USPTO Examiner CASTRO ALFONSO - Art Unit 2421

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18405042Methods and Systems for Packagers Used in Media StreamingJanuary 2024February 2025Allow1310NoNo
18493060SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A MEDIA PLATFORMOctober 2023April 2025Abandon1730YesNo
18187076METHODS AND APPARATUS TO APPLY HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL WEIGHTS TO HOUSEHOLD-MEMBER LEVEL AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATAMarch 2023August 2024Allow1740YesNo
18183447SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR SCANNING BROADCASTSMarch 2023July 2024Abandon1610NoNo
18182718VIDEO INFORMATION PERIODIC BROADCASTING METHOD AND APPARATUS, AND VIDEO INFORMATION RECEIVING METHOD AND APPARATUSMarch 2023September 2024Allow1820NoNo
17974771METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING VIRTUAL VIDEO LIVESTREAMING, STORAGE MEDIUM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICEOctober 2022January 2025Allow2710YesNo
18049270Methods And Systems For Real Time Ad Scene Identification, Skip and ReplacementOctober 2022April 2024Abandon1810NoNo
17955293METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETERMINE MEDIA VIEWING INFORMATION FOR HYBRID CONTENT DELIVERYSeptember 2022September 2024Allow2320NoNo
17902176SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING CONTENT ADAPTATION TO ENDPOINTSSeptember 2022February 2025Allow3040YesNo
17891754Intelligent Digital Interruption ManagementAugust 2022April 2023Allow830YesNo
17885494CURATING PROMOTIONSAugust 2022January 2025Allow3040NoNo
17813695DETECTING LATENCY ANOMALIES FROM PIPELINE COMPONENTS IN CLOUD-BASED SYSTEMSJuly 2022December 2023Abandon1720NoNo
17859756SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MEDIA CONTENT FOR AN EXHIBIT OR DISPLAYJuly 2022August 2024Allow2510NoNo
17845768STREAM REGION REPLACEMENTSJune 2022February 2025Allow3220NoNo
17836721ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT CAMPAIGN CREATION AND DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMJune 2022September 2024Abandon2840YesNo
17742528SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A LIVE OUTPUT STREAM MANIFEST BASED ON AN EVENTMay 2022October 2024Allow2930YesNo
17715170SYNCHRONIZATION OF MULTIPLE CONTENT STREAMSApril 2022February 2025Allow3420NoNo
17709114ENHANCED TARGETED ADVERTISING FOR VIDEO STREAMINGMarch 2022April 2025Abandon3650NoNo
17654504SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC BITRATE SWITCHING OF MEDIA STREAMS IN A MEDIA BROADCAST PRODUCTIONMarch 2022April 2025Allow3740YesNo
17679877METHOD FOR PROVIDING AND METHOD FOR ACQUIRING IMMERSIVE MEDIA, APPARATUS, DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMFebruary 2022June 2025Allow4050YesNo
17675911IN-TRANSPORT MULTI-CHANNEL MEDIA DELIVERYFebruary 2022March 2025Allow3740YesNo
17624799BROADCAST SIGNAL TRANSMISSION DEVICE, BROADCAST SIGNAL TRANSMISSION METHOD, BROADCAST SIGNAL RECEPTION METHOD, AND BROADCAST SIGNAL RECEPTION DEVICEJanuary 2022February 2025Abandon3740NoNo
17532743SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO SELECT TARGETED ADVERTISINGNovember 2021April 2025Abandon4050YesNo
17525316ADAPTIVE MEDIA TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PROCESSNovember 2021February 2024Abandon2710NoNo
17453553DISPLAY OF SIGNING VIDEO THROUGH AN ADJUSTABLE USER INTERFACE (UI) ELEMENTNovember 2021September 2023Allow2230NoNo
17499715SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEQUENCING A PLAYLIST OF MEDIA ITEMSOctober 2021October 2024Allow3630YesNo
17438590LIVE STREAMING SYSTEM AND LIVE STREAMING METHODSeptember 2021April 2025Abandon4320NoYes
17382733ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT CAMPAIGN CREATION AND DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMJuly 2021May 2022Allow1020YesNo
17371665APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AGGREGATING VIDEO STREAMS INTO COMPOSITE MEDIA CONTENTJuly 2021October 2023Abandon2720NoNo
17351065RECEPTION APPARATUS, TRANSMISSION APPARATUS, AND DATA PROCESSING METHODJune 2021October 2022Allow1610NoNo
17303912Method and System for Remotely Controlling Consumer Electronic DevicesJune 2021December 2023Abandon3120NoNo
17298347VIDEO INFORMATION PERIODIC BROADCASTING METHOD AND APPARATUS, AND VIDEO INFORMATION RECEIVING METHOD AND APPARATUSMay 2021November 2022Allow1711YesNo
17225853AVAILABILITY AND REDUNDANCY FOR VCORESApril 2021August 2023Allow2820NoNo
17215393CHANNEL PLAYING METHOD AND RELATED DEVICEMarch 2021September 2022Abandon1820NoNo
17211641DETERMINATION OF AVAILABILITY OF CHUNKS OF DATA FOR NETWORK STREAMING MEDIA DATAMarch 2021June 2024Allow3940NoNo
17203287Methods and Systems for Packagers Used in Media StreamingMarch 2021December 2023Allow3330YesNo
17202189TECHNIQUES FOR PERSONALIZING THE PLAYBACK OF A MEDIA TITLE BASED ON USER INTERACTIONS WITH AN INTERNET OF THINGS DEVICEMarch 2021February 2023Allow2320YesNo
17196760METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PRESENTING ADVERTISEMENTS DURING PLAYBACK OF RECORDED TELEVISION CONTENTMarch 2021September 2023Abandon3120NoNo
17180213CONTENT-MODIFICATION SYSTEM WITH JITTER EFFECT MITIGATION FEATUREFebruary 2021July 2022Allow1710YesNo
17180231CONTENT-MODIFICATION SYSTEM WITH JITTER EFFECT MITIGATION FEATUREFebruary 2021August 2022Allow1710YesNo
17180289CONTENT-MODIFICATION SYSTEM WITH JITTER EFFECT MITIGATION FEATUREFebruary 2021July 2022Allow1710YesNo
17180170SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED ADAPTIVE VIDEO STREAMINGFebruary 2021June 2024Abandon4060NoNo
17172782METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ESTIMATE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A HOUSEHOLDFebruary 2021January 2023Allow2320YesNo
17170070METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SWITCHING MEDIA SERVICE CHANNELSFebruary 2021July 2023Allow2950YesNo
17126287METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTABLISHING A SCROLLING FAN TICKER FOR A SPORTS BROADCASTDecember 2020December 2023Abandon3630YesNo
17252363EVALUATING THE USAGE BEHAVIOR OF A USER OF A PORTABLE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATIONDecember 2020June 2023Abandon3040NoNo
17107261METHODS AND APPARATUS TO APPLY HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL WEIGHTS TO HOUSEHOLD-MEMBER LEVEL AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATANovember 2020April 2023Allow2930NoNo
17093727VIDEO CONTENT PLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION BASED ON BEHAVIOR AND CONTENT ANALYSISNovember 2020July 2023Allow3260YesNo
17081490LOW-LATENCY CONTENT DELIVERY OVER A PUBLIC NETWORKOctober 2020July 2024Allow45120YesNo
17023692DISPLAY APPARATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD OF DISPLAY APPARATUSSeptember 2020July 2022Abandon2230NoNo
17022538REMOTE STORAGE DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER STREAMING AND RELATED METHODSSeptember 2020September 2021Allow1210NoNo
16905332Method For Processing Television Screenshot, Smart Television, And Storage MediumJune 2020October 2022Allow2820YesNo
16895806Content-Modification System with In-Band Message Data Utilization FeatureJune 2020October 2024Abandon5280YesNo
16892131Content-Modification System with Content-Presentation Device Grouping FeatureJune 2020June 2024Abandon4980YesNo
16888065METHODS AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE FALSE CREDITING OF EXPOSURE TO VIDEO-ON-DEMAND MEDIA ASSETSMay 2020August 2022Allow2740YesNo
16886192DETECTING LATENCY ANOMALIES FROM PIPELINE COMPONENTS IN CLOUD-BASED SYSTEMSMay 2020April 2022Allow2210NoNo
16851030MEMORY MANAGEMENT IN ADVANCED TELEVISION SYSTEMS COMMITTEE (ATSC) 3.0 SYSTEMApril 2020June 2025Abandon60100YesNo
16845812SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUAL-BASED TRAININGApril 2020March 2022Abandon2330NoNo
16650819SERVER AND PROGRAMMarch 2020September 2021Allow1820YesNo
16814746SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT VIA TELEVISION AND MOBILE WIRELESS PLATFORMSMarch 2020November 2021Abandon2040YesNo
16806995SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING CONTENT RECOMMENDATIONS USING A TRAINED MODELMarch 2020January 2025Abandon5980YesNo
16723478METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIGITAL PROGRAM INSERTION IN SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONSDecember 2019September 2023Allow4570YesYes
16721555CLASSIFICATION OF IMAGES BASED ON STATIC COMPONENTSDecember 2019June 2024Abandon5450YesYes
16714388TEXT-TO-AUDIO FOR INTERACTIVE VIDEOS USING A MARKUP LANGUAGEDecember 2019April 2022Allow2820NoNo
16621910VIDEO INTERACTION MANAGEMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMDecember 2019December 2023Abandon4850YesNo
16707255INSERTION OF DIRECTED CONTENT INTO A VIDEO ASSETDecember 2019June 2022Allow3020YesNo
16696613SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING BINGE-WATCHING RECOMMENDATIONSNovember 2019January 2024Allow5090YesNo
16676796SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING STORAGE OF RESPONSE DATANovember 2019April 2022Allow2920YesNo
16671826GENERATING UNIFIED METADATA FOR A PLURALITY OF DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMSNovember 2019February 2023Allow3940YesNo
16608074METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR STORING VIDEO, AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING VIDEOOctober 2019March 2023Abandon4140YesNo
16594682METHOD TO CREATE A LIVE VIDEO STREAM FROM SHARED MEMORY OBJECT CONTAINING IMAGE BUFFEROctober 2019April 2022Abandon3020YesNo
16595137VIDEO CONTENT PLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION BASED ON BEHAVIOR AND CONTENT ANALYSISOctober 2019June 2020Allow910NoNo
16603197TERMINAL DEVICE APPLICATION PROGRAM, TERMINAL DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, TERMINAL DEVICE, AND LIVE BROADCAST DISTRIBUTION SERVER PROGRAM PROVIDING QUESTIONNAIRE CREATION BY TERMINAL DEVICEOctober 2019January 2022Allow2840YesNo
16586552Method and System for Use of Earlier and/or Later Single-Match as Basis to Disambiguate Channel Multi-Match with Non-Matching ProgramsSeptember 2019December 2022Allow3820YesYes
16585549SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR SCANNING BROADCASTSSeptember 2019March 2023Abandon4240YesNo
16566733METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REAL-TIME VIEWER INTERACTION WITH A MEDIA PRESENTATIONSeptember 2019September 2022Abandon3650YesNo
16455384METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROXIMITY-BASED PLAY OF PREFERRED CONTENTJune 2019December 2021Abandon3040NoNo
16441949Media Content Identification on Mobile DevicesJune 2019March 2023Allow4560YesNo
16434884SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING AN INTERACTIVE SESSION IN AN INTERACTIVE MEDIA GUIDANCE APPLICATIONJune 2019April 2025Abandon6080NoNo
16467383Video Stream Based Live Stream Interaction Method And Corresponding DeviceJune 2019December 2020Abandon1910NoNo
16428397SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO SELECT TARGETED ADVERTISINGMay 2019July 2021Allow2630NoNo
16390768DIGITAL DISPLAY VIEWER BASED ON LOCATIONApril 2019April 2022Allow3550YesNo
16389807AUTHORING COMMENTS INCLUDING TYPED HYPERLINKS THAT REFERENCE VIDEO CONTENTApril 2019January 2023Allow4550YesNo
16388630METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ESTIMATE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A HOUSEHOLDApril 2019October 2020Allow1830YesNo
16371057Systems and Methods for Scheduling ContentMarch 2019January 2022Abandon3320YesNo
16336978PLAYOUT BUFFERING IN A LIVE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMMarch 2019September 2023Abandon5480YesNo
16294072Systems and Methods for Personalized Feature Setup and Parental Guidance SensingMarch 2019July 2021Allow2950YesNo
16264861INTELLIGENT DISPLAY OF CONTENT BASED ON EVENT MONITORINGFebruary 2019January 2022Allow3650YesNo
16245824APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AGGREGATING VIDEO STREAMS INTO COMPOSITE MEDIA CONTENTJanuary 2019April 2021Allow2740YesNo
16238249Equalization Circuit for Cable Television Plug-in Fixed AttenuatorJanuary 2019January 2021Allow2510NoNo
16207951PACKET CONVERTERDecember 2018July 2021Abandon3120NoNo
16098693VIDEO SHARING IMPLEMENTATION METHOD AND SYSTEMNovember 2018May 2021Allow3020YesNo
16168532METHODS AND APPARATUS TO APPLY HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL WEIGHTS TO HOUSEHOLD-MEMBER LEVEL AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATAOctober 2018July 2020Allow2110NoNo
16156424PERSONAL VIDEO RECORDER FUNCTIONALITY FOR PLACESHIFTING SYSTEMSOctober 2018December 2022Abandon5170NoNo
16151814SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE PRESENTATION OF REMOTELY SOURCED CONTENTOctober 2018December 2020Abandon2610NoNo
16112497NETWORK APPLICATION DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, AND REAL-TIME UPDATE METHOD AND APPARATUS DURING DISPLAYAugust 2018September 2022Abandon4960YesNo
16111109SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MEDIA CONTENT FOR AN EXHIBIT OR DISPLAYAugust 2018February 2021Abandon3020YesYes
16053106Displaying Enrichment Data Depending on Ad TimeAugust 2018July 2020Abandon2410NoNo
16048171DYNAMIC TOPOLOGY GENERATION FOR BRANCHING NARRATIVESJuly 2018May 2023Abandon5850YesYes
16036625SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MEDIA CONTENT FOR AN EXHIBIT OR DISPLAYJuly 2018August 2022Abandon4970YesYes

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner CASTRO, ALFONSO.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
25
Examiner Affirmed
20
(80.0%)
Examiner Reversed
5
(20.0%)
Reversal Percentile
30.7%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 20.0% reversal rate, the PTAB affirms the examiner's rejections in the vast majority of cases. This reversal rate is below the USPTO average, indicating that appeals face more challenges here than typical.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
48
Allowed After Appeal Filing
7
(14.6%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
41
(85.4%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
15.2%
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, 14.6% 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 CASTRO, ALFONSO - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner CASTRO, ALFONSO works in Art Unit 2421 and has examined 323 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 56.3%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 34 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner CASTRO, ALFONSO's allowance rate of 56.3% places them in the 11% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by CASTRO, ALFONSO receive 3.72 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 100% 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 CASTRO, ALFONSO is 34 months. This places the examiner in the 23% 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 +14.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by CASTRO, ALFONSO. This interview benefit is in the 57% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews provide an above-average benefit with this examiner and are worth considering.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 16.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 7% 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 6.5% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 3% 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, 48.3% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 40% 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 43.2% of appeals filed. This is in the 7% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 52.6% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner rarely withdraws rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. If you file an appeal, be prepared to fully prosecute it to a PTAB decision. Per MPEP § 1207, the examiner will prepare an Examiner's Answer maintaining the rejections.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 44.4% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 48% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 12% 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 1.1% of allowed cases (in the 57% 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:

  • Prepare for rigorous examination: With a below-average allowance rate, ensure your application has strong written description and enablement support. Consider filing a continuation if you need to add new matter.
  • 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.

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.