USPTO Examiner HICKS AUSTIN JAMES - Art Unit 2142

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19078199WHOLE BRAIN EMULATION SYSTEMMarch 2025September 2025Allow610YesNo
19013433METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING COMPUTING POWER OF NEURAL NETWORK MODULE, CHIP, ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND MEDIUMJanuary 2025March 2026Allow1430NoNo
18959714VARIABLE CURVATURE BENDING ARC CONTROL METHOD FOR ROLL BENDING MACHINENovember 2024September 2025Allow1030YesNo
18047397QUANTUM COMPUTING BASED KERNEL ALIGNMENT FOR A SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE TASKOctober 2022February 2026Allow4010YesNo
17956638IDENTIFYING IDLE-CORES IN DATA CENTERS USING MACHINE-LEARNING (ML)September 2022February 2026Allow4010NoNo
17786650NEURAL NETWORK ACCELERATION CIRCUIT AND METHODJune 2022January 2026Allow4310YesNo
17805674Hierarchical Gradient Averaging For Enforcing Subject Level PrivacyJune 2022September 2025Allow3910NoNo
17664905COMPUTATIONAL STORAGE DEVICE FOR DEEP-LEARNING RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAMEMay 2022January 2026Allow4420YesNo
17706298REDUCING CLASS IMBALANCE IN MACHINE-LEARNING TRAINING DATASETMarch 2022October 2025Allow4310NoNo
17761306Information Processing System, and Information Processing ProgramMarch 2022March 2026Abandon4820NoNo
17694063SCREENING FOR FLUCTUATING ENERGY RELAXATION TIMESMarch 2022January 2026Allow4710NoNo
17654400ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK TRAINING METHODMarch 2022January 2026Abandon4610NoNo
17638748NEURAL NETWORK PROCESSOR SYSTEM AND METHODS OF OPERATING AND FORMING THEREOFFebruary 2022January 2026Allow4730NoNo
17559001OPTIMIZING ROUTE MODIFICATION USING QUANTUM GENERATED ROUTE REPOSITORYDecember 2021September 2025Allow4520YesNo
17391291TECHNIQUES FOR GENERATING MACHINE LEARNING TRAINED MODELSAugust 2021March 2026Abandon5531YesNo
15692889SELECTING OPERATING SYSTEMS BASED ON A COMPUTING DEVICE MODEAugust 2017December 2019Allow2820YesNo
15418969ARITHMETIC PROCESSING CIRCUIT AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUSJanuary 2017July 2020Allow4120NoNo
15418452MULTI-AGENT PLAN RECOGNITIONJanuary 2017July 2020Allow4230YesNo
15416694CROP YIELD ESTIMATION USING AGRONOMIC NEURAL NETWORKJanuary 2017February 2020Allow3710NoNo
15386393User Identification with Voiceprints on Online Social NetworksDecember 2016December 2019Allow3510YesNo
15347052Performing Compliance Operations Using Cognitive BlockchainsNovember 2016March 2020Allow4020NoNo
15223485MEASURING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN HUMAN-COMPUTER CONVERSATIONJuly 2016May 2020Allow4630YesNo
14135119Natural Language Processing With Adaptable Rules Based On User InputsDecember 2013March 2017Abandon3960NoYes

Appeals Overview

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

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
1
Allowed After Appeal Filing
0
(0.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
1
(100.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
2.7%
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, 0.0% 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

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

Examiner HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES works in Art Unit 2142 and has examined 10 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 80.0%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 41 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES's allowance rate of 80.0% places them in the 49% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES receive 2.50 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 73% 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 HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES is 41 months. This places the examiner in the 21% 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 +8.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by HICKS, AUSTIN JAMES. This interview benefit is in the 39% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews provide a below-average benefit with this examiner.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 41.7% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 93% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. If you receive a final rejection, filing an RCE with substantive amendments or arguments has a strong likelihood of success.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 28.6% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 40% 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.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 100.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 89% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 100.0% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1207.01, all appeals must go through a mandatory appeal conference. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration even before you file an Appeal Brief.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 100.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 90% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are frequently granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1002.02(c), various examiner actions are petitionable to the Technology Center Director, including prematureness of final rejection, refusal to enter amendments, and requirement for information. If you believe an examiner action is improper, consider filing a petition.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 10% 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 11% percentile). This examiner rarely issues Quayle actions compared to other examiners. Allowances typically come directly without a separate action for formal matters.

Prosecution Strategy Recommendations

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

  • RCEs are effective: This examiner has a high allowance rate after RCE compared to others. If you receive a final rejection and have substantive amendments or arguments, an RCE is likely to be successful.
  • Appeal filing as negotiation tool: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.
  • 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.