USPTO Examiner KAKALEC KIMBERLY N - Art Unit 2872

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17255297SPATIALLY VARYING VOLUME HOLOGRAPHIC GRATINGSDecember 2020March 2024Abandon3901NoNo
17119125OPTICAL SCOPEDecember 2020January 2024Allow3820NoNo
17118789STRUCTURED LIGHT GENERATION DEVICE AND DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT THEREOFDecember 2020April 2023Abandon2810NoNo
17090903OPTICAL SCANNER UNIT AND OPTICAL APPARATUSNovember 2020October 2022Allow2301NoNo
17091152LIGHT EMISSION REDUCING COMPOUNDS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICESNovember 2020February 2024Allow4020NoNo
17090085ELECTROMAGNETIC DRIVEN MICRO MIRROR WITH FLUID OF HIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX AND ITS MANUFACTURING THEREOFNovember 2020February 2023Abandon2710NoNo
17076686Holographic HUDOctober 2020March 2023Allow2820NoNo
17070678PRISM BASED LIGHT REDIRECTION SYSTEM FOR EYE TRACKING SYSTEMSOctober 2020October 2022Allow2411NoNo
17060794Optical-Inertial Stabilization For Electro-Optical SystemsOctober 2020June 2023Allow3210NoNo
17034776Pupil ExpanderSeptember 2020October 2022Allow2510NoNo
17031340Metasurfaces for optical detection of tissue and fibrous material anisotropySeptember 2020September 2022Allow2400NoNo
17041301WAVEGUIDE DISPLAY ELEMENT WITH REFLECTOR SURFACESeptember 2020June 2021Allow810NoNo
17018981WAVEGUIDE IMAGE COMBINERS FOR AUGMENTED REALITY DISPLAYSSeptember 2020June 2023Allow3320YesNo
17016335ACTUATOR AND OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICESeptember 2020January 2023Allow2810NoNo
16985110ASYMMETRIC DEFORMABLE DIFFRACTIVE GRATING MODULATORAugust 2020February 2023Allow3011NoNo
16921555WEARABLE LASER BASED DISPLAY METHOD AND SYSTEMJuly 2020November 2022Allow2910YesNo
16917368WAVEGUIDE IMAGE COMBINERS FOR AUGMENTED REALITY DISPLAYSJune 2020January 2023Allow3120YesNo
16946433METHOD FOR FORMING A REFLECTIVE ELEMENT FOR A VEHICULAR INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLYJune 2020March 2023Allow3310NoNo
16954932DIFFRACTIVE WAVEGUIDE ELEMENT AND DIFFRACTIVE WAVEGUIDE DISPLAYJune 2020September 2023Allow3921NoNo
16902672Angle- and Polarization-Insensitive Narrow-Band Optical Filters Using Resonant CavitiesJune 2020October 2022Allow2810NoNo
16768071DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT AND OPTICAL DEVICE COMPRISING SAME DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTMay 2020December 2022Abandon3010NoNo
16885092OPTICAL MEMBER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING OPTICAL MEMBERMay 2020August 2022Allow2711NoNo
16765583DISPLAY DEVICEMay 2020January 2023Allow3211NoNo
16878321Optical Element and Method of Making an Optical ElementMay 2020July 2022Allow2610NoNo
16764386LIGHT GUIDE FOR AN HMD, HMD AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AN IMAGE IN AN HMDMay 2020July 2022Allow2600NoNo
15930395MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM (MEMS) SCANNER HAVING A TORSIONAL BEAM FLEXURE WITH VARIABLE WIDTHMay 2020March 2023Allow3420YesNo
16872233ANTIREFLECTION STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEMay 2020March 2023Allow3420YesNo
16871069Display using scanning-based sequential pupil expansionMay 2020March 2023Allow3411NoNo
16762618Method To Translate A Non-Collimated Optical BeamMay 2020July 2022Allow2621NoNo
16869764Optical Filter Device, Optical Module, And Electronic ApparatusMay 2020June 2022Allow2510NoNo
16866906Calibration System for a Wavelength Selective SwitchMay 2020June 2023Allow3711NoNo
16855497LIGHT EMISSION REDUCING COMPOUNDS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICESApril 2020October 2020Allow620YesNo
16757721HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICEApril 2020June 2022Allow2601NoNo
16756984DISPLAY DEVICEApril 2020November 2022Abandon3110NoNo
16838897DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT, OPTICAL DEVICE, AND IMAGING APPARATUSApril 2020February 2022Allow2310NoNo
16832611WAVEGUIDE IMAGE COMBINERS FOR AUGMENTED REALITY DISPLAYSMarch 2020February 2023Allow3520YesNo
16821955LENS ARRAY AND IMAGE PROJECTION DEVICEMarch 2020September 2021Allow1800NoNo
16821946LENS ARRAY AND IMAGE PROJECTION DEVICEMarch 2020May 2022Allow2620NoNo
16810313ENGINEERING CHROMATIC RESPONSE USING CASCADED METASURFACESMarch 2020December 2022Allow3311NoNo
16802339PARTIALLY ETCHED PHASE-TRANSFORMING OPTICAL ELEMENTFebruary 2020August 2022Allow3011NoNo
16800947HOLOGRAPHIC RECONSTRUCTION DEVICE AND METHODFebruary 2020August 2021Allow1801NoNo
16641104ELECTRONIC DEVICEFebruary 2020September 2023Allow4321NoNo
16776593PROTECTIVE WAFER INCLUDING INCLINED OPTICAL WINDOWS AND DEVICEJanuary 2020January 2021Allow1210NoNo
16634505ULTRA-THIN THIN-FILM OPTICAL INTERFERENCE FILTERSJanuary 2020October 2023Allow4420NoNo
16749513INORGANIC OXIDE ARTICLES WITH THIN, DURABLE ANTI-REFLECTIVE STRUCTURESJanuary 2020October 2020Allow920YesNo
16748193EXIT PUPIL EXPANDERJanuary 2020October 2022Allow3230NoNo
16744782ENHANCED WASHING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE ACCESSORYJanuary 2020March 2022Abandon2610NoNo
16742296MICRO-ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SYSTEMS MICROMIRRORS AND MICROMIRROR ARRAYSJanuary 2020September 2022Allow3230NoNo
16735425SWITCHABLE PANCHARATNAM-BERRY PHASE GRATING STACKJanuary 2020January 2023Allow3731YesNo
16733998DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL STRUCTURE AND A STRUCTURED LIGHT PROJECTION DEVICE HAVING THE SAMEJanuary 2020February 2022Abandon2510NoNo
16727221OPTICAL DEVICE AND METHOD OF OUTPUTTING LIGHT BY USING THE SAMEDecember 2019October 2021Allow2210NoNo
16723596ELECTRONIC DEVICEDecember 2019March 2022Allow2711NoNo
16621919OPTICAL FILTER SYSTEMDecember 2019May 2022Allow2920NoNo
16705936HEAD-UP DISPLAYDecember 2019March 2022Allow2720NoNo
16620139Metal-Overcoated Grating and MethodDecember 2019January 2022Allow2621NoNo
16698113WAVEGUIDE DISPLAY WITH GRATINGS FOR IMPROVED DIFFRACTION EFFICIENCYNovember 2019February 2021Allow1510NoNo
16615151FILTER CONTROLLING EXPRESSION DERIVATION METHOD, LIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD FOR FABRY-PEROT INTERFERENCE FILTER, AND FILTER CONTROL PROGRAMNovember 2019November 2021Allow2401NoNo
16673214LIGHT DIFFRACTION FILM AND WEARABLE DISPLAY DEVICENovember 2019September 2021Allow2310YesNo
16500517OPTICAL FILM AND OPTICAL SYSTEMOctober 2019March 2022Allow2910NoNo
16584849HIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX FILM AND OPTICAL INTERFERENCE FILMSeptember 2019September 2021Allow2310NoNo
16572402Ceramic Wavelength Converter Having a High Reflectivity ReflectorSeptember 2019January 2021Abandon1610NoNo
16493110DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTSeptember 2019February 2022Allow2910NoNo
16492981DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTSeptember 2019February 2022Allow2920NoNo
16537127Large-Field-of-View Waveguide Supporting Red, Green, and Blue in One PlateAugust 2019May 2020Allow1010YesNo
16531744Head Up Display Systems Including Hologram ReplicatorAugust 2019September 2022Allow3821YesNo
16515124OPTICAL ELEMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR VARYING BEAM PARAMETER PRODUCT IN LASER DELIVERY SYSTEMSJuly 2019November 2021Allow2811NoNo
16447931Array of individually angled mirrors reflecting disparate color sources toward one or more viewing positions to construct images and visual effectsJune 2019June 2023Allow4820NoNo
16443265SUBSTRATE WITH ANTIREFLECTION COATING AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAMEJune 2019February 2021Allow2030NoNo
16425741TEXTURED COVER ASSEMBLIES FOR DISPLAY APPLICATIONSMay 2019February 2022Allow3310NoNo
16425035ENHANCING OPTICAL TRANSMISSION OF MULTILAYER COMPOSITES WITH INTERFACIAL NANOSTRUCTURESMay 2019February 2022Abandon3311NoNo
16461808TUNABLE MEMS ETALON DEVICEMay 2019June 2022Allow3720NoNo
16461769AN OPTICAL BEAM DIRECTORMay 2019April 2022Allow3511NoNo
16392578ADAPTIVE PHASE LOCK LOOP THAT ADJUSTS CENTER FREQUENCY OF VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR THEREINApril 2019April 2022Allow3611YesNo
16392537VARIABLE FOCAL LENGTH OPTICAL ELEMENTApril 2019June 2021Abandon2601NoNo
16389187Side View MirrorApril 2019July 2021Allow2710NoNo
16343751REFRACTIVE OPTICAL SCREEN AND FLOATING HOLOGRAM SYSTEM USING SAMEApril 2019February 2022Allow3411NoNo
16386759LOW-COLOR SCRATCH-RESISTANT ARTICLES WITH A MULTILAYER OPTICAL FILMApril 2019October 2021Allow3040YesNo
16385471HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY APPARATUSApril 2019August 2021Allow2810NoNo
16383937MANUFACTURING METHOD OF POLYGONAL MIRROR, POLYGONAL MIRROR, DEFLECTOR, OPTICAL SCANNING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUSApril 2019February 2022Allow3420NoNo
16383948POLYGONAL MIRROR, DEFLECTOR, OPTICAL SCANNING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF THE POLYGONAL MIRRORApril 2019January 2022Abandon3310NoNo
16382876WIRE BONDED COMMON ELECTRICAL CONNECTION IN A PIEZOELECTRIC MICRO-ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SYSTEM SCANNING MIRROR ASSEMBLYApril 2019September 2022Allow4121YesNo
16341639Optical Filters Complementary Angular Blocking RegionsApril 2019March 2022Allow3511NoNo
16381195BACKLIGHT UNIT AND HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAMEApril 2019March 2022Allow3511NoNo
16377493DIFFERENTIAL HOLOGRAPHYApril 2019August 2021Allow2910NoNo
16339297SPATIALLY VARYING SKEW MIRRORSApril 2019May 2023Allow5020NoNo
16369890DISPLAY SYSTEM WITH OPTICAL ELEMENTS FOR IN-COUPLING MULTIPLEXED LIGHT STREAMSMarch 2019July 2020Allow1510NoNo
16333539DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT AND METHOD OF FORMING THEREOFMarch 2019August 2021Allow2910NoNo
16299781Adjustable Mirror Assembly with Leaf Spring ElementMarch 2019January 2021Allow2210NoNo
16298992Electronic Device With Infrared Transparent One-Way MirrorMarch 2019February 2022Allow3511YesNo
16297495OPTICAL PROJECTOR WITH OFF-AXIS DIFFRACTIVE ELEMENT AND CONJUGATE IMAGESMarch 2019September 2019Allow610YesNo
16295398ACTUATOR AND OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICEMarch 2019July 2021Allow2830NoNo
16294964PROJECTION DEVICE, MOBILE OBJECT, AND METHOD OF SETTING PROJECTION DEVICEMarch 2019February 2021Allow2410YesNo
16294399MEMS VIA WITH ENHANCED ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL INTEGRITYMarch 2019August 2022Allow4131NoNo
16294628CONTROL LOOP FOR STABILIZING A RESONANT FREQUENCY OF A MIRROR OF A LASER BEAM SCANNING DISPLAYMarch 2019June 2021Allow2711YesNo
16292888OPTICAL MODULEMarch 2019May 2021Allow2720YesNo
16330525METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING A VISIBLE IMAGE ON A PROJECTION SURFACEMarch 2019April 2021Allow2500NoNo
16292964ACTUATOR AND LIGHT SCANNING APPARATUSMarch 2019August 2021Abandon3020NoNo
16330027ARTICLE WITH ANGLED REFLECTIVE SEGMENTSMarch 2019July 2021Allow2911NoNo
16290782SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING ROTATION OF MULTIPLE MIRRORSMarch 2019January 2023Allow4701NoNo
16243443OPTICAL FILTER DEVICE, OPTICAL MODULE, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUSJanuary 2019February 2020Allow1310NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
9
Examiner Affirmed
5
(55.6%)
Examiner Reversed
4
(44.4%)
Reversal Percentile
67.1%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 44.4% 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
19
Allowed After Appeal Filing
9
(47.4%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
10
(52.6%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
76.0%
Higher 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, 47.4% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that filing appeals is particularly effective here. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

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 is strategically valuable. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

Examiner KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N works in Art Unit 2872 and has examined 536 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 75.9%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 32 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N's allowance rate of 75.9% places them in the 44% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N receive 1.77 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 36% 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 KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N is 32 months. This places the examiner in the 52% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +19.6% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by KAKALEC, KIMBERLY N. This interview benefit is in the 61% 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, 27.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 50% 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.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 52.4% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 79% 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, 133.3% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 87% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. Before filing a full appeal brief, strongly consider requesting a PAC. The PAC provides an opportunity for the examiner and supervisory personnel to reconsider the rejection before the case proceeds to the PTAB.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 62.5% of appeals filed. This is in the 41% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 33.3% 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, 37.2% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 24% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are rarely granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Ensure you have a strong procedural basis before filing a petition, as the Technology Center Director typically upholds this examiner's decisions.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.4% of allowed cases (in the 56% 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 5.4% of allowed cases (in the 83% 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.
  • Request pre-appeal conferences: PACs are highly effective with this examiner. Before filing a full appeal brief, request a PAC to potentially resolve issues without full PTAB review.

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.