Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.
| Application Number | Title | Filing Date | Disposal Date | Disposition | Time (months) | Office Actions | Restrictions | Interview | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18705936 | IMPLANTABLE BIOSENSOR CONTAINING A MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLE ASSAY FOR IN VIVO ANALYTE DETECTION | April 2024 | December 2025 | Allow | 20 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18645695 | FIRST HALF ECHO INCLUSION IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE DATA | April 2024 | December 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18630215 | SYSTEM TO TEST POWER SUPPLIES WITH REDUCED THERMAL DISSIPATION | April 2024 | February 2026 | Allow | 23 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18629331 | GATE STRESS TEST ARCHITECTURE | April 2024 | January 2026 | Allow | 21 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18617121 | Automated Multi-Band Tuning Probe System | March 2024 | November 2025 | Allow | 20 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18693852 | ROTATING BODY INSPECTION DEVICE FOR ELECTRIFICATION COMPONENT | March 2024 | January 2026 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18609722 | TESTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TESTING A HIGH OR MEDIUM-VOLTAGE CABLE | March 2024 | March 2026 | Allow | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18585277 | SYSTEM FOR DETECTING DEBRIS IN A FLUID | February 2024 | September 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18684829 | VERTICAL PROBE CARD | February 2024 | January 2026 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18443246 | TEST SOCKET | February 2024 | March 2026 | Allow | 25 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 18440322 | MAGNETORESISTANCE ELEMENT INCLUDING A MULTI-LAYERED FREE LAYER STACK TO TUNE HYSTERESIS AND OUTPUT AMPLITUDE | February 2024 | October 2025 | Allow | 20 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18433754 | ADAPTIVE CHIP TESTING APPARATUS AND FORMATION METHOD THEREOF | February 2024 | August 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18432205 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CONTACT PROBE AND CONTACT PROBE | February 2024 | November 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18292401 | INSULATION MONITOR AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SAME | January 2024 | August 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18414734 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTROLYTE QUALITY INSPECTION AND MONITORING | January 2024 | November 2025 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18412994 | ESTIMATING A BATTERY STATE OF CHARGE UNDER NON-UNIFORM TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS | January 2024 | February 2026 | Abandon | 25 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18578401 | CONNECTION JIG FOR TESTING SMALL CONNECTOR | January 2024 | November 2025 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18397859 | Fracture Determination Ahead Of The Tool | December 2023 | February 2026 | Allow | 26 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18394821 | CONTROLLED SWITCHING OF STRESS VOLTAGES IN LATERAL DMOS STRUCTURES | December 2023 | March 2026 | Allow | 27 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18394378 | PROBE CARD AND THERMAL CONDUCTION DEVICE THEREOF | December 2023 | October 2025 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18394642 | INDUCTIVE LINEAR STROKE SENSOR USING DUAL TRACKS WITH DIFFERENT PERIODICITY | December 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 21 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18389713 | PLASMA DIAGNOSTIC CIRCUIT INCLUDING VARIABLE AMPLIFICATION UNIT AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME | December 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18570897 | NEGATIVE VOLTAGE MONITORING CIRCUIT AND LIGHT RECEIVING DEVICE | December 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18538012 | METHOD FOR PREDICTING FAILURE OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE | December 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18537231 | Housing part for a sensor | December 2023 | February 2026 | Allow | 26 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 18535157 | HALL PLATE CURRENT SENSOR HAVING STRESS COMPENSATION | December 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18488450 | PROBE AND PROBE DEVICE | December 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18534148 | ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD | December 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 20 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18531999 | POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING A DEVICE UNDER TEST | December 2023 | January 2026 | Allow | 25 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 18559470 | DEVICE FOR ANALYZING RADIOFREQUENCY SIGNAL SPECTRA | November 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18503989 | LOW FRICTION HORIZONTAL PROBING FIXTURE | November 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18384951 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR APPLYING AND MEASURING A TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGE IN AN ELECTRICAL CABLE | October 2023 | June 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18557837 | ANTENNA SHIELD FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC LOGGING TOOL | October 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18484486 | METHOD FOR TESTING AND EVALUATING SHORT-CIRCUIT WITHSTAND CAPABILITY OF PRESS-PACK POWER COMPONENT | October 2023 | August 2025 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18484005 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING HELIUM BATH COOLING SYSTEM FOR A SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET OF A MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SYSTEM INTO A SEALED CRYOGENIC SYSTEM | October 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18378474 | CALIBRATION SYSTEM AND CALIBRATION METHOD FOR A VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZER | October 2023 | October 2025 | Allow | 25 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18554724 | METHODS OF ANALYZING ONE OR MORE AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS, AND SYSTEMS THEREOF | October 2023 | November 2025 | Allow | 25 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18378594 | HIGH TEMPERATURE TEST DEVICE OF SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY MODULE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MODULE TEMPERATURE THEREOF | October 2023 | May 2025 | Allow | 19 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18554758 | ULTRA-FAST ARTERIAL SPIN LABELING WITH NARROW-BAND VELOCITY-SELECTIVE (NB-VS) LABELING | October 2023 | December 2025 | Allow | 26 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18377534 | CERAMIC TOROIDAL CABLE TRAP | October 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18482032 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING SLIDING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PERFORMANCE OF ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE PANTOGRAPH-CATENARY SYSTEM | October 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18481356 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING EDDY CURRENTS WITH LONG TIME CONSTANTS USING A PSEUDO-CONTINUOUS ACQUISITION | October 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18481646 | METHOD TO MEASURE HIGH VOLTAGES ACCURATELY | October 2023 | June 2025 | Allow | 20 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18481691 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TESTING AN INTEGRITY OF A FACE SEAL IN AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | October 2023 | November 2025 | Allow | 25 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18481481 | CIRCUITRY FOR MEASUREMENT OF ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS | October 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 21 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 18481756 | ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ANALYSIS METHOD, ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ANALYSIS APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM | October 2023 | October 2025 | Allow | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18377001 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING AN ENCODER MAGNET ROTATION ANGLE | October 2023 | September 2025 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18371669 | STORAGE SYSTEM | September 2023 | July 2025 | Allow | 22 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 13038140 | CANTILEVER PROBE STRUCTURE FOR A PROBE CARD ASSEMBLY | March 2011 | April 2011 | Allow | 1 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 13033262 | TEST HANDLER | February 2011 | July 2011 | Allow | 5 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 12878554 | PROBE CARD CASSETTE AND PROBE CARD | September 2010 | July 2011 | Allow | 10 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 12835461 | HALL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT WITH ADJUSTABLE HYSTERESIS | July 2010 | April 2012 | Allow | 21 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12762533 | ELECTRICAL PROBE HAVING A CONDUCTIVE WHISKER | April 2010 | February 2011 | Allow | 10 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12755380 | MULTIMETER | April 2010 | October 2010 | Allow | 6 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12710682 | Apparatus and Method Pertaining to Facilitating a Measurement with Respect to Field Effect Transistor | February 2010 | October 2011 | Abandon | 20 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 12708976 | PROBE CARD INCLUDING A SUB-PLATE WITH A MAIN SUPPORTER AND A SUB-SUPPORTER WITH THE SUB-SUPPORTER HAVING PROBE NEEDLES | February 2010 | March 2011 | Allow | 13 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 12704322 | Determining Beacon Location Using Magnetic Field Ratios | February 2010 | August 2012 | Abandon | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12703949 | ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) STRESS TEST CIRCUIT, METHOD FOR EVALUATING AC STRESS INDUCED HOT CARRIER INJECTION (HCI) DEGRADATION, AND TEST STRUCTURE FOR HCI DEGRADATION EVALUATION | February 2010 | July 2012 | Allow | 30 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12701445 | METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR TRACKING MAXIMUM POWER OF A PHOTO-VOLTAIC ARRAY | February 2010 | January 2012 | Allow | 24 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12698723 | VIBRATING WIRE ICE INDICATOR | February 2010 | November 2011 | Allow | 22 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12696656 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SENSING LEAKAGE CURRENT OF BATTERY, AND BATTERY-DRIVEN APPARATUS AND BATTERY PACK COMPRISING THE APPARATUS | January 2010 | March 2012 | Allow | 25 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12695714 | INSPECTION SOCKET | January 2010 | April 2012 | Abandon | 27 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12684581 | UNIVERSAL TEST SOCKET AND SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE TESTING APPARATUS USING THE SAME | January 2010 | November 2011 | Allow | 22 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 12652325 | HEAT-RESISTANT LENS KIT | January 2010 | February 2011 | Abandon | 13 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12598983 | NOVEL CLAMP METER WITH ROTARY MECHANISM FOR CLAMP JAWS | November 2009 | February 2011 | Allow | 15 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12598736 | TEST APPARATUS | November 2009 | September 2011 | Allow | 23 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12610683 | ON-CHIP ACCELERATED FAILURE INDICATOR | November 2009 | May 2012 | Allow | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12527794 | ANGLE DETECTOR | October 2009 | June 2012 | Abandon | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12582980 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE TEST APPARATUS INCLUDING INTERFACE UNIT AND METHOD OF TESTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE USING THE SAME | October 2009 | March 2011 | Allow | 17 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12516747 | CAPACITIVE ANGLE ENCODER AND WITHDRAWABLE FEEDER FOR CIRCUIT BOARD COMPONENT INSERTION MACHINES | October 2009 | December 2011 | Allow | 31 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12571916 | CIRCUIT BOARD TESTING DEVICE WITH SELF ALIGNING PLATES | October 2009 | June 2011 | Allow | 20 | 2 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 12571169 | SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE LAYER PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD MISREGISTRATION TESTING | September 2009 | March 2011 | Allow | 18 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12569474 | HERMETICITY TESTING | September 2009 | November 2010 | Allow | 14 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12566798 | CAPACITANCE-TYPE ENCODER | September 2009 | April 2012 | Abandon | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12564058 | VOLTAGE MEASURING CIRCUIT | September 2009 | November 2011 | Allow | 26 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12563173 | CONDUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT DEVICE | September 2009 | June 2012 | Allow | 33 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 12558582 | POWER CONVERSION EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD | September 2009 | January 2011 | Allow | 16 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12557483 | TEST APPARATUS AND TEST METHOD | September 2009 | November 2010 | Allow | 14 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12553375 | VOLTAGE SENSING DEVICE | September 2009 | April 2012 | Allow | 31 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12546479 | COAXIAL-CABLE PROBE STRUCTURE | August 2009 | April 2012 | Abandon | 31 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12540190 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUGMENTED IMPEDANCE SENSING | August 2009 | January 2011 | Allow | 17 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12534283 | TESTING DEVICE AND TESTING FIXTURES USED THEREIN | August 2009 | April 2011 | Abandon | 20 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12533417 | EDDY CURRENT PROBE ASSEMBLY ADJUSTABLE FOR INSPECTING TEST OBJECTS OF DIFFERENT SIZES | July 2009 | June 2012 | Allow | 34 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12459691 | MAGNETIC FIELD SENSOR AND ELECTRICAL CURRENT SENSOR THEREWITH | July 2009 | March 2011 | Allow | 20 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 12485383 | WIDEBAND HIGH IMPEDANCE BRIDGING MODULE | June 2009 | April 2012 | Allow | 34 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12456028 | INVERTED MAGNETIC ISOLATOR | June 2009 | March 2011 | Allow | 21 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 12477082 | TRANSIENT EMISSION SCANNING MICROSCOPY | June 2009 | January 2011 | Allow | 19 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12475675 | TESTING MODULE FOR TESTING KEY BUTTONS OF PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE | June 2009 | May 2011 | Allow | 23 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12312279 | SIGNAL GENERATING CIRCUIT FOR DETECTING GROUND STATUS | April 2009 | November 2011 | Allow | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12416375 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TERMINATING A TEST SIGNAL APPLIED TO MULTIPLE SEMICONDUCTOR LOADS UNDER TEST | April 2009 | September 2011 | Allow | 29 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 12414681 | TEST APPARATUS AND DRIVER CIRCUIT | March 2009 | June 2011 | Allow | 26 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12443176 | A SEMICONDUCTOR TEST DEVICE CAPABLE OF MODIFYING AN AMPLITUDE OF AN OUTPUT SIGNAL OF A DRIVER | March 2009 | March 2011 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12381782 | SELF CALIBRATING CURRENT SENSOR | March 2009 | October 2011 | Allow | 31 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 12404277 | Wafer Prober Integrated With Full-Wafer Contacter | March 2009 | February 2011 | Abandon | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12402380 | PIN ELECTRONICS LIQUID COOLED MULTI-MODULE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE, LOW COST AUTOMATED TEST EQUIPMENT | March 2009 | July 2012 | Allow | 40 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 11919938 | METHOD FOR TRACKING OF CONTRAST ENHACEMENT PATTERN FOR PHARMACOKINETIC AND PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS IN FAST-ENHANCING TISSUES USING HIGH -RESOLUTION MRI | February 2009 | April 2012 | Allow | 53 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12371241 | ROBUST AC CHASSIS FAULT DETECTION USING PWM SIDEBAND HARMONICS | February 2009 | June 2012 | Allow | 40 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 12369342 | NUCLEIC ACID ANALYZING APPARATUS | February 2009 | August 2011 | Allow | 30 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 12356481 | RF CHIP TEST METHOD | January 2009 | August 2011 | Allow | 31 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 12345980 | PROBER FOR TESTING DEVICES IN A REPEAT STRUCTURE ON A SUBSTRATE | December 2008 | December 2010 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner VELEZ, ROBERTO.
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, 33.3% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is above the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal can be an effective strategy for prompting reconsideration.
✓ Filing a Notice of Appeal is strategically valuable. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.
Examiner VELEZ, ROBERTO works in Art Unit 2858 and has examined 129 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 78.3%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 33 months.
Examiner VELEZ, ROBERTO's allowance rate of 78.3% places them in the 46% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.
On average, applications examined by VELEZ, ROBERTO receive 1.64 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 33% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues fewer office actions than average, which may indicate efficient prosecution or a more lenient examination style.
The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by VELEZ, ROBERTO is 33 months. This places the examiner in the 48% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.
Conducting an examiner interview provides a +13.9% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by VELEZ, ROBERTO. This interview benefit is in the 52% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews provide an above-average benefit with this examiner and are worth considering.
When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 28.6% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 52% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. Consider whether your amendments or new arguments are strong enough to warrant an RCE versus filing a continuation.
This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 47.5% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 72% 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.
When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 100.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 74% 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.
This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 100.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 94% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 66.7% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1207.01, all appeals must go through a mandatory appeal conference. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration even before you file an Appeal Brief.
When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 42.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 35% 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's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 14.0% of allowed cases (in the 96% 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 7.9% of allowed cases (in the 86% 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.
Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:
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.