USPTO Examiner PHILLIPS RUFUS L - Art Unit 2877

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19263942AIRBORNE-PARTICLE DETECTOR AND DETECTION METHODJuly 2025January 2026Allow610NoNo
18988759MULTICHANNEL OPTICAL SWITCH FOR IN-LINE SPECTROSCOPIC COMPOUND ANALYSISDecember 2024October 2025Allow1011YesNo
18832667REUSABLE SERS MOLECULE DETECTION APPARATUS AND USE METHOD THEREOFJuly 2024March 2025Allow810NoNo
18642630SPECTROSCOPIC DETECTION USING A TUNABLE FREQUENCY COMBApril 2024December 2025Abandon2010NoNo
18591411SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYTE DETECTIONFebruary 2024October 2025Allow2010YesNo
18442090OPTICAL TRANSMISSION SAMPLE HOLDER AND ANALYSIS AT MULTIPLE WAVELENGTHSFebruary 2024December 2025Abandon2310NoNo
18421052GAS DETECTION APPARATUSJanuary 2024June 2025Allow1700YesNo
18325746OPTICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO COMPACT SMOKE DETECTORS, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUSMay 2023April 2025Allow2220YesNo
18198175METHOD AND APPARATUS TO ENHANCE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURINGMay 2023November 2025Allow3001YesNo
18316086RESONANT OPTICAL GYROSCOPE WITH A BROADBAND LIGHT SOURCE AND RIN REDUCTION TECHNIQUESMay 2023October 2025Allow2901NoNo
18069355IMAGING SYSTEM AND IMAGING DEVICEDecember 2022March 2026Abandon3810NoNo
18010497RAMAN SCATTERING SPECTROMETRIC APPARATUS AND RAMAN SCATTERING SPECTROSCOPIC METHODDecember 2022July 2025Allow3120YesNo
17989912Optical Sensors for Monitoring Biopharmaceutical Solutions in Single-Use ContainersNovember 2022January 2024Abandon1411NoNo
17925508METHOD FOR DETERMINING A PROPERTY OF A PARTICLE IN A MEDIUMNovember 2022February 2025Allow2720YesNo
17912453FLOW CELL ASSEMBLY AND SPECTROSCOPY DEVICE ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN A BIOPROCESSSeptember 2022February 2026Allow4111NoNo
17943902METHOD FOR ILLUMINATION AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING SPECTRAL DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT FOR ILLUMINATIONSeptember 2022June 2025Allow3301YesNo
17930084GAS SENSING APPARATUSSeptember 2022January 2023Allow400NoNo
17904919COMPOSITE OPTICAL FIBRE BASED PLASMA GENERATION DEVICEAugust 2022November 2025Abandon3910NoNo
17819412COMBINATION BLOOD LANCET AND ANALYZERAugust 2022March 2024Abandon1910NoNo
17886040SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FLOW CYTOMETRY WITH TAILORED DISCRIMINATIONAugust 2022August 2025Allow3611YesNo
17798574DEFECT INSPECTION APPARATUS AND DEFECT INSPECTION METHODAugust 2022September 2024Allow2501NoNo
17869771METHOD OF DIGITAL MEASURING COLOR OF FABRICS BASED ON DIGITAL CAMERAJuly 2022January 2023Allow600NoNo
17867278CLAMPS FOR OPERABLY COUPLING AN OPTICAL COMPONENT TO A MOUNTING BLOCK, AND METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR USING THE SAMEJuly 2022August 2025Allow3730NoNo
17792572PHOTOREACTION EVALUATION DEVICE AND PHOTON COUNT CALCULATION METHODJuly 2022June 2025Abandon3520NoNo
17791604GLASSES, RECOMMENDED COSMETICS PRESENTATION CONTROL SYSTEM, AND RECOMMENDED COSMETICS PRESENTATION CONTROL METHODJuly 2022September 2025Allow3920YesNo
17829289Single-Material Waveplates for Pupil Polarization FilteringMay 2022June 2025Allow3621YesNo
17663755HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTRAL IMAGE FAST ACQUISITION APPARATUS AND METHODMay 2022March 2024Allow2200YesNo
17739597Fiber-optic Point Probe and Distance Measurement System having a Fiber-optic Point ProbeMay 2022July 2025Abandon3821NoNo
17772488POSITION ADJUSTING METHOD, MICROPARTICLE ANALYSIS DEVICE, AND PROGRAMApril 2022October 2025Allow4231NoNo
17714584CLAMPS FOR APPLYING AN IMMOBILIZING FORCE TO A PHOTODETECTOR, AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAMEApril 2022May 2025Allow3730NoNo
17710682Optical Sensor Module Including an Interferometric Sensor and Extended Depth of Focus OpticsMarch 2022September 2024Allow2921NoNo
17708313SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING LIGHT BY BIREFRINGENT FOURIER TRANSFORM INTERFEROMETRY AND METHODS FOR USING SAMEMarch 2022July 2025Allow4030YesNo
17694326OPTICAL TRAP USING A FOCUSED HOLLOW BEAM OF UNEQUAL AXISYMMETRY AND NO ANGULAR MOMENTUM FOR TRAPPING AND ROTATING AIRBORNE PARTICLESMarch 2022January 2025Allow3421YesNo
17650400INSPECTION DEVICE AND INSPECTION METHOD FOR PILLAR-SHAPED HONEYCOMB FILTERFebruary 2022June 2024Allow2801YesNo
17582056Dual-Emitter Optic Block and Chamber for Smoke DetectorJanuary 2022March 2025Abandon3721NoNo
17573336OFFLINE AND INLINE DETERMINATION OF CONCENTRATION OF METABOLITES IN CELL CULTURE FLUIDJanuary 2022June 2024Abandon2901NoNo
17570228DETECTION SCHEME FOR PARTICLE SIZE AND CONCENTRATION MEASUREMENTJanuary 2022February 2025Allow3821YesNo
17621216IMPROVED OPTICAL TRANSMISSION SAMPLE HOLDER AND ANALYSIS AT MULTIPLE WAVELENGTHSDecember 2021November 2023Allow2301YesNo
17553841NANOPARTICLE RECOGNITION DEVICE AND METHOD BASED ON DETECTION OF SCATTERED LIGHT WITH ELECTRIC DIPOLE ROTATIONDecember 2021July 2023Allow1910YesNo
17617689PARTICULATE MATTER SENSORDecember 2021June 2024Abandon3001NoNo
17545646METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING DROP DELAY USING SCATTER SIGNALS ACROSS SPATIALLY SEPARATED LASERSDecember 2021February 2026Allow5050YesNo
17544300LIGHT EXCITATION AND COLLECTION DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR LIGHT EXCITATION AND COLLECTIONDecember 2021April 2024Allow2821YesNo
17614068ADSORBABLE POLYMERIC SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY SUBSTRATES AND THE FABRICATION PROCESSNovember 2021March 2024Abandon2801NoNo
17530075OPTICAL CHAMBER FOR SMOKE DETECTION WITH REFLECTIVE SURFACESNovember 2021September 2024Allow3421YesNo
17609751OPTICAL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTICAL SIGNAL DETECTIONNovember 2021August 2025Allow4621YesNo
17608257OPTICAL SENSOR CONTAINING A WAVEGUIDE WITH HOLOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS FOR MEASURING A PULSE AND BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATIONNovember 2021September 2024Allow3520YesNo
17607611Sensor Elements having Metallic Nanostructures and Uses ThereofOctober 2021May 2025Allow4331YesNo
17452617GAS DETECTION APPARATUSOctober 2021November 2023Allow2400YesNo
17512105METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR CHARACTERIZING AND ENCODING A LIGHT DETECTION SYSTEMOctober 2021November 2025Allow4961YesNo
17594236MEASURING ASSEMBLY AND METHODOctober 2021April 2025Allow4221YesNo
17487453METHOD FOR INSPECTING SHAPED PRODUCT, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SHAPED PRODUCTSeptember 2021January 2026Allow5260YesNo
17485112Sensor Device and Particulate Matter SensorSeptember 2021September 2024Allow3621NoNo
17461531METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REAL-TIME TOOL DEFECT DETECTIONAugust 2021April 2024Allow3221YesNo
17433740MICROPARTICLE MEASUREMENT DEVICE, MICROPARTICLE SORTING DEVICE, MICROPARTICLE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM, AND MICROPARTICLE SORTING SYSTEMAugust 2021May 2024Allow3221YesNo
17405985High Resolution Particle Sizing at Smaller Dimensions with Highly Focused Beams and other Non-Uniform Illumination FieldsAugust 2021March 2023Allow1910NoNo
17401370PARTICLE STANDARDS FOR REFLECTED LIGHT SCATTER MEASUREMENTS FROM DEGENERATE PARTICLE FOCIAugust 2021February 2024Allow3020YesNo
17396432SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTICALLY READING A SENSOR ARRAYAugust 2021May 2024Abandon3431YesNo
17386896METHOD FOR TRAPPING MOLECULE WITH OPTICAL FIBER TWEEZERS BASED ON PHASE TRANSITION AND CRYSTALLIZATION AND METHOD FOR DETECTING RAMAN SPECTRUM OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTJuly 2021May 2022Allow910YesNo
17381083LASER SENSOR FOR TRACE GAS DETECTIONJuly 2021September 2023Abandon2610NoNo
17420352A SYSTEM AND A METHOD OF PERFORMING SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLEJuly 2021March 2024Abandon3220NoNo
17416268OPTICAL PARTICLE DETECTORJune 2021December 2024Abandon4131NoNo
17415608LASER DEVICE FOR POLARISATION INTERFEROMETRYJune 2021January 2024Abandon3101NoNo
17414801METHOD FOR CHARACTERISING A PARTICLE ON THE BASIS OF A HOLOGRAMJune 2021June 2024Allow3621YesNo
17312053METHOD FOR DETECTING PARTICLES OR AEROSOL IN A FLOWING FLUID, COMPUTER PROGRAM, AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MEMORY MEDIUMJune 2021August 2024Abandon3830NoNo
17341998PARTICLE DETECTION VIA SCATTERED LIGHT COMBINED WITH INCIDENT LIGHTJune 2021December 2024Allow4231YesNo
17298481PARTICLE IMAGINGMay 2021May 2024Abandon3621NoNo
17294905MULTIMODAL DUST SENSORMay 2021July 2023Allow2611YesNo
17294054AN ANALYSIS CHIPMay 2021October 2023Abandon2901NoNo
17292174OPTICAL SYSTEM AND FLOW CYTOMETERMay 2021June 2024Allow3721YesNo
17308059SAMPLE CLASSIFICATION DEVICE, SAMPLE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM, AND SAMPLE CLASSIFICATION METHODMay 2021September 2023Allow2811YesNo
17287697METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTION AND/OR MEASUREMENT OF IMPURITIES IN DROPLETSApril 2021June 2023Allow2610YesNo
17232641MATERIALS AND METHODS USED WITH PLASMON RESONANCE DETECTION TECHNIQUESApril 2021September 2024Abandon4121YesNo
17225347METHODS FOR DETERMINING DETECTOR GAIN IN A FLOW CYTOMETERApril 2021July 2023Allow2810YesNo
17215185PARTICLE INSPECTION DEVICE BASED ON SPATIAL MODULATION METHOD AND PARTICLE INSPECTION METHOD USING THE PARTICLE INSPECTION DEVICEMarch 2021January 2023Abandon2220YesNo
17207046SYSTEMS FOR LIGHT DETECTION ARRAY MULTIPLEXING AND METHODS FOR SAMEMarch 2021September 2025Allow5471YesNo
17276529MICROPARTICLE MEASURING APPARATUS AND MICROPARTICLE MEASURING METHODMarch 2021September 2023Allow3040YesNo
17273264METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PARTICLESMarch 2021December 2024Allow4541YesNo
17185373Analyzer and Analysis MethodFebruary 2021August 2022Abandon1701NoNo
17178812METHODS FOR MODULATION AND SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION IN A FLOW CYTOMETER AND SYSTEMS FOR SAMEFebruary 2021August 2023Allow3040YesNo
17268158FLOW CELL DEVICEFebruary 2021February 2024Allow3630YesNo
17166758LIGHT SCATTERING DETECTION APPARATUSFebruary 2021December 2022Allow2220NoNo
17159264OPTICAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTION TARGET SUBSTANCE ANALYSISJanuary 2021April 2023Allow2710YesNo
17263175ANALYTE ANALYSIS METHODJanuary 2021September 2023Abandon3211NoNo
17262363Flow Cell System for Optical Fluid Analysis and Bioreactor SystemJanuary 2021August 2024Allow4321YesNo
17144586SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OFF-AXIS ILLUMINATION IN FLOW CYTOMETRYJanuary 2021November 2021Allow1040YesNo
17126060LASER SENSOR MODULE WITH INDICATION OF READINESS FOR USEDecember 2020May 2022Allow1710YesNo
17252891SINGLE PARTICLE AUTOMATED RAMAN TRAPPING ANALYSISDecember 2020August 2025Allow5651YesNo
16973432PARTICLE DETECTION DEVICEDecember 2020March 2023Allow2710YesNo
17114973Oil Sight GlassDecember 2020May 2023Allow2910YesNo
16953987ADVANCED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERFEROMETRIC PARTICLE DETECTION AND DETECTION OF PARTICLES HAVING SMALL SIZE DIMENSIONSNovember 2020September 2023Allow3431YesNo
17095899WELDING TIP INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHODNovember 2020January 2023Abandon2611YesNo
17054200SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING PATCH AND ATTACHABLE SENSOR USING THE SAMENovember 2020July 2024Allow4541YesNo
17081568MEASUREMENT SYSTEM CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING AOI, AOI SPREAD AND AZIMUTH OF INCIDENT LIGHTOctober 2020December 2022Allow2511YesNo
17081047RAMAN SPECTROSCOPYOctober 2020January 2023Abandon6030YesNo
17078932METHODS FOR DETERMINING PARTICLE SIZE AND LIGHT DETECTION SYSTEMS FOR SAMEOctober 2020June 2023Abandon3230YesNo
17074793Chemically and Biologically Reactive Microplate Assembly and Manufacture Thereof for Raman Spectroscopy and Other ApplicationsOctober 2020August 2023Abandon3410YesNo
17015823PARTICLE DETECTING MODULESeptember 2020December 2022Allow2711YesNo
17006050DEVICE COMPRISING AN OPTOFLUIDIC SENSOR WITH INTEGRATED PHOTODIODEAugust 2020December 2022Abandon2820NoNo
16987677MONITOR FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PARTICULATE MATTER SIZE, CONCENTRATION, AND COMPLEX INDEX OF REFRACTIONAugust 2020April 2023Allow3321YesNo
16963679AN APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT RAMAN SPECTROSCOPYJuly 2020June 2023Allow3531YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner PHILLIPS, RUFUS L.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
5
Examiner Affirmed
4
(80.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(20.0%)
Reversal Percentile
32.6%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 20.0% 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
16
Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(25.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
12
(75.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
35.6%
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, 25.0% 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 PHILLIPS, RUFUS L - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner PHILLIPS, RUFUS L works in Art Unit 2877 and has examined 351 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 63.0%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 34 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner PHILLIPS, RUFUS L's allowance rate of 63.0% places them in the 23% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by PHILLIPS, RUFUS L receive 2.36 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 67% 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 PHILLIPS, RUFUS L is 34 months. This places the examiner in the 44% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +27.9% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by PHILLIPS, RUFUS L. This interview benefit is in the 75% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner and should be strongly considered as a prosecution strategy. Per MPEP § 713.10, interviews are available at any time before the Notice of Allowance is mailed or jurisdiction transfers to the PTAB.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 22.2% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 27% 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 30.6% 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, 57.1% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 49% percentile among all examiners. Note: Pre-appeal conferences show below-average success with this examiner. Consider whether your arguments are strong enough to warrant a PAC request.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 54.5% of appeals filed. This is in the 26% 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, 42.1% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 34% 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 0.9% of allowed cases (in the 65% 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 2.7% of allowed cases (in the 72% 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:

  • Prepare for rigorous examination: With a below-average allowance rate, ensure your application has strong written description and enablement support. Consider filing a continuation if you need to add new matter.
  • Prioritize examiner interviews: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner. Request an interview after the first office action to clarify issues and potentially expedite allowance.

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.