USPTO Examiner ULRICH NICHOLAS S - Art Unit 2179

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19093236METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTENT CREATIONMarch 2025September 2025Allow610YesNo
18951484GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE TO ADJUST IMAGE SELECTION BASED ON CLASSIFICATION INFORMATIONNovember 2024April 2025Allow510NoNo
18940970SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONCURRENTLY HANDLING MULTIPLE ARTIFACT TYPES IN A UNIFIED GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACENovember 2024January 2025Allow200NoNo
18899583COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATED RESOLUTION AND DISPOSITION OF DISCREPANCIES ASSOCIATED WITH DIGITAL ARTIFACTS WITH PHYSICAL COMPONENT DATA USING A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACESeptember 2024January 2025Allow410YesNo
18745566DISPLAY ORIENTATION LOCKING METHOD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND MEDIUMJune 2024December 2024Allow610YesNo
18675024System and Method for Manipulation of 3D Objects in Electronic User InterfacesMay 2024April 2025Allow1110NoNo
18652573System and Methods for Process Mining Using Ordered InsightsMay 2024August 2024Allow410NoNo
18641247GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR COMPUTER CONTROL THROUGH BIOMETRIC INPUTApril 2024February 2025Allow1020YesNo
18625741DYNAMICALLY ASSIGNING PARTICIPANT VIDEO FEEDS WITHIN VIRTUAL CONFERENCING SYSTEMApril 2024February 2025Allow1110YesNo
18622475MESSAGE DISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS, DEVICE AND STORAGE MEDIUMMarch 2024September 2024Allow510NoNo
18618920METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISPLAY OF GRAPHICAL OBJECTS ON A USER INTERFACEMarch 2024February 2026Allow2240YesNo
18433256SELECTABLE ITEMS PROVIDING POST-VIEWING CONTEXT ACTIONSFebruary 2024January 2025Allow1210NoNo
18430524Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Using Emoji Characters with User-Defined GesturesFebruary 2024November 2024Allow1010YesNo
18400624GESTURE INTERACTION METHOD AND SYSTEM BASED ON ARTIFICIAL REALITYDecember 2023June 2024Allow610NoNo
18395856OPERATING SYSTEM, PROCESSING SYSTEM, COMPUTER, OPERATING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM FOR ALLOWING REMOTE OPERATION OF A SEPARATE DEVICEDecember 2023January 2026Allow2510YesNo
18389655REAL-TIME COMMUNICATION USER INTERFACEDecember 2023November 2024Allow1110YesNo
18526540SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VISUALIZATION OF DATA ANALYSISDecember 2023September 2025Allow2220NoNo
18389350COMPARTMENT CONFIGURATION INTERFACE MODULE AND A METHOD OF USE THEREOFNovember 2023July 2024Allow910YesNo
18495015SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RESOLVING AN ERROR CONDITION OF A MEDICAL DEVICEOctober 2023December 2025Allow2510NoNo
18378137NOTIFICATION MESSAGE DISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS, DEVICE, READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, AND CHIPOctober 2023November 2025Allow2510NoNo
18482572Hybrid Spreadsheet and Coding Environment Supporting Multiple Programming LanguagesOctober 2023March 2026Allow2910YesNo
18480728LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL-BASED RESPONSES TO TARGETED UI ELEMENTSOctober 2023October 2025Allow2510YesNo
18284819SERVER FOR GUIDING ACCOMPLISHMENT OF PERSONAL DREAMS, AND OPERATING METHOD THEREFORSeptember 2023March 2026Allow3010NoNo
18551756BUSINESS SERVICE INTERACTION METHOD AND APPARATUS, DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMSeptember 2023October 2025Allow2510NoNo
18471826MODULAR VEHICLE HMISeptember 2023September 2025Allow2410NoNo
18465684DATA PROCESSING METHOD FOR INTERACTION MODE SWITCHING, ELECTRONIC DEVICESeptember 2023December 2025Allow2720NoNo
18465586SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MODE AWARENESS OF A HUD DISPLAY CONFIGURATIONSeptember 2023February 2026Allow2901NoNo
18463180INTERACTION METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING ASSOCIATION RELATIONSHIP, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR ESTABLISHING ASSOCIATION RELATIONSHIPSeptember 2023March 2026Allow3011YesNo
18461699MAINTAINING STATE BETWEEN WEB APPLICATIONSSeptember 2023August 2025Allow2300NoNo
18237341MESSAGE USER INTERFACES FOR CAPTURE AND TRANSMITTAL OF MEDIA AND LOCATION CONTENTAugust 2023December 2024Abandon1620YesNo
18235699INTERACTIVE APPLICATION WIDGETS RENDERED WITH ASSISTANT CONTENTAugust 2023August 2025Allow2401NoNo
18366699SYSTEM FOR DATA DISPLAYING AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOFAugust 2023October 2024Allow1410NoNo
18366503FUTURE USE INTENTS FOR SAVED RESOURCES IN A BROWSER ENVIRONMENTAugust 2023June 2025Allow2211YesNo
18360497Page Layout Method and ApparatusJuly 2023October 2025Allow2710NoNo
18352372INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS FOR RESPONDING TO FINGER AND HAND OPERATION INPUTSJuly 2023August 2024Allow1310NoNo
18350271SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTENT MANAGEMENT FOR A CONVERSATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLJuly 2023July 2025Allow2420NoNo
18342805SYSTEM TO FACILITATE INTERACTION DURING A COLLABORATIVE SCREEN SHARING SESSIONJune 2023May 2024Allow1110NoNo
18210780UNREAD MESSAGE DISPLAY METHOD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMJune 2023April 2024Allow1020NoNo
18335012INTEGRATION OF FRAGMENT MODULES IN USER INTERFACESJune 2023April 2025Allow2200YesNo
18334936APPLICATION CUSTOMIZATION USING AN INTERFACE-GUIDED DIFFUSION MODELJune 2023July 2025Allow2610NoNo
18204840METHOD OF ACTIVATING AND MANAGING DUAL USER INTERFACE OPERATING MODESJune 2023April 2025Abandon2210YesNo
18306202USER INTERFACES FOR CONTENT STREAMINGApril 2023June 2025Allow2610YesNo
18190805CONTEXT-DEPENDENT DIGITAL ACTION-ASSISTANCE TOOLMarch 2023March 2025Allow2320YesNo
18188982SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TAGGING OF DATA/CONTENT FOR DISPLAY ON A DISPLAY SCREENMarch 2023May 2025Abandon2610NoNo
18121516SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING AND PRESENTING POPULARITY DATAMarch 2023February 2025Allow2320NoNo
18177358MANAGEMENT DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD FOR MANAGEMENT DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM THAT PROVIDE A MAP OF SELECTABLE NETWORK DEVICESMarch 2023December 2024Allow2210NoNo
18176461VOICE CONTROL HUB METHODS AND SYSTEMSFebruary 2023May 2025Allow2640YesNo
18115619GRAPHICAL CELL CREATION PREVIEW BEFORE STRUCTURE UPDATEFebruary 2023June 2025Abandon2720YesNo
18163572USER INTERFACE FOR SMARTWATCHES AND WEARABLE DEVICESFebruary 2023July 2024Allow1710NoNo
18100379USER TERMINAL APPARATUS AND MANAGEMENT METHOD OF HOME NETWORK THEREOFJanuary 2023December 2024Allow2310YesNo
18152055FACILITATING DISCOVERY OF VERBAL COMMANDS USING MULTIMODAL INTERFACESJanuary 2023June 2024Allow1710YesNo
18091324REVOLVING ON-SCREEN VIRTUAL KEYBOARD FOR EFFICIENT USE DURING CHARACTER INPUTDecember 2022September 2025Abandon3360YesNo
18012517SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTO FILLING FORM FIELDS BASED ON NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSINGDecember 2022July 2024Allow1900NoNo
18002411Font Switching Method and Electronic DeviceDecember 2022January 2024Allow1300NoNo
18071498SELECTIVE CHANNEL LIVE PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND METHODNovember 2022September 2024Allow2110NoNo
17982049AUTOMATED INITIATION AND ADAPTATION OF A DIALOG WITH A USER VIA USER INTERFACE DEVICES OF A COMPUTING DEVICE OF THE USERNovember 2022March 2024Allow1600NoNo
17974563REUSING AND RECOMMENDING USER INTERFACE (UI) CONTENTS BASED ON SEMANTIC INFORMATIONOctober 2022December 2024Abandon2630NoNo
18046515INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM STORING INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM FOR CLASSIFYING, GENERATING AND DISPLAYING OPERATORS RELATED TO SETTING VALUESOctober 2022July 2025Allow3310YesNo
17965717TECHNIQUES FOR TRIAL-AND-ERROR LEARNING IN COMPLEX APPLICATION ENVIRONMENTSOctober 2022February 2025Allow2840YesYes
17948508DYNAMICALLY ASSIGNING PARTICIPANT VIDEO FEEDS WITHIN VIRTUAL CONFERENCING SYSTEMSeptember 2022January 2024Allow1520NoNo
17899602INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR ARRANGING THUMBNAILS OF VARIOUS THUMBNAIL GROUPSAugust 2022January 2026Allow4120YesNo
17895044PodroomAugust 2022August 2024Allow2410NoNo
17858613INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR SELECTION CONTROL ON DISPLAY IN NON-CONTACT MODEJuly 2022October 2025Allow3910YesNo
17787837METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING MENU ITEMS, READABLE MEDIUM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICEJune 2022January 2026Abandon4360NoNo
17757592MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING A DISPLAY THAT ENLARGERS A FRONT DISPLAY REGION IN RESPONSE TO BEING SWITCHED TO AN EXTENDED DISPLAY MODEJune 2022June 2024Allow2440YesNo
17806955METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXTRACTING INFORMATION FROM INPUT DOCUMENT COMPRISING MULTI-FORMAT INFORMATIONJune 2022October 2023Allow1610NoNo
17757300CENTRALIZED KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR MONITORING AND DATA STORAGE APPARATUS AND METHODJune 2022March 2025Allow3310NoNo
17834630COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM STORING CONVERSATION CONTROL PROGRAM, CONVERSATION CONTROL METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICEJune 2022May 2024Abandon2310NoNo
17834131Programmable Smart Button with DisplayJune 2022December 2024Abandon3040YesNo
17752214System and Method for Tandem Manipulation of 3D Objects in Electronic User InterfacesMay 2022April 2024Allow2210NoNo
17727286METHOD FOR DISPLAYING MULTIPLE APPLICATION WINDOWS BY MOBILE TERMINAL, AND MOBILE TERMINALApril 2022February 2024Allow2230YesNo
17717275METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADDING RESPECTIVE COMPLICATIONS ON A USER INTERFACEApril 2022December 2023Allow2010YesNo
17717622Activating a Snap Point in an Artificial Reality EnvironmentApril 2022August 2024Allow2820YesNo
17713035PORTABLE DEVICE, METHOD, AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR USING EMOJI CHARACTERSApril 2022June 2024Abandon2740YesNo
17632279Method for Displaying Splash Screen Information of Application and Electronic DeviceFebruary 2022July 2024Allow2930YesNo
17584384INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR DOCUMENT ALIGNMENTJanuary 2022July 2025Allow4110YesNo
17426745ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR GENERATING CONTENTSJanuary 2022September 2024Abandon3830NoNo
17559674SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER OPTIMIZED APPLICATION DEPENDENCY MAPPINGDecember 2021October 2024Allow3420YesNo
17644474GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/MACHINE LEARNING (AI/ML) COGNITIVE SIGNALS ANALYSISDecember 2021November 2025Allow4720YesNo
17535670INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING OBJECT BETWEEN PERSONAL AND SHARED WORKSPACESNovember 2021April 2025Allow4110NoNo
17529041METHOD FOR OPERATING AN AUGMENTED REALITY OBSERVATION SYSTEM IN A SURGICAL APPLICATION, AND AUGMENTED REALITY OBSERVATION SYSTEM FOR A SURGICAL APPLICATIONNovember 2021March 2026Abandon5240YesNo
17522113CONTENT CONTROL SYSTEMNovember 2021October 2024Abandon3510NoNo
17513758APPLICATION INTERFACE DISPLAY METHOD AND MOBILE TERMINALOctober 2021May 2024Allow3040YesNo
17389812IMAGE DISPLAY METHOD, IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM STORING DISPLAY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR DISPLAYING FIRST IMAGE AND SECOND IMAGE IN DISPLAY AREAJuly 2021July 2024Allow3620NoNo
17372400Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for System-Wide Behavior for 3D ModelsJuly 2021February 2024Allow3120YesNo
17368572Method for providing an resource or information in an electronic deviceJuly 2021January 2026Abandon5521NoNo
17345010SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TOUCH-BASED COMMUNICATIONSJune 2021August 2024Abandon3960YesNo
17198277SYSTEM AND METHOD OF REGISTERING A USER BASED ON BEHAVIOR PATTERNSMarch 2021April 2024Abandon3740YesNo
17133550USER INTERFACES FOR BROWSING CONTENT FROM MULTIPLE CONTENT APPLICATIONS ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICEDecember 2020June 2025Abandon5350YesYes
17095739COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BROWSER EXTENSIONSNovember 2020July 2022Abandon2040YesNo
17029307PROVIDING ENHANCED FUNCTIONALITY IN AN INTERACTIVE ELECTRONIC TECHNICAL MANUALSeptember 2020February 2025Abandon5360NoNo
16943403INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAMJuly 2020March 2025Abandon5680YesNo
16616175METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND MEDIA FOR NAVIGATING USER INTERFACESNovember 2019October 2024Abandon5980YesNo
16564136METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF TABLE CONTENTSeptember 2019March 2025Abandon6080NoNo
15926676EMBEDDING A PORTION OF A SOURCE CONTENT ITEMMarch 2018June 2025Abandon60100YesNo
15677839SELECTING AND PERFORMING CONTEXTUAL ACTIONS VIA USER INTERFACE OBJECTSAugust 2017October 2018Allow1420YesNo
15216799INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR DISPLAYING TRANSITION STATE OF WEB PAGESJuly 2016September 2018Allow2610NoNo
14443153MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF FOR CREATING SHORTCUT OF EXECUTING APPLICATIONMay 2015February 2018Allow3320NoNo
14690006Inserting a Search Box into a Mobile Terminal Dialog Messaging ProtocolApril 2015October 2018Allow4240NoNo
14288301IMMERSIVE MODE FOR A WEB BROWSERMay 2014May 2017Allow3640YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner ULRICH, NICHOLAS S.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
5
Examiner Affirmed
2
(40.0%)
Examiner Reversed
3
(60.0%)
Reversal Percentile
83.3%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 60.0% reversal rate, the PTAB has reversed the examiner's rejections more often than affirming them. This reversal rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals are more successful here than in most other areas.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
8
Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(50.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(50.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
78.5%
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, 50.0% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that filing appeals is particularly effective here. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

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 ULRICH, NICHOLAS S - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner ULRICH, NICHOLAS S works in Art Unit 2179 and has examined 120 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 88.3%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 42 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner ULRICH, NICHOLAS S's allowance rate of 88.3% places them in the 69% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by ULRICH, NICHOLAS S receive 3.03 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 87% 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 ULRICH, NICHOLAS S is 42 months. This places the examiner in the 18% 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 -7.1% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by ULRICH, NICHOLAS S. This interview benefit is in the 4% percentile among all examiners. Note: Interviews show limited statistical benefit with this examiner compared to others, though they may still be valuable for clarifying issues.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 21.3% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 25% 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.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 29.1% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 42% 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.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 50.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 43% 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 54.5% of appeals filed. This is in the 26% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 33.3% 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, 41.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 33% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions show below-average success regarding this examiner's actions. Ensure you have a strong procedural basis before filing.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 22.5% of allowed cases (in the 98% 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 14% 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 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.