USPTO Examiner DISTEFANO GREGORY A - Art Unit 2174

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18679244INTERACTION METHOD AND APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMMay 2024March 2025Allow1020NoNo
18430627COMMUNICATION METHOD, SERVER, AND COMPUTER DEVICEFebruary 2024January 2025Allow1210NoNo
18414402SELECTIVE ROTATION OF A USER INTERFACEJanuary 2024March 2025Abandon1410NoNo
18399331PROP PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS, AND DEVICE AND MEDIUMDecember 2023June 2025Allow1721NoNo
18467918METHOD, APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR CONTROLLING USER ACCESS THROUGH CONTENT ANALYSIS OF AN APPLICATIONSeptember 2023September 2024Allow1210NoNo
18238071MENU LIST UPDATE METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICEAugust 2023June 2025Allow2210NoNo
18452857Webpage Media PlaybackAugust 2023June 2025Allow2120NoNo
18209176SYSTEM AND METHOD TO CAPTURE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT GUIDED TRAINING, PROCESS AND PROCEDURES AND JOB AIDSJune 2023May 2025Allow2310NoNo
18333922Generating Meeting NotesJune 2023August 2024Allow1410NoNo
18323214Device Type-Based Content Element ModificationMay 2023June 2025Allow2540YesNo
18063506INTERACTION METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICEDecember 2022June 2025Allow3050NoNo
17926647SPLIT SCREEN INTERACTION METHOD AND DEVICE, ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMNovember 2022December 2024Abandon2530NoNo
17971093SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO IDENTIFY AND UTILIZE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN CONTENT CLASSIFICATIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES OF USERS TO PROVIDE AN ADAPTABLE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTOctober 2022March 2025Allow2900NoNo
17950692VERIFICATION MANAGEMENT OF PATIENT REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITYSeptember 2022September 2024Allow2440YesNo
17944670SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNICATION WITH KETONE SENSORSSeptember 2022October 2024Allow2520NoNo
17904293DISPLAY SYSTEM HAVING ITEM DISPLAY TRANSITION FUNCTIONAugust 2022February 2025Abandon3040YesNo
17869783AUTONOMOUS MIRRORING DIAGNOSTIC, NAVIGATION, AND ADVICE SYSTEM AND A MIRRORED INTELLIGENCE METHODJuly 2022April 2025Allow3201NoNo
17772854Message Display Method and Terminal DeviceApril 2022August 2024Allow2730NoNo
17677946MEDICAL CARE SUPPORT DEVICEFebruary 2022January 2025Allow3540YesNo
17576669EQUIPMENT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHODJanuary 2022September 2024Allow3230YesNo
17647542Widget Synchronization in Accordance with Synchronization PreferencesJanuary 2022March 2025Allow3830YesNo
17556047DYNAMIC MARINE DISPLAY SYSTEMS AND METHODSDecember 2021April 2025Allow4010NoNo
17619700INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUSDecember 2021July 2025Allow4370YesNo
17540424METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTING DEVICE FOR FACILITATING PRIVATE DRAFTINGDecember 2021October 2024Allow3430YesNo
17594709Coupling of User InterfacesOctober 2021April 2025Allow4270NoNo
17444301TRANSFORMING METHOD, TRAINING DEVICE, AND INFERENCE DEVICEAugust 2021May 2025Abandon4520NoNo
17419255MOBILE-ENABLED VOICE SEARCH OF MEDIA ITEMS FOR DISPLAYING ON ALTERNATIVE PLAYBACK DEVICESJune 2021October 2024Allow4040YesNo
17337147USER INTERFACES FOR TRACKING OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EVENTSJune 2021July 2024Allow3730YesNo
17306535SEGMENTING UNSTRUCTURED TEXTMay 2021June 2025Abandon5020NoNo
17185005SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE MANAGEMENT PROVIDING FLEXIBLE AND ACCURATE ADMINISTRATION OF CLINICAL TRIALSFebruary 2021November 2024Abandon4540NoNo
17078210DECENTRALIZED MULTI-TASK LEARNINGOctober 2020May 2025Abandon5520NoNo
17018430ANOMALOUS TEXT DETECTION AND ENTITY IDENTIFICATION USING EXPLORATION-EXPLOITATION AND PRE-TRAINED LANGUAGE MODELSSeptember 2020January 2025Allow5220YesNo
16092199USER INTERFACE FOR AN AUDIOLOGICAL TEST SYSTEMNovember 2019April 2024Abandon6040YesYes
15877313ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAMEJanuary 2018May 2019Allow1510NoNo
15378158INTEGRATED MULTIDIMENSIONAL VIEW OF HIERARCHICAL OBJECTSDecember 2016August 2019Allow3210NoNo
15342797METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR STATE-BASED WEB FRAMEWORK ARCHITECTURENovember 2016December 2019Allow3710NoNo
15278414ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAMESeptember 2016January 2020Allow4040YesNo
15171113INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEMJune 2016June 2018Allow2510NoNo
15130241DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, DATA PROCESS APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUMApril 2016September 2019Allow4130NoNo
15009520MOBILE TERMINAL AND DISPLAY OPERATING METHOD THEREOFJanuary 2016May 2018Allow2710NoNo
14907815AN APPARATUS OF PROVIDING COMMENTS AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR EACH SECTION OF VIDEO CONTENTS AND THE METHOD THEREOFJanuary 2016December 2018Allow3520NoNo
14856489Mobile Stamp Creation And Management For Digital CommunicationsSeptember 2015July 2019Allow4610NoNo
14716512ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REMOVING FOLDERS FROM TOUCH SCREEN OF THE ELECTRONIC DEVICEMay 2015October 2017Allow2910NoNo
14465497MOUSE CURSOR CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUSAugust 2014October 2017Allow3720NoNo
14217385SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGEMENT OF MEDICAL CONDITIONMarch 2014January 2018Allow4650NoNo
14197337NAVIGATION OF A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONMarch 2014July 2016Allow2830YesNo
14169544System and Method for Inserting Additional Icon Content Into a Display ScreenJanuary 2014November 2016Allow3300YesNo
14104018SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING IMAGES OVER A COMMUNICATION NETWORKDecember 2013January 2018Allow4940NoNo
14080605DISPLAYING MESSAGE CONTENT DIFFERENTIAL IN POPUP WINDOWNovember 2013January 2016Allow2610YesNo
13796207DISPLAYING MESSAGE CONTENT DIFFERENTIAL IN POPUP WINDOWMarch 2013May 2015Allow2610YesNo
13753914DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING HEALTHJanuary 2013July 2016Allow4140YesNo
13300403SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERACTIVELY DISPLAYING USER IMAGESNovember 2011January 2016Allow5020NoNo
13249677HOVER-OVER GESTURING ON MOBILE DEVICESSeptember 2011March 2012Allow610YesNo
13250120SELECTING ALTERNATE KEYBOARD CHARACTERS VIA MOTION INPUTSeptember 2011August 2013Allow2220YesNo
13220042DISPLAY DEVICE PROVIDING FEEDBACK BASED ON IMAGE CLASSIFICATIONAugust 2011May 2016Allow5740YesNo
13219444METHOD FOR SEARCHING COMPANIES AND PEOPLEAugust 2011October 2014Allow3730NoNo
13061810INFORMATION-PROCESSING DEVICE AND PROGRAMMarch 2011May 2014Allow3920YesNo
12909090ANIMATED MESSAGINGOctober 2010January 2015Allow5011NoNo
12822747SPELLING SUGGESTIONS BASED ON AN INPUT SEQUENCE INCLUDING ACCIDENTAL "DELETE"June 2010May 2012Allow2210NoNo
12794176METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING UI ANIMATIONJune 2010June 2014Allow4820NoNo
12790591TECHNIQUES FOR NAVIGATING INFORMATIONMay 2010November 2014Allow5331YesNo
12431993SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING A CONSTANT TIME SELECTION CONTEXT MENU INTERFACEApril 2009December 2010Allow2010NoNo
12423792MOBILE VIRTUAL DESKTOPApril 2009January 2018Allow60110YesYes
12347673ICON-BASED FACILITATION OF SERVICE TASK PERFORMANCEDecember 2008March 2013Allow5140YesNo
12271586DISPLAYING AND MANAGING INHERITED VALUESNovember 2008March 2011Allow2810YesNo
12176314MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF DISPLAYING MENU ICON THEREOFJuly 2008August 2013Allow6050YesNo
12174671METHOD AND SYSTEM TO REDUCE WORKLOAD AND SKILLS REQUIRED IN USAGE OF MOUSE OR OTHER POINTING DEVICESJuly 2008July 2012Allow4840NoNo
12172510METHOD FOR PROVIDING GUI TO DISPLAY A PLURALITY OF LISTS AND MULTIMEDIA APPARATUS USING THE SAMEJuly 2008October 2011Allow3910NoNo
12167550PROVIDING A PRESENTATION IN A REMOTE LOCATIONJuly 2008December 2011Allow4220NoNo
11951459RULE-BASED MULTI-PANE TOOLBAR DISPLAYDecember 2007March 2013Allow6041YesNo
11951302CONTENT SEARCH METHOD AND MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING CONTENT SEARCH FUNCTIONDecember 2007March 2014Allow6050YesNo
11576234DOCUMENT PROCESSING DEVICE AND DOCUMENT PROCESSING METHODNovember 2007May 2010Allow3720NoNo
11865936IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUSOctober 2007December 2011Allow5020NoNo
11852654METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RAPID ACCESS TO FREQUENTLY USED OR SEARCHED OBJECTSSeptember 2007June 2011Allow4520YesNo
11805638SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERACTIVELY DISPLAYING USER IMAGESMay 2007October 2010Allow4010YesNo
11723857Portable device and method of providing menu iconsMarch 2007November 2012Allow6060YesNo
11618707SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE NAVIGATION OF COMPLEX VISUALIZATIONS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIREDDecember 2006March 2010Allow3920NoNo
11517149Method and apparatus for controlling an array of input/output devicesSeptember 2006May 2013Allow6020YesNo
10586238APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEARCHING FOR A VIDEO CLIPJuly 2006June 2009Allow3510NoNo
11366723DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURING A WEB PAGEMarch 2006March 2010Allow4940YesNo
10570276DISPLAY APPARATUS AND MEDIA DISPLAY METHODMarch 2006February 2010Allow4740YesNo
11364969METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK TRAFFIC COMPOSITE GRAPHFebruary 2006October 2009Allow4420NoNo
11364576TRAINING A RANKING FUNCTION USING PROPAGATED DOCUMENT RELEVANCEFebruary 2006March 2011Allow6050YesNo
11351071MOVING DATA TO MULTIPLE TARGET FILESFebruary 2006July 2009Allow4120NoNo
10744022METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COPYING, MOVING, REPLACING AND DELETING CONTENT IN GROUP-EDITABLE ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTSDecember 2003March 2010Allow6060NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner DISTEFANO, GREGORY A.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
1
Examiner Affirmed
1
(100.0%)
Examiner Reversed
0
(0.0%)
Reversal Percentile
4.4%
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
2
Allowed After Appeal Filing
0
(0.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(100.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
2.3%
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

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 DISTEFANO, GREGORY A - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner DISTEFANO, GREGORY A works in Art Unit 2174 and has examined 82 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 91.5%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 39 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner DISTEFANO, GREGORY A's allowance rate of 91.5% places them in the 75% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is more likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by DISTEFANO, GREGORY A receive 2.68 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 90% 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.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by DISTEFANO, GREGORY A is 39 months. This places the examiner in the 10% 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 +5.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by DISTEFANO, GREGORY A. This interview benefit is in the 30% 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, 30.0% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 50% 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 16.7% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 12% 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 66.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 43% 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.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 60.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 76% 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 11.0% of allowed cases (in the 97% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 12% 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:

  • Expect multiple rounds of prosecution: This examiner issues more office actions than average. Address potential issues proactively in your initial response and consider requesting an interview early in prosecution.
  • 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.
  • 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.