USPTO Examiner HULS NATALIE F - Art Unit 2863

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19076965VENTILATION TEST DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PLASTIC PARTS OF COFFEE MACHINEMarch 2025April 2025Allow100NoNo
18996391DYNAMIC-BALANCE TEST METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RIGID ROTOR, DEVICE, AND MEDIUMJanuary 2025October 2025Allow910NoNo
19007993ROTATIONAL TEST APPARATUS AND METHODSJanuary 2025April 2025Allow301NoNo
18963619SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TESTING DURABILITY OF GAS DIFFUSION LAYER (GDL)November 2024July 2025Allow720NoNo
18859407METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING ONE OR MORE ANOMALIES IN A STRUCTUREOctober 2024January 2026Abandon1510NoNo
18809316DETECTION DEVICE AND DETECTION METHOD FOR NODE DETECTIONAugust 2024October 2024Allow200NoNo
18789239AUTOMATIC BALANCERJuly 2024December 2024Allow410NoNo
18679974NATURAL HYDROGEN GAS SAMPLING SYSTEM AND METHODMay 2024January 2025Allow710NoNo
18656416Positioning Device For Pipeline DetectionMay 2024July 2024Allow300NoNo
18697766MONITORING OF A POWER DEVICEApril 2024August 2025Allow1640YesNo
18443259WALL MOUNTED DIGITAL SCALEFebruary 2024December 2024Allow1020YesNo
18445788CHECK VALVE TESTERFebruary 2024May 2025Allow1510NoNo
18412018DEVICE FOR MEASURING LENGTH AND CENTER OF MASS OF CONICAL WORKPIECEJanuary 2024March 2024Allow200NoNo
18401727METHOD FOR SELECTING PARAMETERS FOR TUNNEL SUPPORT BASED ON ENGINEERING-ORIENTED BEHAVIOR DISCRIMINATION OF SURROUNDING ROCKJanuary 2024February 2025Abandon1420NoNo
18400543METHOD FOR DETERMINING A MAGNITUDE OF A MASS TO BE PLACED ON A WHEEL ASSEMBLY USING ACCELERATION DATADecember 2023April 2025Allow6030NoNo
18290446PRESSURE MEASUREMENT PROBE COMPRISING A PRESSURE SENSOR BOARDNovember 2023November 2025Allow2400NoNo
18496835Electromagnetic Balance with a Temperature Sensor Accommodating RecessOctober 2023December 2025Allow2500NoNo
18482669METHOD FOR DETERMINING A MASS OF A SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE, CENTRAL CONTROL UNIT AND SELF-DRIVING VEHICLEOctober 2023May 2024Allow710YesNo
18474268METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CALIBRATING CHEST OF VEHICLE CRASH DUMMYSeptember 2023February 2024Allow500NoNo
18474260METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IMPACT TEST ON LOWER ABDOMEN OF VEHICLE CRASH TEST DUMMYSeptember 2023January 2024Allow400NoNo
18470891METHOD FOR DETERMINING REFERENCE VALUE OF WINE FOR FEASIBILITY OF FILLING ALUMINUM CAN, METHOD FOR CHECKING FEASIBILITY OF FILLING ALUMINUM CAN WITH WINE, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING ALUMINUM-CANNED WINESeptember 2023April 2024Allow700NoNo
18547754METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BLAST-INDUCED VIBRATION MONITORING OF TUNNELS IN HIGH ASYMMETRIC IN-SITU STRESSESAugust 2023March 2024Allow710NoNo
18278284WEIGHING SYSTEM FOR AN APPARATUS ABLE TO DELIVER A PREDETERMINED MASS, AND CORRESPONDING METHODAugust 2023September 2025Allow2500NoNo
18232161WHEEL LOAD ESTIMATION DEVICE, METHOD, AND PROGRAMAugust 2023November 2025Allow2710YesNo
18231758COUNTING SCALEAugust 2023December 2025Allow2810NoNo
18358611MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROCK MECHANICS TESTERJuly 2023November 2023Allow410NoNo
18273320WEIGHING APPARATUS HAVING AN ABNORMALITY DETECTION MEANSJuly 2023November 2025Allow2810NoNo
18222471Liquid to Liquid Biological Particle Concentrator with Disposable Fluid PathJuly 2023July 2025Allow2421NoNo
18345136DETECTION OF SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION ON A VEHICLEJune 2023October 2025Allow2810NoNo
18342746TEST ASSEMBLY AND TEST TOOLINGJune 2023February 2024Allow820NoNo
18336165Vibration Test-Cell with Axial Load and In-Situ MicroscopyJune 2023May 2025Allow2310NoNo
18210033DUAL-TRUNCATED WHEEL KIBBLE BALANCE AND DETERMINING ABSOLUTE MASSJune 2023October 2025Allow2810NoNo
18208408APPARATUS FOR WEIGHING POULTRY MOVING IN A CONVEYOR LINEJune 2023July 2025Allow2500NoNo
18207799Scale with overload detectionJune 2023December 2025Allow3010NoNo
18321849WEIGHING DEVICE WITH TEMPERATURE SENSING FUNCTION AND TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION METHOD THEREOFMay 2023September 2025Allow2810YesNo
18317198THREE-DIMENSIONAL DYNAMIC AND STATIC LOAD TEST SYSTEM FOR SIMULATING DEEP ROADWAY EXCAVATION AND METHOD THEREOFMay 2023October 2023Allow510NoNo
18195271MULTIPURPOSE LIVE BULLET TESTING RECEIVER AND BULLET TRAPMay 2023April 2024Allow1110NoNo
18141518Assembly and Method for Supplying Product Based on WeightMay 2023June 2025Allow2500NoNo
18141181DIGITAL SCALE OVERLOAD PROTECTIONApril 2023August 2025Allow2801NoNo
18297085EMBOSSED FILM BIOPROCESSING CONTAINERS AND INTEGRITY TESTING OF BIOPROCESSING CONTAINERSApril 2023June 2025Allow2620NoNo
18296410TOOL FOR USE DURING CALIBRATION OF A SENSORApril 2023August 2025Allow2810YesNo
18187663SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE FISH CULL TRACKING AND MANAGEMENT AND SMART DEVICE INTERFACEMarch 2023January 2024Abandon1010NoNo
18027526METHOD FOR CALCULATING BULK MATERIAL FEED RATES OR BULK MATERIAL LOADS OF A VIBRATORY MACHINEMarch 2023October 2025Allow3110YesNo
18184950IMAGING METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR PERFORMING SHEAR WAVE ELASTOGRAPHY IMAGINGMarch 2023February 2026Abandon3501NoNo
18120246ADVANCED CORROSION BIOREACTOR TESTING APPARATUSMarch 2023January 2025Allow2200NoNo
18181096FORCE SENSOR DEVICE FOR DETECTING A MOMENT AROUND A PREDETERMINED AXISMarch 2023August 2025Allow2910NoNo
18178557DEVICE AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING DAMAGE POWER OF INTERNAL EXPLOSIONMarch 2023July 2023Allow510NoNo
18042951Weighing Device, Method for Determining a Center of Gravity of a Motor Vehicle, and Method for Operating a Motor VehicleFebruary 2023October 2025Allow3120NoNo
18110081TEST DEVICE AND METHOD FOR STUDYING INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL LOAD ON SOIL ARCHING EFFECT OF SHIELD TUNNELFebruary 2023May 2023Allow300NoNo
17908778Container or Platform ScalesFebruary 2023July 2025Allow3410YesNo
18099057GRIPPING SYSTEM, GRIPPING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2023December 2025Abandon3510NoNo
18016004METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ECCENTRIC LOAD ERROR CORRECTIONJanuary 2023May 2025Allow2810NoNo
18153707DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SIMULATING A DYNAMIC MUNITION-RELATED ENVIRONMENT FOR A PROJECTILE, AND SIMULATION DEVICE-PROJECTILE ASSEMBLYJanuary 2023February 2025Allow2500NoNo
18153338SHIP WEIGHING SYSTEM AND SHIP WEIGHING METHODJanuary 2023June 2025Allow2910NoNo
18151751System and Method for Determining Railcar AttributesJanuary 2023July 2025Abandon3010NoNo
18068541RETAIL WEIGHING SCALEDecember 2022August 2025Allow3210NoNo
18083599RETAIL WEIGHING SCALEDecember 2022August 2025Allow3210NoNo
18075520DYNAMIC BALANCE TESTING DEVICEDecember 2022May 2025Allow2910NoNo
18057720SMART SCALE SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAMENovember 2022June 2025Abandon3130NoNo
17926241METHOD TO WEIGH CONTAINERSNovember 2022July 2025Allow3210NoNo
18055166COMPOSITE COMPONENTS USED IN VIBRATION SYSTEMSNovember 2022June 2023Allow720YesNo
17986627INDIRECT WEIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS AND PROCESSESNovember 2022April 2025Allow2910NoNo
18047695SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WEIGHING FRAC SANDOctober 2022December 2024Allow2600NoNo
17803673WEIGHBRIDGE CONVEYOR BELT SCALEOctober 2022June 2025Allow4110NoNo
17916410ELECTRONIC SCALE WITH INCREASED BATTERY LIFE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFORSeptember 2022March 2025Allow3010NoNo
17936808SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING AXLE LOADSeptember 2022July 2024Allow2210NoNo
17947236AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT SENSOR PLATFORM FOR FRUITSeptember 2022November 2025Abandon3820NoNo
17900788Dual Platform Weighing Scale TechnologyAugust 2022March 2025Allow3110NoNo
17872839IN-SITU TEST DEVICE FOR SURROUNDING ROCK STRENGTH OF BOLT SUPPORTED ROADWAY AND METHOD THEREOFJuly 2022February 2023Allow710NoNo
17794220WEIGHING DEVICE WITH A WHEATSTONE BRIDGE ASSEMBLY AND METHODJuly 2022July 2025Allow3520YesNo
17791963WIRELESS SCALE SYSTEMJuly 2022April 2025Allow3320YesNo
17834067DEVICE, METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR ESTIMATING WEIGHT AND POSITION OF GRAVITY CENTER OF LOAD BY USING ROBOTJune 2022January 2024Allow2010NoNo
17833722ALTERNATING CURRENT INTERFERENCE CORROSION DETECTORJune 2022January 2023Allow710NoNo
17756794APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LIFTING A CONVEYOR BELTJune 2022August 2025Abandon3910NoNo
17804136EXPERIMENTAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SUPERCRITICAL CO2/H2O MIXED FLUID HUFF AND PUFF FOR SHALE OIL DEVELOPMENTMay 2022January 2024Allow2000NoNo
17744491MULTIPLE OBJECT DETECTIONMay 2022September 2024Allow2810NoNo
17727890SIMULATED PAYLOAD APPARATUS FOR FLIGHT MOTION SYSTEM TESTINGApril 2022June 2023Allow1310NoNo
17767124Weighing device with spectral analysisApril 2022March 2025Allow3520NoNo
17767063EVENT CHARACTERIZATION USING HYBRID DAS/DTS MEASUREMENTSApril 2022February 2026Abandon4621NoNo
17656579SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LEAK DETECTION USING A MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY AND MODEL MONITOR CYLINDERMarch 2022June 2022Allow300NoNo
17690596STRUCTURAL ELECTRONICS WIRELESS SENSOR NODESMarch 2022April 2023Allow1310NoNo
17653501CORROSION DETERMINATION SYSTEM, CORROSION DETERMINATION APPARATUS AND CORROSION DETERMINATION METHODMarch 2022February 2025Allow3620NoNo
17639616LOADING WEIGHT MEASUREMENT METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINEMarch 2022March 2025Allow3610NoNo
17637604VEHICLE WEIGHT ESTIMATION APPARATUS, VEHICLE WEIGHT ESTIMATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUMFebruary 2022February 2025Allow3610YesNo
17673913METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A MASS OF A DROPLET FROM SAMPLE DATA COLLECTED FROM A LIQUID DROPLET DISPENSATION SYSTEMFebruary 2022February 2025Allow3610NoNo
17670664METHOD FOR DETERMINING VIBRATIONAL ANOMALIES OF A VEHICLEFebruary 2022June 2022Allow410NoNo
17591860COMBINATION WEIGHING DEVICE WITH WATER INTRUSION DETECTIONFebruary 2022January 2025Allow3610YesNo
17630547REMAINING MOBILE PHASE SCALEJanuary 2022September 2024Allow3200NoNo
17578995METHOD OF DETERMINING SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOIL USING FALL CONE APPARATUSJanuary 2022July 2022Allow610NoNo
17576542MATERIAL WEIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEMJanuary 2022January 2025Allow3610NoNo
17572977COMBINATION WEIGHING DEVICE WITH MULTIPLE HOPPERS AND MODESJanuary 2022November 2024Allow3410YesNo
17572280ASSAY SYSTEM CALIBRATION SYSTEMS AND METHODSJanuary 2022September 2025Allow4520NoNo
17621701DYNAMIC TEST LOOP FOR DETERMINING MOLTEN SALT CORROSIONDecember 2021October 2024Abandon3310NoNo
17619705SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PHENOTYPING OF ORGANISMSDecember 2021June 2025Allow4230NoNo
17551054PERCEIVING OBJECTS BASED ON SENSING SURFACES AND SENSING SURFACE MOTIONDecember 2021October 2025Allow4620NoNo
17548962PARTICLE EXTRACTION APPARATUS AND PARTICLE EXTRACTION METHODDecember 2021November 2024Allow3520NoNo
17617827Mass-Sensing Instrument with Capacitive Feedback PathDecember 2021September 2024Allow3310YesNo
17617445WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF AN ANIMAL BASED ON 3D IMAGINGDecember 2021June 2025Allow4230YesNo
17542985FLY ROD INCLUDING CAST SENSORSDecember 2021March 2025Abandon3920NoYes
17615291TWO-DIMENSIONAL LC-MS/MS SYSTEMSNovember 2021December 2024Allow3720NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner HULS, NATALIE F.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
2
Allowed After Appeal Filing
0
(0.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(100.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
7.1%
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, 0.0% 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

Filing a Notice of Appeal shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.

Examiner HULS, NATALIE F - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner HULS, NATALIE F works in Art Unit 2863 and has examined 312 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 83.7%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 29 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner HULS, NATALIE F's allowance rate of 83.7% places them in the 58% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by HULS, NATALIE F receive 1.31 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 18% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues significantly fewer office actions than most examiners.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by HULS, NATALIE F is 29 months. This places the examiner in the 65% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +10.6% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by HULS, NATALIE F. This interview benefit is in the 44% 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, 41.1% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 92% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. If you receive a final rejection, filing an RCE with substantive amendments or arguments has a strong likelihood of success.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 60.9% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 86% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner is highly receptive to after-final amendments compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 714.12, after-final amendments may be entered "under justifiable circumstances." Consider filing after-final amendments with a clear showing of allowability rather than immediately filing an RCE, as this examiner frequently enters such amendments.

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 14% 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 100.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 94% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 100.0% 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.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 49.1% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 45% 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 27% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments less often than average. You may need to make most claim amendments yourself.

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 6.9% of allowed cases (in the 85% 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:

  • Consider after-final amendments: This examiner frequently enters after-final amendments. If you can clearly overcome rejections with claim amendments, file an after-final amendment before resorting to an RCE.
  • RCEs are effective: This examiner has a high allowance rate after RCE compared to others. If you receive a final rejection and have substantive amendments or arguments, an RCE is likely to be successful.
  • Appeal filing as negotiation tool: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

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.