USPTO Examiner WARD ERIC A - Art Unit 2891

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18864780SUPER-SEMICONDUCTORS BASED ON NANOSTRUCTURED ARRAYSNovember 2024February 2025Allow300NoNo
18846211MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR POWER SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE USING LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON RADIATION TO PRODUCE SILICON-ENRICHED LAYERSeptember 2024June 2025Allow910NoNo
18631091SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND FABRICATING METHOD THEREOFApril 2024April 2025Allow1220NoNo
18624167SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH CONTACT PLUGSApril 2024August 2025Allow1720YesNo
18622615SELF-ALIGNED GATE ENDCAP (SAGE) ARCHITECTURES WITH VERTICAL SIDEWALLSMarch 2024October 2024Allow600NoNo
18609778LATERALLY-GATED TRANSISTORS AND LATERAL SCHOTTKY DIODES WITH INTEGRATED LATERAL FIELD PLATE STRUCTURESMarch 2024January 2025Allow1010NoNo
18601289DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON COATING FOR PASSIVE AND ACTIVE ELECTRONICSMarch 2024June 2025Allow1510NoNo
18582153LAYOUT TECHNIQUES AND OPTIMIZATION FOR POWER TRANSISTORSFebruary 2024March 2025Allow1310NoNo
18409424SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING BASE REGION BENEATH TRENCH GATEJanuary 2024December 2024Allow1110NoNo
18395174MANUFACTURING METHOD OF AN ELEMENT OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING IMPROVED RELIABILITY, AND RELATED ELEMENT, ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUSDecember 2023November 2024Allow1110YesNo
18527151SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING METAL GATE AND POLY GATEDecember 2023September 2024Allow1010NoNo
18524417CONFORMAL TRANSFER DOPING METHOD FOR FIN-LIKE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORNovember 2023November 2024Allow1110NoNo
18512506CHANNEL STOP AND WELL DOPANT MIGRATION CONTROL IMPLANT FOR REDUCED MOS THRESHOLD VOLTAGE MISMATCHNovember 2023June 2025Allow1921NoNo
18497427SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEOctober 2023February 2026Allow2700NoNo
18490965NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH ELEMENT ISOLATION AREAOctober 2023August 2024Allow1010NoNo
18474842SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING CHANNEL LAYERS WITH DIFFERENT THICKNESSESSeptember 2023March 2025Allow1820NoNo
18549016CAPACITOR COMPRISING A STACK OF LAYERS MADE OF A SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL HAVING A WIDE BANDGAPSeptember 2023February 2026Allow3000NoNo
18458627SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEAugust 2023February 2026Allow2900NoNo
18454147SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATEAugust 2023November 2025Allow2600NoNo
18450211RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICE AND RADIO FREQUENCY FRONT-END APPARATUSAugust 2023March 2026Allow3110NoNo
18364011METHOD AND RELATED APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATING ELECTRONIC MEMORY IN AN INTEGRATED CHIPAugust 2023February 2025Allow1820NoNo
18358265SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEJuly 2023September 2025Allow2600NoNo
18358442SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEJuly 2023October 2025Allow2600NoNo
18357240FeRAM MFM STRUCTURE WITH SELECTIVE ELECTRODE ETCHJuly 2023August 2024Allow1210NoNo
18224185SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH PROGRAMMABLE INSULATING LAYER AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING THE SAMEJuly 2023January 2026Allow3021NoNo
18353469HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAMEJuly 2023October 2025Allow2700NoNo
18038652BIDIRECTIONAL THYRISTOR DEVICEMay 2023September 2025Allow2800NoNo
18314394SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEMay 2023October 2025Allow3000NoNo
18295236POWER SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFApril 2023August 2025Allow2910NoNo
18029990P-TYPE GATE HEMT DEVICEApril 2023January 2026Allow3410NoNo
18191538SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH CONTACT PLUGSMarch 2023January 2024Allow910NoNo
18185946HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTOR AND HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTOR FORMING METHODMarch 2023March 2026Abandon3620NoNo
17598306P-CHANNEL ENHANCEMENT MODE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAMEMarch 2023November 2025Allow5010NoNo
18179739SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEMarch 2023June 2025Allow2700NoNo
18022988SELF-ALIGNING PROCESS METHOD AND SELF-ALIGNING PROCESS APPARATUS FOR REDUCING CRITICAL DIMENSION VARIATION OF SIC TRENCH GATE MOSFET STRUCTUREFebruary 2023January 2026Allow3510NoNo
18042914A DIE SEAL RING INCLUDING A TWO DIMENSIONAL ELECTRON GAS REGIONFebruary 2023December 2025Abandon3410NoNo
18170477LOW-TEMPERATURE PROCESSING METHOD FOR IMPROVING 4H-SIC/SIO2 INTERFACE BASED ON SUPERCRITICAL OXYNITRIDE AND USE THEREOFFebruary 2023February 2026Allow3610NoNo
18106768TRENCH JUNCTION FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR HAVING A MESA REGIONFebruary 2023October 2025Allow3210NoNo
18100144SILICON CARBIDE DEVICE WITH METALLIC INTERFACE LAYERS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURINGJanuary 2023December 2025Allow3411NoNo
18004832TRANSISTORJanuary 2023January 2026Allow3610YesNo
18076679DISHING PREVENTION STRUCTURE EMBEDDED IN A GATE ELECTRODEDecember 2022July 2024Allow1920NoNo
18073361SINGLE SIDED CHANNEL MESA POWER JUNCTION FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORDecember 2022November 2024Allow2400NoNo
18056954SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERNovember 2022March 2024Allow1610YesNo
17988720HEMT AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAMENovember 2022January 2024Allow1410NoNo
18054568METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICENovember 2022January 2025Allow2600NoNo
17981138SiC EPITAXIAL WAFER, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMENovember 2022January 2025Allow2620YesNo
18052424METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICENovember 2022December 2024Allow2500NoNo
17975356SINGLE SIDED CHANNEL MESA POWER JUNCTION FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOROctober 2022September 2023Allow1000NoNo
17974794DEVICE TOPOLOGIES FOR HIGH CURRENT LATERAL POWER SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICESOctober 2022February 2024Allow1610NoNo
17974880DEVICE TOPOLOGY FOR LATERAL POWER TRANSISTORS WITH LOW COMMON SOURCE INDUCTANCEOctober 2022February 2024Allow1610NoNo
18049778DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING TEST PART FOR TESTING THIN FILM LAYEROctober 2022October 2025Allow3510NoNo
17974130SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEOctober 2022October 2023Allow1210NoNo
17965753RF Power Transistor Having Off-Axis LayoutOctober 2022March 2025Allow2910NoNo
17918330SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PILLARS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEOctober 2022July 2025Allow3320YesNo
17918117SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND POWER CONVERSION DEVICEOctober 2022March 2025Allow3000NoNo
17954049SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SiC SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER AND RAISED PORTION GROUPSeptember 2022July 2024Allow2120NoNo
17951708Barrier Structure for Dispersion Reduction in Transistor DevicesSeptember 2022February 2026Allow4120NoNo
17945077MEMORY STRUCTURESeptember 2022March 2026Abandon4220NoNo
17939796SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOFSeptember 2022July 2024Abandon2220NoNo
17822970METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, INVERTER CIRCUIT, DRIVING DEVICE, VEHICLE, AND ELEVATORAugust 2022June 2025Allow3401NoNo
17907870Voltage Current Conversion DeviceAugust 2022December 2025Abandon3910NoNo
17892809METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEAugust 2022February 2026Abandon4111NoNo
17886533SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THEREOFAugust 2022December 2025Allow4020NoNo
17885166INTEGRATED CIRCUIT STRUCTURE FOR LOW POWER SRAMAugust 2022March 2024Allow1920NoNo
17881736SILICON CARBIDE MOSFET DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFAugust 2022December 2025Allow4011NoNo
17797224METAL-OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFORAugust 2022April 2025Allow3210NoNo
17815857Conformal Transfer Doping Method for Fin-Like Field Effect TransistorJuly 2022September 2023Allow1410NoNo
17874901SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT WITH RESISTIVE LAYERS HAVING DIFFERENT RESISTANCE VALUESJuly 2022July 2025Allow3510NoNo
17871659METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY FORMING HARD MASKJuly 2022August 2025Allow3710NoNo
17868806SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING SEMICONDUCTOR COLUMN PORTIONSJuly 2022January 2025Allow3010NoNo
17792070MOS(METAL OXIDE SILICON) CONTROLLED THYRISTOR DEVICEJuly 2022May 2023Allow1000NoNo
17850643SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING METAL GATE AND POLY GATEJune 2022September 2023Allow1510NoNo
17848907METHODS OF FORMING OHMIC CONTACTS ON SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH TRENCH/MESA STRUCTURESJune 2022June 2025Allow3611NoNo
17834527THREE-DIMENSIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAMEJune 2022August 2025Allow3811YesNo
17833415MEMORY DEVICEJune 2022January 2023Allow700NoNo
17832590Metal Gate Electrode Formation Of Memory DevicesJune 2022November 2025Allow4121YesNo
17781675SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUSJune 2022May 2025Allow3510NoNo
17828327INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE INCLUDING INSULATING GUIDE FILM BETWEEN ADJACENT CONDUCTIVE PATTERNSMay 2022March 2025Allow3310NoNo
17826174SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING THIN BOTTOM CHANNEL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFMay 2022March 2025Allow3411NoNo
17827409SEAL RING PATTERNSMay 2022February 2025Allow3320YesNo
17827107SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICEMay 2022October 2023Abandon1610NoNo
17804290LIGHT EMITTING DEVICEMay 2022March 2025Allow3410NoNo
17752080SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTURE WITH SPACERMay 2022March 2024Allow2220NoNo
17750481SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING DUMMY PATTERNS AND PERIPHERAL INTERCONNECTION PATTERNS AT THE SAME LEVELMay 2022July 2023Allow1310NoNo
17750935SEMICONDUCTOR PHOTODETECTOR, RECEIVER, AND INTEGRATED OPTICAL DEVICEMay 2022April 2025Allow3520NoNo
17750876ISOLATION STRUCTURE FOR TRANSISTORSMay 2022September 2025Allow4021NoNo
17745423SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING DIFFERENT GATE DIELECTRIC LAYERS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAMEMay 2022August 2025Allow3931YesNo
17743033SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE ON WIRING BOARD HAVING REFERENCE POTENTIAL PLANES WITH OPENINGSMay 2022December 2024Allow3110NoNo
17741649MULTI-DEVICE GRADED EMBEDDING PACKAGE SUBSTRATE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFMay 2022December 2024Allow3101NoNo
17739871MEMORY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAMEMay 2022December 2025Allow4331NoNo
17662284SPACER STRUCTURES FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICESMay 2022August 2025Allow3921YesNo
17729777MOSFET TRANSISTORS WITH HYBRID CONTACTApril 2022February 2023Allow1010NoNo
17723701FACILITATING FORMATION OF A VIA IN A SUBSTRATEApril 2022December 2024Allow3210NoNo
17721109METHOD OF SINGULATING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEApril 2022August 2025Allow4021NoNo
17768796DISPLAY DEVICEApril 2022August 2024Allow2900NoNo
17719403SILICON CARBIDE SEMICONDUCTOR POWER TRANSISTOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEApril 2022January 2025Abandon3311NoNo
17657894GUARD REGION FOR AN INTEGRATED CIRCUITApril 2022September 2024Allow3000NoNo
17763558NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEMarch 2022April 2024Allow2500NoNo
17701771CHIP SEPARATION SUPPORTED BY BACK SIDE TRENCH AND ADHESIVE THEREINMarch 2022May 2025Allow3821NoNo
17762939DISPLAY PANELS, DISPLAY APPARATUSES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING DISPLAY PANELSMarch 2022August 2025Abandon4120NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner WARD, ERIC A.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
5
Examiner Affirmed
4
(80.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(20.0%)
Reversal Percentile
32.7%
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
14
Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(35.7%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
9
(64.3%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
58.8%
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, 35.7% 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.

Strategic Recommendations

Appeals to PTAB face challenges. Ensure your case has strong merit before committing to full Board review.

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

Examiner WARD, ERIC A - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner WARD, ERIC A works in Art Unit 2891 and has examined 766 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 75.6%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 26 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner WARD, ERIC A's allowance rate of 75.6% places them in the 41% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by WARD, ERIC A receive 2.21 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 61% 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 WARD, ERIC A is 26 months. This places the examiner in the 77% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications move through prosecution relatively quickly with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +12.2% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by WARD, ERIC A. This interview benefit is in the 48% 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, 22.6% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 29% 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 34.6% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 52% 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, 50.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 45% 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 64.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 44% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 44.4% 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, 51.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 50% 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 1.4% of allowed cases (in the 71% 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 1.0% of allowed cases (in the 61% 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:

    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.