USPTO Examiner MERCADO ALEXANDER A - Art Unit 2855

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18872099MULTI-PURPOSE APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND LOCATING LEAKS OF LIQUIDDecember 2024June 2025Allow610NoNo
18850184SENSOR DEVICE FOR MEASURING A FLUID PRESSURE, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A SENSOR DEVICESeptember 2024May 2025Allow710NoNo
18634374LIQUID MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS OPTIMIZED WITH TEMPERATURE SENSINGApril 2024March 2025Allow1110YesNo
18631013AGEING AND DUST DETECTION IN A METERApril 2024February 2025Allow1010NoNo
18628583METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CALIBRATING A GAS DETECTORApril 2024February 2025Allow1010NoNo
18608166MODULAR MOUNTING APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING VEHICLE VIBRATIONAL ANOMALIESMarch 2024October 2024Allow710YesNo
18425421ENHANCED RELIABILITY AND CALIBRATION OF LANDFILL GAS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL DEVICESJanuary 2024December 2024Allow1110NoNo
18367007HYDROCARBON LEAK DETECTION CABLESeptember 2023November 2024Allow1411YesNo
18465551FLUID DETECTION FABRICSeptember 2023August 2024Allow1110NoNo
18451146FORCE SENSING RESISTOR FOR LIQUID LOW-VOLUME DETECTION AND OCCLUSION SENSING AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FLOW SENSING ALONG FLUID PATH IN FLUID DELIVERY DEVICEAugust 2023July 2024Allow1110NoNo
18210495SENSING CIRCUIT WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE PROTECTION FUNCTIONJune 2023June 2025Allow2400NoNo
18205706TECHNIQUES FOR MONITORING SLUMP CHARACTERISTIC OF CONCRETE IN A ROTATING CONTAINER OR DRUMJune 2023January 2025Allow1911YesNo
18328554LIQUID MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS OPTIMIZED WITH TEMPERATURE SENSINGJune 2023January 2024Allow700NoNo
18327580DESIGNS FOR ENHANCED RELIABILITY AND CALIBRATION OF LANDFILL GAS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL DEVICESJune 2023November 2023Allow510YesNo
18253291Ultrasonic Sensor ArrangementMay 2023June 2025Allow2500NoNo
18142969METHODS AND SYSTEMS TO DETERMINE A CONCENTRATION OF SEALING PARTICULATES IN DRILLING FLUIDMay 2023May 2025Allow2500NoNo
18306321SPIN-SET BEARING SETTING VERIFICATION METHODApril 2023November 2023Allow700NoNo
18187196TECHNIQUES FOR MONITORING SLUMP CHARACTERISTIC OF CONCRETE IN A ROTATING CONTAINER OR DRUMMarch 2023April 2024Allow1311NoNo
18119900ROTARY ENCODER AND A METHOD FOR DETERMINING MALFUNCTION OF A ROTARY ENCODERMarch 2023April 2025Allow2600NoNo
18178300FLOW SENSING APPARATUSMarch 2023April 2025Allow2610NoNo
18115344Systems, Devices, and Methods for Electrochemical Water AnalysisFebruary 2023March 2025Allow2400NoNo
18167596LOW TEMPERATURE PIPE SYSTEM TESTINGFebruary 2023March 2025Allow2510YesNo
18105137Fiber Light Relay System with Quick-Connect Fiber AnchorFebruary 2023May 2023Allow300NoNo
18006922APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING OIL LEAKAGE AND ROBOT USING THE APPARATUSJanuary 2023May 2025Allow2720NoNo
18093365SENSORISED WHEEL HUB UNIT FOR VEHICLES, ASSOCIATED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING FINAL LOADS ON WHEELSJanuary 2023April 2025Allow2710NoNo
18013061Fluid Sample Collection Container With Removable Tube HolderDecember 2022February 2025Allow2610YesNo
18083440DEVICE FOR TESTING NEEDLE ROLLER BEARING OF PLANET GEAR SET AND METHOD THEREOFDecember 2022August 2023Allow810NoNo
18062391APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING VISCOSITYDecember 2022April 2025Abandon2810NoNo
18060507TEST PLATFORM FOR AUTOMATIC FLUSHING VALVENovember 2022May 2023Allow610NoNo
17991587FLUID END OF LIFE SENSORSNovember 2022March 2024Abandon1601NoNo
17999309PERMEATION ESTIMATION APPARATUS AND PERMEATION ESTIMATION METHODNovember 2022April 2025Allow2920NoNo
17926303AUTOMATIC SAMPLE INJECTION DEVICENovember 2022March 2025Allow2810NoNo
17989525HYDROCARBON LEAK DETECTION CABLENovember 2022March 2025Allow2811NoNo
17987007ROAD SURFACE CONDITIONS DETECTION BY DISTRIBUTED OPTIC FIBER SYSTEMNovember 2022March 2025Allow2810NoNo
18054617ELECTRIC CONNECTION BOXNovember 2022June 2025Allow3110NoNo
17980819AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF DRILLING FLUIDNovember 2022January 2025Allow2650YesNo
18051012PHYSICAL PROPERTY MEASUREMENT METHOD, PHYSICAL PROPERTY MEASUREMENT DEVICE, AND PROBEOctober 2022December 2024Allow2610YesNo
17997545GAS DENSITY RELAY WITH ONLINE SELF-CHECKING FUNCTION, AND CHECKING METHOD THEREFOROctober 2022May 2025Allow3010NoNo
17964429PNEUMATIC LEAK DETECTOR WITH IMPROVED NOZZLEOctober 2022May 2024Allow1910NoNo
17944577DISTRIBUTED SENSING WITH TUBING ENCASED CONDUCTORS (TEC)September 2022July 2025Allow3420YesNo
17818428VEHICLE SENSOR ASSEMBLYAugust 2022April 2025Allow3210YesNo
17796540USE OF NANOFLUID TO REMOVE OIL AND SALTS FROM ROCK SAMPLES IN PETROLEUM SYSTEMSJuly 2022September 2024Allow2610NoNo
17815585METHOD FOR OPERATING A LABORATORY AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND LABORATORY AUTOMATION SYSTEMJuly 2022February 2025Allow3010NoNo
17868736360 DEGREE FOLDING JIGJuly 2022August 2024Allow2510NoNo
17865463ENCODER WHEEL FOR WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLYJuly 2022March 2023Allow810NoNo
17812232SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LEAK DETECTION BASED ON PRV OUTLET PRESSURE MONITORINGJuly 2022February 2023Allow820NoNo
17792260COMPOSITE ELECTRODE FLUID LEVEL SENSINGJuly 2022May 2025Allow3420YesNo
17792105FLUID ANALYZER WITH REMOVABLE TEST CELL FOR DETECTION AND QUANTITATION OF COMPOUNDS IN LIQUIDSJuly 2022June 2025Allow3511NoNo
17810151FULLY-AUTOMATIC PORTABLE HYDROTEST SYSTEMJune 2022January 2025Allow3131YesNo
17849442LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM FOR THERMAL INTERFACE FLUIDJune 2022April 2024Allow2220NoNo
17788016POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICEJune 2022November 2024Allow2900NoNo
17844217SIMULATION PLATFORM AND SIMULATION METHOD FOR LEAKAGE DETECTION AND TREATMENTJune 2022December 2022Allow610NoNo
17841780Electromagnetic FlowmeterJune 2022April 2025Abandon3410NoNo
17751686TEST DEVICE FOR DETECTING SEALING PERFORMANCE OF ONE-WAY VALVEMay 2022August 2024Allow2710NoNo
17660833MULTI-MODAL VEHICLE DOOR HANDLEApril 2022July 2023Allow1410YesNo
17725752SENSING DEVICE, AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OBTAINING DATA RELATING TO CONCRETE MIXTURES AND CONCRETE STRUCTURESApril 2022June 2023Allow1420NoNo
17659022OUTSIDE HEAT EXCHANGER THAW AND FREEZE TEST APPARATUSApril 2022April 2024Allow2411NoNo
17713142WIRELESS BATTERY LEAK DETECTIONApril 2022March 2024Allow2311YesNo
17695571LEAKAGE DETECTION UNIT WITH VARIABLE SIZE ORIFICEMarch 2022September 2023Abandon1810NoNo
17692149TEST DEVICE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE OF ELECTRONIC BRAKING SYSTEMMarch 2022January 2024Allow2310NoNo
17653617Wheel Balancer Force Transfer Rod and Transducer AssemblyMarch 2022February 2025Allow3501YesNo
17686879LEAK TESTING APPARATUSMarch 2022February 2024Allow2311NoNo
17686543WATER DETECTOR CLIPMarch 2022April 2023Allow1400NoNo
17682183TECHNIQUES FOR SENSING THE VISCOSITY OF CONCRETE IN A ROTATING CONTAINERFebruary 2022April 2024Allow2530NoYes
17591050FILTER DETERMINING SYSTEM FOR EVALUATION OF DISSOLUTION QUALITY OF BINDER SOLUTION FOR SECONDARY BATTERY ELECTRODE AND DETERMINING METHOD THEREOFFebruary 2022August 2024Allow3010NoNo
17584474Device And Method For Testing Bearing Capacity Of Single-Row Grouped Pillars In Horizontal Goaf Under Biaxial LoadingJanuary 2022July 2023Allow1810NoNo
17566762DETECTING EMISSIONS FROM VALVE PACKINGDecember 2021March 2024Allow2611YesNo
17560612METHOD AND MEASURING ARRANGEMENT FOR DETERMINING A RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTY OF A FLUIDDecember 2021January 2024Allow2410NoNo
17553199VOLUME FRACTION METER FOR MULTIPHASE FLUID FLOWDecember 2021September 2023Allow2100NoNo
17596142Detecting Damage Using an Odor SensorDecember 2021August 2024Allow3240YesNo
17455806LIQUID MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS OPTIMIZED WITH TEMPERATURE SENSINGNovember 2021January 2023Allow1410NoNo
17525720DETERMINING FLUID FLOW ACROSS ROTARY PUMPNovember 2021December 2023Allow2501NoNo
17522415PRESSURE GAUGE WITH DIVISIONAL SCALENovember 2021September 2024Abandon3421NoNo
17520928REFRIGERATORNovember 2021March 2025Abandon4001NoNo
17519792Automomously reporting plumbing mesh network applicationsNovember 2021February 2024Abandon2710NoNo
17453508LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MAKING AND USING THE SAMENovember 2021August 2024Allow3340NoNo
17513040PRESSURE-ADJUSTABLE AUXILIARY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HIGH-PRESSURE GAS SEALING DETECTIONOctober 2021March 2023Allow1720NoNo
17606569FLEXIBLE TAPE FOR USE IN LEAK DETECTIONOctober 2021January 2024Abandon2610NoNo
17604094INTEGRATED TEST DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FILLING KARST CAVE DEPOSITION AND TUNNEL INTERMITTENT WATER AND MUD INRUSH DISASTERSOctober 2021December 2024Allow3830NoNo
17501487APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOCKING A WHEEL IN A BALANCING MACHINEOctober 2021August 2024Allow3421NoNo
17603098SENSOR ELEMENT, GAS SENSOR, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SENSOR ELEMENTOctober 2021March 2024Allow2900NoNo
17486812FAN INSPECTION JIGSeptember 2021January 2023Allow1610NoNo
17480250DEVICE FOR MEASURING A RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVEL INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE OF A WATCH CASESeptember 2021December 2023Allow2710NoNo
17440153MEMS GAS SENSOR MOUNT BODYSeptember 2021May 2025Allow4421YesNo
17438980EXTRACORPOREAL BLOOD TREATMENT MACHINE COMPRISING A POKA-YOKE FOR A PRESSURE SENSORSeptember 2021May 2025Allow4430NoNo
17470673SUBSEA HOUSING ASSEMBLYSeptember 2021January 2023Allow1610NoNo
17411720SAMPLE ANALYZERAugust 2021February 2023Allow1810NoNo
17408180FORCE SENSING RESISTOR FOR LIQUID LOW-VOLUME DETECTION AND OCCLUSION SENSING AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FLOW SENSING ALONG FLUID PATH IN FLUID DELIVERY DEVICEAugust 2021May 2023Allow2120NoNo
17443961NEW MULTIFUNCTIONAL BIOMASS SUSPENSION DEFLAGRATION TEST-BEDJuly 2021June 2023Allow2210NoNo
17376551LEAK DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR RACK COOLING SYSTEMSJuly 2021January 2024Allow3140YesNo
17422151Leak Detection and Containment Muffler SystemJuly 2021June 2024Allow3530YesNo
17370414Apparatus and Method for Non-Intrusive Pressure Measurement and Early Identification of Solids Formation using Selected Guided Ultrasonic Wave ModesJuly 2021March 2024Allow3201NoNo
17309965SAMPLE CONCENTRATOR TUBE HAVING HEAT-RESISTANT PLANAR HEATING ELEMENT ADHERED THERETO, ANALYSIS DEVICE COMPRISING SAME, AND ANALYSIS METHOD USING SAMEJuly 2021December 2024Abandon4130NoNo
17361984FORCE SENSORJune 2021July 2024Allow3611NoNo
17418470Apparatus and Method for Diagnosing Failure of Bypass ValveJune 2021March 2024Allow3300NoNo
17353205SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING, CALCULATING, RECORDING AND REPORTING VEHICLE TIRE PRESSURE USING A PNEUMATIC PISTON-TYPE GAUGEJune 2021April 2024Allow3430YesNo
17350288FLUID DETECTION FABRICJune 2021June 2023Allow2411NoNo
17413256METHOD FOR MEASURING STOOL CONSISTENCY AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING STOOL STATE USING SAMEJune 2021May 2024Allow3520YesNo
17343317DESIGNS FOR ENHANCED RELIABILITY AND CALIBRATION OF LANDFILL GAS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL DEVICESJune 2021September 2023Allow2730NoNo
17311935GAS CHROMATOGRAPH, MAINTENANCE SWITCH MODE SETTING METHOD AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING MAINTENANCE SWITCH MODE SETTING PROGRAMJune 2021February 2024Allow3200NoNo

Appeals Overview

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

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
6
Examiner Affirmed
4
(66.7%)
Examiner Reversed
2
(33.3%)
Reversal Percentile
52.4%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 33.3% reversal rate, the PTAB reverses the examiner's rejections in a meaningful percentage of cases. This reversal rate is above the USPTO average, indicating that appeals have better success here than typical.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
16
Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(31.2%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
11
(68.8%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
45.5%
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 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 shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.

Examiner MERCADO, ALEXANDER A - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner MERCADO, ALEXANDER A works in Art Unit 2855 and has examined 201 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 81.6%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 30 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner MERCADO, ALEXANDER A's allowance rate of 81.6% places them in the 46% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by MERCADO, ALEXANDER A receive 1.66 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 46% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues fewer office actions than average, which may indicate efficient prosecution or a more lenient examination style.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by MERCADO, ALEXANDER A is 30 months. This places the examiner in the 42% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +10.3% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by MERCADO, ALEXANDER A. This interview benefit is in the 47% 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, 26.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 34% 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 42.6% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 58% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner shows above-average receptiveness to after-final amendments. If your amendments clearly overcome the rejections and do not raise new issues, consider filing after-final amendments before resorting to an RCE.

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 13% 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 57.1% of appeals filed. This is in the 25% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 25.0% 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, 48.3% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 57% 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 1.0% of allowed cases (in the 68% 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 7.3% of allowed cases (in the 84% percentile). Per MPEP § 714.14, a Quayle action indicates that all claims are allowable but formal matters remain. This examiner frequently uses Quayle actions compared to other examiners, which is a positive indicator that once substantive issues are resolved, allowance follows quickly.

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.