USPTO Examiner BROWN VERNAL U - Art Unit 2686

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19232972APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BIOMETRIC ACCESS CONTROLJune 2025January 2026Allow810NoNo
19089408SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REVEALING UNLOCK CODES FOR LOCKSMarch 2025November 2025Abandon810NoNo
19011045System, Method and Device for Age Authenticated VapingJanuary 2025October 2025Allow920NoNo
18841033ENTRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, ENTRY MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUMAugust 2024February 2026Allow1810NoNo
18801504Multi-Factor Authentication System for Property ManagementAugust 2024January 2026Allow1810NoNo
18763479Passive Reader and Active Receiver/Transmitter Devices For Logistics TrackingJuly 2024September 2024Allow310NoNo
18740627STAY MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, STAY MANAGEMENT METHOD, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, AND STAY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMJune 2024June 2025Allow1210NoNo
18733905SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A FITTING ROOMJune 2024October 2025Allow1600NoNo
18733374METHOD OF AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOOR BODY OF REFRIGERATION OR HEATING BOX BY RECOGNIZING USER IDENTITYJune 2024December 2025Allow1810NoNo
18675787UNIVERSAL CREDENTIALMay 2024February 2025Allow910NoNo
18661365DEVICES AND METHODS FOR LOCATING ACCESSORIES OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICEMay 2024August 2025Allow1510NoNo
18701072RFID READER AND ASSOCIATED COMPLEMENTARY DEVICEApril 2024July 2025Allow1500NoNo
18632928SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DUAL LAYER AUDIO DEVICE PAIRING AUTHENTICATION WITH VOICE PATTERN RECOGNITIONApril 2024January 2026Allow2100NoNo
18614309Antenna Switching Control For AOA Capturing In Phone-As-A-Key Systems With De-Whitened Tone Transmission, CRC Based Validation And Event TimingMarch 2024October 2024Allow600NoNo
18601484SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED HEADSETSMarch 2024January 2026Allow2310NoNo
18586712REGISTERED LOWER ORBIT SATELLITE-POWERED GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ("AI")-BASED LOST CARD TRACKING AND REPORTING MECHANISMFebruary 2024September 2025Allow1800NoNo
18581891PHYSICAL SECURITY DEVICE AND METHOD TO RECORD CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL SECURITY DEVICEFebruary 2024February 2026Allow2420NoNo
18439021SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC LOCALIZATIONFebruary 2024May 2025Allow1610NoNo
18416709PASSIVE RFID TAG PLACEMENT FOR CYBERNETIC COMMAND AND CONTROL VIA LOCALIZATIONJanuary 2024January 2026Allow2410YesNo
18412748WIRELESS LIGHT SWITCH TO CONTROL A MESH NETWORK OF LIGHT DEVICES IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTSJanuary 2024January 2026Allow2410NoNo
18408823AUTOMATIC BIOMETRIC DOOR LOCKJanuary 2024September 2025Allow2010NoNo
18401258AUTOMATED SECURE ALLOCATION OF SCANNING DEVICESDecember 2023December 2025Allow2410NoNo
18393039Wireless Barcode Scanning Gun With Electronic Tag Setting FunctionDecember 2023April 2024Allow400NoNo
18543733SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING REMOTE MANAGEMENT OF ACCESS TO A GROUP OF DEVICESDecember 2023April 2025Allow1520NoNo
18531486ADAPTIVE VEHICLE DISPLAY BASED ON USER EQUIPMENT COMMUNICATIONS OR POSITIONING INFORMATIONDecember 2023January 2026Allow2620NoNo
18530013QUEUING SYSTEMDecember 2023January 2025Allow1420NoNo
18522894SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PRESENCE WITHIN A STRICTLY DEFINED WIRELESS ZONENovember 2023October 2024Allow1110NoNo
18518284USER INTERFACES FOR MANAGING LOCKSNovember 2023August 2024Allow800NoNo
18516680SECURITY SYSTEM FOR A MOVEABLE BARRIER OPERATORNovember 2023September 2025Allow2210NoNo
18512257SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REVEALING UNLOCK CODES FOR LOCKSNovember 2023January 2025Allow1400YesNo
18289689DETECTING SYSTEM, DETECTING APPARATUS, DETECTING METHOD, AND PROGRAMNovember 2023September 2025Allow2210YesNo
18384136EMBEDDED RFID TAG READEROctober 2023August 2025Allow2210NoNo
18487488ELECTRONIC ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMOctober 2023July 2025Allow2110YesNo
18486373CONTACTLESS COMMUNICATION METHOD BETWEEN AN OBJECT AND A READER USING ACTIVE LOAD MODULATIONOctober 2023June 2025Allow2000NoNo
18480701DYNAMIC RESERVATION OF A CHARGING STATION SLOT FOR A VEHICLEOctober 2023April 2025Allow1800NoNo
18376695Vehicle-Based Control of a Movable Barrier OperatorOctober 2023November 2025Allow2510NoNo
18375532Wireless Access Systems and MethodsOctober 2023November 2025Abandon2510NoNo
18375467Device for locating stored objects via RFID detectionSeptember 2023February 2025Allow1700NoNo
18284423GATE DEVICE, GATE DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUMSeptember 2023February 2026Abandon2920NoNo
18371570Safety System and Method Using a Safety SystemSeptember 2023August 2025Allow2310NoNo
18239566WIRELESS VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICEAugust 2023June 2025Allow2210NoNo
18236848METHOD OF UNLOCKING A VEHICLE DOORAugust 2023March 2025Allow1900NoNo
18364963POWER SIGNAL INTERACTION WITH OBJECT INCLUDING RFID TAGAugust 2023June 2025Allow2310NoNo
18263507ACCESS CONTROL CONFIGURING METHOD AND DEVICEJuly 2023August 2025Allow2410NoNo
18225929PROCESSING ALERT SIGNALS FROM POSITIONING DEVICESJuly 2023August 2024Allow1310NoNo
18354081CRITICAL AREA SAFETY DEVICE AND METHODS OF USEJuly 2023November 2025Allow2830NoNo
18214571Access ControlJune 2023April 2025Allow2210YesNo
18338022Security System for a Locking Medication ContainerJune 2023September 2025Allow2620NoNo
18338085A System and Method for Multiple Lockable Medication ContainersJune 2023February 2025Allow2000NoNo
18337990Locking Medication Container ApparatusJune 2023March 2025Allow2110YesNo
18338103Communication System for a Locking Medication ContainerJune 2023July 2025Allow2510YesNo
18203178CAPACITIVE TOUCH VEHICLE ACCESSORYMay 2023January 2025Allow2030NoNo
18203516DATACENTER DETECTION AND AUTHENTICATION TECHNIQUESMay 2023October 2025Allow2920YesNo
18324712METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONMay 2023July 2025Allow2620NoNo
18321956SEATING POSITION DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND VEHICLE CONTROLLERMay 2023October 2024Allow1600NoNo
18321215AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM, IN-VEHICLE AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM, AND AUTHENTICATION METHODMay 2023July 2025Allow2610NoNo
18199674DEVICE FOR CHECKING ACCESS PERMISSIONSMay 2023April 2025Allow2310NoNo
18144190COLOR AND SYMBOL CODED DISPLAY ON A DIGITAL BADGE FOR COMMUNICATING PERMISSION TO APPROACH AND ACTIVATE FURTHER DIGITAL CONTENT INTERACTIONMay 2023January 2025Allow2000NoNo
18310040SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED HEADSETSMay 2023December 2023Allow700NoNo
18248608INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOFApril 2023February 2026Abandon3430NoNo
18192143DOCUMENTATION LOCKBOXMarch 2023March 2025Allow2410YesNo
18027002COMMUNICATION CONTROL APPARATUS, OPERATION TERMINAL, AND EQUIPMENT OPERATION SYSTEMMarch 2023February 2026Allow3530NoNo
18122213MULTI SENSORY INPUT TO IMPROVE HANDS-FREE ACTIONS OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICEMarch 2023January 2024Allow1010YesNo
18024898HISTORY MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, HISTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, HISTORY MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUMMarch 2023December 2024Allow2110NoNo
18114862MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION DOOR ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMFebruary 2023May 2025Allow2720NoNo
18022628GATE APPARATUSFebruary 2023October 2024Allow2010NoNo
18168291INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION FOR BACKSCATTERED REFERENCE SIGNALSFebruary 2023July 2025Allow2920NoNo
18104775AUTOMATIC CLOSURE ACTUATION BASED ON OBJECT DETECTIONFebruary 2023December 2024Allow2210YesNo
18103017ISOLATION DEVICEJanuary 2023May 2024Allow1620NoNo
18160756RANGING WITH BIOMETRIC INFORMATIONJanuary 2023June 2025Allow2920NoNo
18102461Electronic Security DeviceJanuary 2023June 2025Abandon2920NoNo
18102386Access Control SystemJanuary 2023April 2025Allow2710NoNo
18101678METHOD OF MANAGING PARKING ACCESS INTO OR EXITING FROM A MULTI-RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGJanuary 2023March 2025Abandon2610NoNo
18006498JEWELRY RING HAVING A RFID TRANSPONDER AND A READING ARRANGEMENTJanuary 2023March 2025Allow2620NoNo
18017255METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ACCESS CONTROL OF PERSONS BASED ON A TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTJanuary 2023January 2025Abandon2410NoNo
18097455ELECTRONIC LOCK CONFIGURED TO RECEIVE WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSIONSJanuary 2023November 2024Abandon2210NoNo
18091523GEAR GUARD CAMERA AND BLUETOOTH SENSOR FUSION TO ENHANCE USER EXPERIENCEDecember 2022September 2024Allow2110YesNo
18011242SERVER DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR SERVER DEVICEDecember 2022November 2024Allow2320NoNo
18083837SAFETY SYSTEMS FOR OBJECTS AND METHODSDecember 2022December 2024Allow2410NoNo
18011142METHOD FOR UNLOCKING AN OPENING ELEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND ASSOCIATED UNLOCKING DEVICEDecember 2022August 2024Allow2000NoNo
18081202RENTAL GUEST VERIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHODDecember 2022December 2024Abandon2410NoNo
17759062ELECTRONIC LOCK SYSTEM, METHOD PERFORMED USING ELECTRONIC LOCK SYSTEM, PORTABLE TERMINAL, METHOD PERFORMED USING PORTABLE TERMINAL, AND COMPUTER PROGRAMDecember 2022May 2025Abandon3410NoNo
18008881PASSAGE PERMIT DEVICE, SYSTEM, METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAMDecember 2022April 2025Abandon2820NoNo
18072082APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A UNIVERSAL CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING A GRAPHICAL USER ELEMENT IN A DISPLAY DEVICENovember 2022August 2023Allow900NoNo
18059020POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL CONFIGURATION FOR BACKSCATTER-BASED POSITIONING PROCEDURENovember 2022October 2025Allow3430YesNo
18058143MULTI-CHANNEL SIGNALING FOR A BARRIER OPERATOR SYSTEMNovember 2022November 2024Allow2420NoNo
17991389SHARED VEHICLE DOOR LOCK CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODSNovember 2022October 2024Allow2310YesNo
17926400ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLENovember 2022January 2025Allow2620NoNo
17925056METHOD FOR CONNECTING BLUETOOTH KEY TO VEHICLE, VEHICLE BLUETOOTH SYSTEM, AND BLUETOOTH KEYNovember 2022February 2024Allow1500NoNo
17984837Antenna Switching Control For AOA Capturing In Phone-As-A-Key Systems With De-Whitened Tone Transmission, CRC Based Validation And Event TimingNovember 2022November 2023Allow1210NoNo
17998448SMOKING DEVICE WITH AUTHENTICATION MEANSNovember 2022September 2025Allow3410NoNo
17983172AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL SYSTEMNovember 2022October 2024Allow2310NoNo
17982237DECENTRALIZED VIRTUAL TRUSTLESS DATABASE FOR ACCESS CONTROLNovember 2022July 2024Allow2000NoNo
17997938PORTABLE AND SINGLE-USE DEVICE FOR ACCESSING AN AREA WITH RESTRICTED ACCESS, ASSOCIATED ACCESS KEY GENERATION SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED ACCESS CONTROL METHODNovember 2022December 2024Allow2510NoNo
17968710GARAGE DOOR SYSTEM AND METHODOctober 2022April 2024Allow1830NoNo
17995224ULTRA-WIDE BAND RADAR FOR TAILGATING DETECTION IN ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMSSeptember 2022July 2024Allow2110NoNo
17936601INTELLIGENT BOOT MANAGER OF VEHICLE SYSTEMSSeptember 2022July 2025Abandon3340YesNo
17914439INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMSeptember 2022July 2024Allow2210NoNo
17931335SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GRANTING ACCESS TO AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLESeptember 2022February 2025Allow2930YesNo
17940326COMMUNICATING WITH AN RFID TRANSPONDERSeptember 2022August 2024Abandon2320NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner BROWN, VERNAL U.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
21
Examiner Affirmed
17
(81.0%)
Examiner Reversed
4
(19.0%)
Reversal Percentile
30.7%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 19.0% 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
64
Allowed After Appeal Filing
20
(31.2%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
44
(68.8%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
47.8%
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, 31.2% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is below the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal has limited effectiveness in prompting favorable reconsideration.

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 BROWN, VERNAL U - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner BROWN, VERNAL U works in Art Unit 2686 and has examined 437 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 73.0%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 30 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner BROWN, VERNAL U's allowance rate of 73.0% places them in the 37% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by BROWN, VERNAL U receive 2.43 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 BROWN, VERNAL U is 30 months. This places the examiner in the 60% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +11.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by BROWN, VERNAL U. This interview benefit is in the 46% 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, 24.9% 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 30.5% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 44% 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, 68.6% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 58% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. If you have strong arguments, a PAC request may result in favorable reconsideration.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 66.1% of appeals filed. This is in the 47% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 43.9% 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, 60.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 65% 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 1.1% of allowed cases (in the 69% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments more often than average to place applications in condition for allowance (MPEP § 1302.04).

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 1.9% of allowed cases (in the 67% 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:

    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.