | 28 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16930794 | EM SOURCE FOR ENHANCED PLASMA CONTROL | July 2020 | November 2022 | Allow | 28 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16902382 | Master Alloy for Sputtering Target and Method for Producing Sputtering Target | June 2020 | July 2023 | Abandon | 37 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 16823046 | DEPOSITION SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED COOLING ON A ROTATING DRUM | March 2020 | April 2024 | Allow | 49 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 16642133 | SINGLE BEAM PLASMA SOURCE | February 2020 | March 2021 | Allow | 12 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16640795 | IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO COATING PROCESSES | February 2020 | January 2023 | Abandon | 35 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16717209 | Plasma Process and Reactor for the Thermochemical Treatment of the Surface of Metallic Pieces | December 2019 | September 2021 | Abandon | 21 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16714344 | APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE | December 2019 | August 2022 | Allow | 32 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16621524 | In Situ Density Control During Fabrication Of Thin Film Materials | December 2019 | January 2023 | Abandon | 37 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16691613 | METHOD OF INCREASING CORROSION RESISTANCE OF MAGNESIUM MEMBER, AND MAGNESIUM MEMBER HAVING EXCELLENT CORROSION RESISTANCE | November 2019 | February 2022 | Abandon | 27 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 16500574 | DIRECTED PLASMA NANOSYNTHESIS (DPNS) METHODS, USES AND SYSTEMS | October 2019 | September 2023 | Abandon | 48 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 16584239 | METHOD OF PREPARING MULTICOMPONENT NANOPATTERN | September 2019 | May 2025 | Allow | 60 | 6 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16551748 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SILVER-PLATED REFLECTING FILM | August 2019 | February 2024 | Allow | 54 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16488553 | NANOWIRE GRID POLARIZER ON A CURVED SURFACE AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING | August 2019 | March 2022 | Allow | 31 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 16485798 | ELECTRON BEAM EVAPORATOR, COATING APPARATUS AND COATING METHOD | August 2019 | February 2022 | Allow | 31 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16538515 | APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HIGH-CURRENT ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES | August 2019 | April 2021 | Abandon | 20 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16522876 | Sb-Te-Based Alloy Sintered Compact Sputtering Target | July 2019 | September 2023 | Allow | 50 | 5 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16515785 | COLLIMATOR FOR SELECTIVE PVD WITHOUT SCANNING | July 2019 | October 2021 | Abandon | 27 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16348385 | DEVICE FOR PROCESSING A COMPONENT, CARRIAGE FOR THE DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE DEVICE | July 2019 | December 2022 | Allow | 43 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16476434 | Al2O3 Sputtering Target and Production Method Thereof | July 2019 | August 2022 | Abandon | 38 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 16503457 | ANTI-REFLECTION COMPOSITE LAYER AND THE MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF | July 2019 | January 2022 | Abandon | 30 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 16453730 | FILM FORMING APPARATUS AND FILM FORMING METHOD USING THE SAME | June 2019 | April 2022 | Allow | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16446179 | PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SPUTTERING TARGET AND SPUTTERING TARGET | June 2019 | May 2020 | Allow | 11 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16444382 | COATING APPARATUS | June 2019 | March 2022 | Allow | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16438560 | PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PVD) CHAMBER WITH IN SITU CHAMBER CLEANING CAPABILITY | June 2019 | February 2022 | Allow | 32 | 4 | 1 | Yes | Yes |
| 16409757 | SHIELD FOR A SUBSTRATE PROCESSING CHAMBER | May 2019 | January 2023 | Allow | 44 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 16400539 | Electrically and Magnetically Enhanced Ionized Physical Vapor Deposition Unbalanced Sputtering Source | May 2019 | October 2021 | Allow | 29 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16399415 | Ruthenium Sputtering Target and Ruthenium Alloy Sputtering Target | April 2019 | May 2020 | Allow | 12 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16381938 | ION MILLING DEVICE, lON SOURCE, AND ION MILLING METHOD | April 2019 | June 2021 | Allow | 26 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16355405 | DEPOSITION SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED COOLING ON A ROTATING DRUM | March 2019 | November 2020 | Abandon | 20 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16284327 | ELECTRICALLY AND MAGNETICALLY ENHANCED IONIZED PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION UNBALANCED SPUTTERING SOURCE | February 2019 | March 2022 | Allow | 36 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16278822 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ION ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN PLASMA PROCESSING SYSTEMS | February 2019 | November 2022 | Allow | 45 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16273390 | PROCESS KIT FOR PROCESSING REDUCED SIZED SUBSTRATES | February 2019 | December 2021 | Abandon | 34 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16269120 | INSERTABLE TARGET HOLDER FOR SOLID DOPANT MATERIALS | February 2019 | March 2022 | Allow | 37 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH.
With a 40.0% 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.
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, 25.0% 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.
✓ 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 BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH works in Art Unit 1794 and has examined 245 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 65.3%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 37 months.
Examiner BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH's allowance rate of 65.3% places them in the 26% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.
On average, applications examined by BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH receive 2.74 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 80% 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.
The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH is 37 months. This places the examiner in the 32% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.
Conducting an examiner interview provides a +17.9% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH. This interview benefit is in the 60% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews provide an above-average benefit with this examiner and are worth considering.
When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 19.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 20% 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.
This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 31.0% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 45% 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.
When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 60.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 50% 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.
This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 58.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 32% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 50.0% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner shows below-average willingness to reconsider rejections during appeals. Be prepared to fully prosecute appeals if filed.
When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 66.7% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 72% 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's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 8% percentile). This examiner rarely makes examiner's amendments compared to other examiners. You should expect to make all necessary claim amendments yourself through formal amendment practice.
Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 8% percentile). This examiner rarely issues Quayle actions compared to other examiners. Allowances typically come directly without a separate action for formal matters.
Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:
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.