USPTO Examiner SMYTH ANDREW P - Art Unit 2878

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18427601NON-INTRUSIVE LASER-BASED TECHNIQUE FOR MONITOR AND CONTROL OF PROTEIN DENATURATION ON SURFACESJanuary 2024February 2026Allow2500NoNo
18466748SYSTEMS FOR RADIOISOTOPE GENERATION AND METHODS OF PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATIONSeptember 2023February 2026Allow2900YesNo
18229804Multiple Source ContainerAugust 2023November 2025Allow2810YesNo
18319097HVAC UVC LED PROJECTION UNIT FOR HVAC DEVICESMay 2023November 2025Allow3010YesNo
18142007Air treatment unit for ventilation equipmentMay 2023February 2026Allow3320YesNo
18186336ACTIVE OXYGEN SUPPLY APPARATUSMarch 2023March 2026Allow3500YesNo
18023152UV LAMP COMPRISING AN AIR GUIDE FOR IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONFebruary 2023February 2026Allow3620NoNo
17926463DETECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOFNovember 2022March 2026Allow4020YesNo
17922986QUICK CONNECT DEVICE WITH DISINFECTION FEATURE AND LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR LIGHTING AND DISINFECTIONNovember 2022December 2025Allow3810YesNo
17921354Air EvacuatorOctober 2022December 2025Allow3700YesNo
17900083UVC AIR DISINFECTION DEVICE WITH LED THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMAugust 2022November 2025Allow3930YesNo
17697202X-Ray Spectrum Analysis Apparatus and MethodMarch 2022March 2026Allow4820NoNo
17668672PATIENT-SPECIFIC IMMOBILIZATION STRUCTURE AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FABRICATION THEREOFFebruary 2022February 2026Allow4811YesNo
17591507ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT DECONTAMINATION ASSEMBLYFebruary 2022December 2025Allow4730YesNo
17554028APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SENSING RF SIGNALS FROM RF PLASMA PROCESSING EQUIPMENTDecember 2021March 2026Allow5021YesNo
17366876SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INDOOR AIR PURIFICATIONJuly 2021December 2025Allow5340YesNo
17216176AUTOMATIC DISINFECTING WORKSTATIONMarch 2021August 2021Allow510YesNo
17215367SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EFFICIENT AIR STERILIZATION WITHOUT CIRCULATION UNSANITIZED AIRMarch 2021May 2025Abandon4940YesNo
16896194LOAD AND STERILIZATION COMBINATION CONTROL CIRCUITJune 2020September 2021Allow1600NoNo
16736691CONTROL PANEL HAVING UV DISINFECTIONJanuary 2020April 2021Allow1500YesNo
16690228APPARATUS FOR STORING AND/OR TRANSPORTING RADIOACTIVE MATERIALSNovember 2019April 2020Allow500NoNo
16385858SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREOF FOR DESTROYING PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOTWEARApril 2019January 2020Allow920NoNo
16290447DETECTORS AND METHODS OF USING THEMMarch 2019July 2020Allow1710NoNo
16259769SOFT IONIZATION BASED ON CONDITIONED GLOW DISCHARGE FOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSISJanuary 2019March 2019Allow200NoNo
16119023PORTABLE MICROORGANISM SANITATION SYSTEMAugust 2018April 2019Allow700NoNo
16003425MASS SPECTROMETRY DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, MASS SPECTROMETRY SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING MASS SPECTROMETRY DATAJune 2018June 2019Allow1200NoNo
16000898ELECTRON BEAM SURFACE MODIFICATION APPARATUSJune 2018July 2019Allow1410NoNo
15773720Optimized Electromagnetic Field On Side-On FT-ICR Mass SpectrometersMay 2018February 2019Allow900NoNo
15933792Systems And Apparatus For Ultraviolet Light DisinfectionMarch 2018January 2021Allow3450NoNo
15909311SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREOF FOR DESTROYING PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOTWEARMarch 2018September 2019Allow1931YesNo
15897745LASER PROCESSING APPARATUSFebruary 2018October 2018Allow810NoNo
15817553X-Ray Reduction SystemNovember 2017August 2019Allow2112NoNo
15666477Peakforce Photothermal-Based Detection of IR NanoabsorptionAugust 2017August 2019Allow2511NoNo
15659945TANDEM ION MODULATOR FOR CHARACTERIZING LARGER BIOMOLECULES IN A DIFFERENTIAL MOBILITY SPECTROMETERJuly 2017December 2018Allow1700NoNo
15511121A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING FLUID DENSITYMarch 2017December 2017Allow900NoNo
15451546BEAM ALIGNMENT METHOD AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPEMarch 2017May 2018Allow1410NoNo
15508800Soft Ionization Based on Conditioned Glow Discharge for Quantitative AnalysisMarch 2017September 2018Allow1801NoNo
15505649METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TIME-RESOLVED PUMP-PROBE ELECTRON MICROSCOPYFebruary 2017February 2018Allow6000NoNo
15329032UVC DECONTAMINATION AND DETOXIFICATION DEVICEJanuary 2017February 2020Allow3722NoNo
15318840RADIOGRAPHY AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY WITH HIGH-ENERGY ELECTRON BEAMSDecember 2016February 2018Allow1400NoNo
15332734ION DETECTIONOctober 2016April 2017Allow600NoNo
15256071PEAKFORCE PHOTOTHERMAL-BASED DETECTION OF IR NANOABSORPTIONSeptember 2016March 2017Allow700NoNo
15237681SYSTEM FOR FAST IONS GENERATION AND A METHOD THEREOFAugust 2016March 2017Allow710NoNo
15210296TARGET SUPPLY APPARATUS, EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT GENERATING APPARATUS, AND TARGET SUPPLY METHODJuly 2016August 2017Allow1310NoNo
15207245PATIENT SPECIFIC BEAM CONTROL ASSEMBLY OF A CANCER THERAPY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USE THEREOFJuly 2016June 2017Allow1100NoNo
15165192Systems and Methods for Reducing the Kinetic Energy Spread of Ions Radially Ejected from a Linear Ion TrapMay 2016September 2017Allow1510YesNo
15092802CONTAINMENT CURTAINS AS WELL AS SYSTEMS AND APPARATUSES INCLUDING SAMEApril 2016January 2020Allow4631YesNo
14993470Inspection EquipmentJanuary 2016June 2016Allow500NoNo
14963340SYSTEM FOR FAST IONS GENERATION AND A METHOD THEREOFDecember 2015July 2016Allow700NoNo
14437934UV IRRADIATION DEVICE FOR CLOCKED OPERATIONAugust 2015July 2016Allow1510NoNo
14817517Modular Atomic Force Microscope with Environmental ControlsAugust 2015October 2016Allow1410NoNo
14800455ACTUATORS FOR SECURING PROBES IN A SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPEJuly 2015February 2016Allow710YesNo
14744198NON-DESTRUCTIVE DIELECTRIC LAYER THICKNESS AND DOPANT MEASURING METHODJune 2015October 2017Allow2811YesNo
14652057DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RADIOGRAPHIC AND NUCLEAR IMAGING OF AN OBJECTJune 2015May 2017Allow2310NoNo
14648735DETECTOR UNIT WITH PULSE SHAPERJune 2015March 2017Allow2100NoNo
14648264METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING AN X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSISMay 2015August 2016Allow1500NoNo
14647689X-ray Reduction SystemMay 2015September 2017Allow2820NoNo
14438947DIFFERENTIAL PHASE CONTRAST IMAGING DEVICE WITH MOVABLE GRATING(S)April 2015January 2017Allow2000NoNo
14618863Peak Force Photothermal-Based Detection of IR NanoabsorptionFebruary 2015July 2015Allow600NoNo
14611904PULSED-FIELD DIFFERENTIAL MOBILITY ANALYZER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEPARATING PARTICLES AND MEASURING SHAPE PARAMETERS FOR NON-SPHERICAL PARTICLESFebruary 2015February 2017Allow2410NoNo
14418856Ion Mobility Spectrometer With High ThroughputJanuary 2015February 2017Allow2511NoNo
14415226MASS SPECTROMETER AND METHODJanuary 2015December 2016Allow2311NoNo
14597132Miniaturized Ion Mobility SpectrometerJanuary 2015May 2016Allow1710NoNo
14594876METHOD FOR SCANOGRAM SCANS IN PHOTON-COUNTING COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHYJanuary 2015September 2017Allow3211NoNo
14575102METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INSPECTING AN EUV MASKDecember 2014June 2016Allow1820NoNo
14574754PARTICLE BEAM IRRADIATION APPARATUS AND PARTICLE BEAM THERAPY SYSTEMDecember 2014June 2017Allow3040NoNo
14569008Dynamic Enhanced and Diffuse Broad Spectrum UVC or Alternative Controlled Ionizing Radiation Source Emitters for Mobile and Fixed Placement Disinfection of Clinical SurfacesDecember 2014November 2016Allow2321NoNo
14551264Techniques For Processing A SubstrateNovember 2014October 2017Allow3550YesNo
14319620INSPECTION SYSTEM BY CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DEVICES USING THE SYSTEMJune 2014February 2016Allow1920NoNo
14191337DIGITAL PATTERN GENERATOR (DPG) FOR E-BEAM LITHOGRAPHYFebruary 2014January 2016Allow2310YesNo
14235362Ultraviolet Light Oven For Glass SubstrateJanuary 2014January 2016Allow2410NoNo
14160975X-RAY IMAGE APPARATUSJanuary 2014April 2016Allow2710NoNo
14134657CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM IRRADIATION DEVICEDecember 2013June 2014Allow610NoNo
13948975INSPECTION OF A LITHOGRAPHIC MASK THAT IS PROTECTED BY A PELLICLEJuly 2013February 2016Allow3111YesNo
13993377CHROMATIC ENERGY FILTERJune 2013March 2016Allow3340YesNo
13915834ELECTROSTATIC LENS ARRAYJune 2013March 2014Allow910YesNo
13914511NEAR INFRARED ILLUMINATORJune 2013March 2015Allow2110NoNo
13991568ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION DEVICE FOR IMPLANTSJune 2013February 2014Allow910NoNo
13879141DEVICE FOR STERILIZING CLOSURES FOR CONTAINERSApril 2013July 2014Allow1500NoNo
13826316DYNAMIC PEAK TRACKING IN X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY MEASUREMENT TOOLMarch 2013April 2015Allow2510YesNo
13746257ION IMPLANTER AND ION IMPLANT METHOD THEREOFJanuary 2013November 2014Allow2220YesNo
13744536CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM LENS AND CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM EXPOSURE APPARATUSJanuary 2013July 2013Allow610NoNo
13709947X-RAY IMAGING APPARATUSDecember 2012March 2016Allow3920NoNo
13605395Displacement Measurement Method and Apparatus Thereof, Stage Apparatus, and Probe MicroscopeSeptember 2012September 2013Allow1210NoNo
13547942METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A MICROSAMPLEJuly 2012September 2013Allow1420NoNo
13486445INTEGRATED POD OPTICAL BENCH DESIGNJune 2012July 2014Allow2500NoNo
13388504CANTILEVER EXCITATION DEVICE AND SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPEApril 2012March 2013Allow1400NoNo
13386615CLEANING APPARATUS, RADIATION SOURCE MODULE AND FLUID TREATMENT SYSTEMApril 2012September 2016Allow5640NoYes
13437187MODIFIABLE LAYERED SHIELD ASSEMBLYApril 2012August 2013Allow1610NoNo
13433078METHODS OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALING IN AN ION ENERGY ANALYZERMarch 2012April 2015Allow3720NoNo
13430913PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE HAVING A DETECTOR ARRANGEMENTMarch 2012December 2013Allow2010NoNo
13429910ION DETECTING DEVICEMarch 2012August 2014Allow2930YesNo
13389923Imaging energy filter for electrically charged particles and spectroscope having sameMarch 2012June 2013Allow1600NoNo
13388970SAMPLE SUBSTRATE FOR LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION-MASS SPECTROMETRY, AND METHOD AND DEVICE BOTH USING THE SAME FOR LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION-MASS SPECTROMETRYMarch 2012June 2013Allow1610NoNo
13388165LPP EUV LIGHT SOURCE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAMEJanuary 2012December 2014Allow3430YesNo
13386980ION MILLING DEVICEJanuary 2012June 2013Allow1610NoNo
13263987PACKAGING DEVICE FOR THE TRANSPORT AND/OR STORAGE OF A RADIOACTIVE MEDIUMDecember 2011September 2014Allow3511NoNo
13264368BEAM HEADOctober 2011September 2014Allow3540NoNo
13267510CHARGED PARTICLE DOSE SIMULATION DEVICE, CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM IRRADIATION DEVICE, CHARGED PARTICLE DOSE SIMULATION METHOD, AND CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM IRRADIATION METHODOctober 2011December 2013Allow2620NoNo
13059947METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALMay 2011December 2013Allow3401NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner SMYTH, ANDREW P.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
1
Examiner Affirmed
0
(0.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(100.0%)
Reversal Percentile
95.9%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 100.0% reversal rate, the PTAB has reversed the examiner's rejections more often than affirming them. This reversal rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals are more successful here than in most other areas.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
7
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(28.6%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(71.4%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
42.5%
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, 28.6% 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 SMYTH, ANDREW P - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner SMYTH, ANDREW P works in Art Unit 2878 and has examined 221 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 99.1%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 29 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner SMYTH, ANDREW P's allowance rate of 99.1% places them in the 93% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is more likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by SMYTH, ANDREW P receive 1.42 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 22% 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 SMYTH, ANDREW P is 29 months. This places the examiner in the 66% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a -1.2% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by SMYTH, ANDREW P. This interview benefit is in the 10% percentile among all examiners. Note: Interviews show limited statistical benefit with this examiner compared to others, though they may still be valuable for clarifying issues.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 34.7% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 77% 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 46.7% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 71% 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 15% 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 83.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 77% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 40.0% 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, 55.6% 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 6.8% of allowed cases (in the 89% 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 0.9% of allowed cases (in the 60% 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:

  • 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.
  • Examiner cooperation: This examiner frequently makes examiner's amendments to place applications in condition for allowance. If you are close to allowance, the examiner may help finalize the claims.

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.