USPTO Examiner KORTMAN CURTIS JAMES - Art Unit 2139

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18628357MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING NONVOLATILE MEMORYApril 2024May 2025Allow1320NoNo
18686583METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING ABNORMAL POWER FAILURE OF SOLID STATE DISK, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND MEDIUMFebruary 2024August 2024Allow610YesNo
18432946ACCESS TRACKING IN MEMORYFebruary 2024April 2025Allow1410YesNo
18405998MAXIMUM ROW ACTIVE TIME ENFORCEMENT FOR MEMORY DEVICESJanuary 2024April 2025Allow1600NoNo
18541683SMART SWAPPING AND EFFECTIVE ENCODING OF A DOUBLE WORD IN A MEMORY SUB-SYSTEMDecember 2023October 2024Allow1010NoNo
18511079SYSTEM MEMORY ADDRESS DECODING FOR INTERLEAVING ADDRESSES ACROSS PHYSICAL REGIONS OF A SYSTEM-ON-CHIP (SOC) AND ACROSS SHARED MEMORY RESOURCES IN A PROCESSOR-BASED SYSTEMNovember 2023May 2025Allow1810NoNo
18483790CACHING HOST MEMORY ADDRESS TRANSLATION DATA IN A MEMORY SUB-SYSTEMOctober 2023June 2025Allow2010YesNo
18480919STORAGE DEVICE, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MEMORYOctober 2023April 2025Allow1810YesNo
18473275HOST DEVICE FOR DEBUGGING STORAGE DEVICE AND STORAGE SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAMESeptember 2023September 2024Allow1200NoNo
18472959WRITE THROUGHPUT IMPROVEMENT OF FLASH MEMORY DEVICESeptember 2023May 2025Allow1910YesNo
18464068In-Memory Distributed CacheSeptember 2023August 2024Allow1110YesNo
18240218MANAGING STORAGE DEVICESAugust 2023April 2025Allow1910YesNo
18263665A DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADDRESS TRANSLATIONJuly 2023April 2025Allow2110NoNo
18361050MEMORY CONFIGURATION METHOD, APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMJuly 2023March 2025Allow2010NoNo
18337798MEMORY SYSTEM AND WRITE CONTROL METHODJune 2023May 2024Allow1110YesNo
18322104MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING NONVOLATILE MEMORYMay 2023January 2024Allow800YesNo
18199566MEMORY DEVICE, MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING MEMORY SYSTEMMay 2023April 2025Allow2320YesNo
18314167Effective DRAM Interleaving For Asymmetric Size Channels Or Ranks While Supporting Improved Partial Array Self-RefreshMay 2023February 2025Allow2210NoNo
18140578CARD READER AND CONTROLLER, AND METHOD FOR PERMISSION MANAGEMENTApril 2023December 2024Allow2010YesNo
18126595STORAGE CONTROLLER, COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICE, AND OPERATIONAL METHOD OF COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICEMarch 2023March 2025Allow2311YesNo
18124208FIRMWARE-CONTROLLED AND TABLE-BASED CONDITIONING FOR FLEXIBLE STORAGE CONTROLLERMarch 2023February 2025Allow2320YesNo
18117384SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHECKING DATA ALIGNMENT BETWEEN APPLICATIONS, FILE SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICESMarch 2023December 2024Allow2110YesNo
18116311METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING MAPPING TABLE MANAGEMENT OF MEMORY DEVICE IN PREDETERMINED COMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE WITH AID OF TABLE ANALYSISMarch 2023November 2024Allow2110NoNo
18102825CONTINUOUS MONOTONIC COUNTER FOR MEMORY DEVICESJanuary 2023August 2024Allow1830YesNo
18155919MEMORY SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHODJanuary 2023February 2025Allow2520YesNo
18147226SEMICONDUCTOR STORAGE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOFDecember 2022October 2023Allow1010YesNo
18013157Method, Apparatus, and Device for Erasing Solid State Disk, and Storage MediumDecember 2022September 2023Allow810YesNo
18145877MACHINE LEARNING-BASED, SYSTEM-WIDE SOLID-STATE DRIVE WEAR-LEVEL BALANCING ALGORITHM TO EXTEND THE SERVICE LIFE OF SOLID-STATE DRIVESDecember 2022October 2024Allow2220YesNo
18082966DATA SWAPPING METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE SUPPORTING SAMEDecember 2022January 2025Allow2520YesNo
18077864DATA STORAGE DEVICE FOR GUARANTEEING THAT SYSTEM RESOURCES MEET PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME, AND MEMORY CONTROLLER FOR THE SAMEDecember 2022February 2025Allow2620YesNo
18063478DATA STORAGEDecember 2022April 2024Allow1700YesNo
18072080UNMAPPING LOGICAL BLOCK ADDRESSES OF REMOTE ASYNCHRONOUSLY REPLICATED VOLUMESNovember 2022June 2024Allow1920YesNo
17988979METHOD, DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR LOCKING A STORAGE AREA IN A STORAGE SYSTEMNovember 2022July 2024Allow2010YesNo
17978940MEMORY MODULE, COMPUTER, AND SERVERNovember 2022March 2025Allow2820YesNo
17976901METHOD FOR ACCESSING FLASH MEMORY MODULE, FLASH MEMORY CONTROLLER, AND MEMORY DEVICEOctober 2022June 2024Allow2010YesNo
17973292STORAGE DEVICE WRITE-READ ERROR REDUCTION SYSTEMOctober 2022April 2024Allow1810YesNo
17958808SSD WITH REDUCED SECURE ERASE TIME AND ENDURANCE STRESSOctober 2022July 2024Abandon2220YesNo
17955188MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING NONVOLATILE MEMORYSeptember 2022February 2023Allow500YesNo
17946541BLOCK LAYER PERSISTENT MEMORY BUFFERSeptember 2022October 2024Abandon2520YesNo
17946738MEMORY CHIP TEST PAD ACCESS MANAGEMENT TO FACILITATE DATA SECURITYSeptember 2022March 2025Allow3020NoNo
17900596SNAPSHOT COMMITMENT IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMAugust 2022September 2024Allow2420YesNo
17896510PROCESS-BASED MULTI-KEY TOTAL MEMORY ENCRYPTIONAugust 2022September 2024Allow2520YesNo
17800517MAINTENANCE MODE FOR STORAGE NODESAugust 2022February 2025Abandon3020YesNo
17867489READ CALIBRATION BASED ON RANGES OF PROGRAM/ERASE CYCLESJuly 2022April 2023Allow910YesNo
17866149FIRMWARE-CONTROLLED AND TABLE-BASED CONDITIONING FOR FLEXIBLE STORAGE CONTROLLERJuly 2022December 2022Allow510YesNo
17810275Memory Bank With SubdomainsJune 2022April 2024Allow2210YesNo
17829980STORAGE CONTROLLER, COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICE, AND OPERATIONAL METHOD OF COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICEJune 2022December 2022Allow710YesNo
17733225DATA PROCESSING METHOD, APPARATUS, DEVICE, AND READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMApril 2022May 2024Allow2420YesNo
17711225MANAGEMENT OF THERMAL SHUTDOWN IN DATA STORAGE DEVICESApril 2022May 2024Allow2520YesNo
17710489SECURE MONITORS FOR MEMORY PAGE PROTECTIONMarch 2022September 2024Allow3020YesNo
17701348Data Storage Device With Enhanced Power Mode ManagementMarch 2022November 2023Allow2010YesNo
17653916MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING NONVOLATILE MEMORYMarch 2022May 2024Abandon2620YesNo
17688304NAND LOGICAL-TO-PHYSICAL TABLE REGION TRACKINGMarch 2022October 2023Allow2010NoNo
17678210PRODUCTION STATE AWARENESS SELECTIONFebruary 2022January 2024Allow2310NoNo
17637143METHOD FOR ASSISTING IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF BLANK SECTORS OF A NON-VOLATILE MEMORY OF A MICROCONTROLLERFebruary 2022August 2024Allow3050YesYes
17676456ADAPTIVE MEMORY DEVICE POWER SAVING SETTING IN AN INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEMFebruary 2022September 2023Allow1910YesNo
17665926MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAMEFebruary 2022July 2023Allow1710YesNo
17576660STORAGE DEVICE AND POWER MANAGEMENT METHOD THEREOFJanuary 2022May 2024Allow2830YesNo
17533019Pre-Validation Of Blocks For Garbage CollectionNovember 2021March 2024Allow2831YesNo
17525998MEMORY CONTROL DEVICE AND METHODNovember 2021February 2024Abandon2720NoNo
17506246MANAGEMENT OF WRITE OPERATIONS IN A NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE USING A VARIABLE PRE-READ VOLTAGE LEVELOctober 2021November 2022Allow1300YesNo
17492358MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAMEOctober 2021August 2023Allow2210YesNo
17449256In-Memory Distributed CacheSeptember 2021June 2023Allow2010YesNo
17447159METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING LIFE CYCLE ALERT FOR FLASH MEMORY DEVICESeptember 2021January 2024Abandon2820YesNo
17412077ACCESS TRACKING IN MEMORYAugust 2021September 2023Allow2520YesNo
17403927STORAGE DEVICE AND DATA ACCESSING METHOD USING MULTI-LEVEL CELLAugust 2021March 2023Allow1920YesNo
17398402SOLID-STATE DRIVE CONTROL DEVICE AND LEARNING-BASED SOLID-STATE DRIVE DATA ACCESS METHODAugust 2021July 2023Allow2310YesNo
17398357SOLID-STATE DRIVE CONTROL DEVICE AND LEARNING-BASED SOLID-STATE DRIVE DATA ACCESS METHODAugust 2021May 2023Allow2110NoNo
17396528SECURITY TECHNIQUES FOR LOW POWER MODE OF MEMORY DEVICEAugust 2021July 2023Allow2310YesNo
17395700SMART SWAPPING AND EFFECTIVE ENCODING OF A DOUBLE WORD IN A MEMORY SUB-SYSTEMAugust 2021August 2023Allow2520YesNo
17443962SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FORECASTING AN AMOUNT OF TIME A SOLID STATE DRIVE CAN BE UNPOWEREDJuly 2021January 2024Allow3050YesNo
17384073POWER MANAGEMENT FOR A MEMORY SYSTEMJuly 2021December 2023Allow2920YesNo
17366584STORAGE DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR CUSTOMIZABLE METADATAJuly 2021December 2023Allow2930YesNo
17352874Data Storage Device and Method for Progressive Fading for Video Surveillance SystemsJune 2021November 2023Allow2930YesNo
17346136MONITORING FLASH MEMORY ERASE PROGRESS USING ERASE CREDITSJune 2021September 2024Allow3950YesNo
17345267OPERATIONAL MONITORING FOR MEMORY DEVICESJune 2021August 2024Allow3950YesNo
17338758MEMORY SYSTEM AND WRITE CONTROL METHODJune 2021March 2023Allow2110YesNo
17329989ADDRESS OBFUSCATION FOR MEMORYMay 2021August 2023Allow2620YesNo
17322456MANAGING STORAGE DEVICESMay 2021May 2023Allow2420YesNo
17313868COMPUTING SYSTEM AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOFMay 2021January 2023Allow2110NoNo
17227220AVOIDING PROCESSOR STALL WHEN ACCESSING COHERENT MEMORY DEVICE IN LOW POWERApril 2021March 2025Abandon4820NoNo
17209868MEMORY SYSTEM AND OPERATING METHOD OF THE MEMORY SYSTEMMarch 2021February 2024Abandon3531NoNo
17204036APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CHECKING AN ERROR OF A NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE IN A MEMORY SYSTEMMarch 2021December 2023Allow3340YesNo
17202704MEMORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING NONVOLATILE MEMORYMarch 2021June 2022Allow1500YesNo
17185493MEMORY SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHODFebruary 2021October 2022Allow2010NoNo
17185791Early Transition To Low Power Mode For Data Storage DevicesFebruary 2021February 2023Allow2420YesNo
17183991Mixed Mode Block Cycling for Intermediate DataFebruary 2021November 2023Allow3340YesNo
17177523Storage System and Method for Data-Driven Intelligent Thermal ThrottlingFebruary 2021March 2024Allow3750YesNo
17173459SEMICONDUCTOR STORAGE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOFFebruary 2021September 2022Allow1910YesNo
17172362NONVOLATILE MEMORY WITH ON-CHIP ENCODING FOR FOGGY-FINE PROGRAMMINGFebruary 2021March 2023Allow2530YesNo
17160040FIRMWARE PARAMETERS AUTO-TUNING FOR MEMORY SYSTEMSJanuary 2021October 2023Abandon3340YesNo
17139027METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING DATA STORAGE ON NON-VOLATILE MEMORY MEDIADecember 2020April 2022Allow1610YesNo
17133420USING A MACHINE LEARNING MODULE TO PERFORM DESTAGES OF TRACKS WITH HOLES IN A STORAGE SYSTEMDecember 2020February 2022Allow1400YesNo
17127729PROCESS-BASED MULTI-KEY TOTAL MEMORY ENCRYPTIONDecember 2020July 2022Allow1810YesNo
17106174DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHODNovember 2020May 2024Abandon4260YesNo
17075191METHOD AND SYSTEM OF MANIPULATION AND REDUNDANCY REMOVAL FOR FLASH MEMORIESOctober 2020March 2023Abandon2820NoNo
17019843INDICATION-BASED AVOIDANCE OF DEFECTIVE MEMORY CELLSSeptember 2020June 2023Abandon3340YesNo
17001729READ CALIBRATION BASED ON RANGES OF PROGRAM/ERASE CYCLESAugust 2020March 2022Allow1901YesNo
17001121TRIM DETERMINATION BASED ON POWER AVAILABILITYAugust 2020May 2023Abandon3240YesNo
16999201OPERATION METHOD OF A STORAGE CONTROLLER CONFIGURED TO CONTROL A NONVOLATILE MEMORY DEVICEAugust 2020April 2022Allow2010YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
5
Examiner Affirmed
3
(60.0%)
Examiner Reversed
2
(40.0%)
Reversal Percentile
60.6%
Higher than average

What This Means

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.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
8
Allowed After Appeal Filing
3
(37.5%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(62.5%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
58.8%
Higher 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, 37.5% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is above the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal can be an effective strategy for prompting 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 is strategically valuable. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

Examiner KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES works in Art Unit 2139 and has examined 209 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 78.0%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 24 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES's allowance rate of 78.0% places them in the 38% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES receive 2.11 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 70% 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 KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES is 24 months. This places the examiner in the 70% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +25.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by KORTMAN, CURTIS JAMES. This interview benefit is in the 76% 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 37% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show below-average effectiveness with this examiner. Carefully evaluate whether an RCE or continuation is the better strategy.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 21.4% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 19% 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, 0.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 5% percentile among all examiners. Note: Pre-appeal conferences show limited success with this examiner compared to others. While still worth considering, be prepared to proceed with a full appeal brief if the PAC does not result in favorable action.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 58.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 27% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 28.6% 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.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 54.5% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 68% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 9% 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 1.2% 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:

  • 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.

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.