USPTO Examiner LEE MATTHEW D - Art Unit 3616

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17253820SUSPENSIONDecember 2020February 2022Allow1400NoNo
17111642MACHINE AND DRIVETRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH MACHINEDecember 2020December 2023Abandon3730YesNo
17109717ROTARY TOWER WITH BALLASTDecember 2020January 2023Allow2510NoNo
17105590Self-Tensioning and Retracting Pet Safety Belt DeviceNovember 2020October 2023Abandon3410NoNo
17058599STEERING COLUMN AND VEHICLENovember 2020June 2022Allow1910NoNo
16952236Safety DeviceNovember 2020November 2021Allow1210NoNo
16951190SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A STOWABLE STEERING COLUMN HAVING A COLLAPSE-LIMITED POSITIONNovember 2020October 2021Allow1100NoNo
17097605SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VEHICLE SUSPENSIONSNovember 2020March 2023Allow2810NoNo
17087342DISAPPEARING STEERING WHEEL AND PEDALSNovember 2020February 2022Allow1610NoNo
17084256STOWABLE STEERING COLUMNOctober 2020January 2022Allow1500NoNo
17082501ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE STEERINGOctober 2020March 2022Allow1710NoNo
17049108WHEEL SUSPENSION SYSTEMOctober 2020August 2022Abandon2220NoNo
17048925AIRBAG DEVICE FOR RIDING TYPE VEHICLEOctober 2020January 2022Allow1510NoNo
17048932AIRBAG DEVICE FOR SADDLE-TYPE VEHICLEOctober 2020August 2021Allow1000NoNo
17060985REMOVABLE COMPONENT SYSTEMOctober 2020December 2022Allow2610NoNo
17043132STEERING APPARATUSSeptember 2020September 2021Allow1100NoNo
17034546PANEL DESIGNED TO ENGAGE WHEELS OF WHEELCHAIRSeptember 2020December 2021Allow1510NoNo
17024837SELF-PROPELLED TANDEM AXLE TRAILERSeptember 2020August 2022Allow2310NoNo
17010265STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLESeptember 2020December 2021Allow1610NoNo
17000127NO ROLL TORSION BARAugust 2020February 2023Allow3020YesNo
16967511A CASTER WHEEL ASSEMBLYAugust 2020October 2023Allow3810NoNo
16945186VEHICLE OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMJuly 2020March 2023Allow3220YesNo
16930629VEHICLE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERJuly 2020November 2021Allow1610NoNo
16958227ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR LEVELLING A CAB OF A WORK MACHINEJune 2020October 2021Allow1610NoNo
16909965INFLATOR FOR A PASSIVE VEHICLE SAFETY DEVICE AND FILTER FOR AN INFLATOR OF A PASSIVE VEHICLE SAFETY DEVICEJune 2020November 2021Allow1710YesNo
16892608WHEEL HUB AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A WHEEL HUBJune 2020January 2023Allow3210NoNo
16768249TORSION SPRING ARRANGEMENT FOR A WHEEL SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND WHEEL SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT FOR A WHEEL OF AN AXLE OF A MOTOR VEHICLEMay 2020August 2021Allow1410NoNo
16768253TORSION SPRING ARRANGEMENT FOR A WHEEL SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND WHEEL SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT FOR A WHEEL OF AN AXLE OF A MOTOR VEHICLEMay 2020July 2021Allow1310NoNo
16764352CONNECTION SYSTEM FOR CONNECTING A DAMPING UNIT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE INSIDE A WHEEL SUSPENSION OF SAID VEHICLEMay 2020September 2021Allow1610NoNo
16762828SIDE AIRBAG DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAMEMay 2020June 2022Allow2620NoNo
16856445Spring-Absorber System with Variable Spring RateApril 2020August 2022Allow2820NoNo
16854308WHEELCHAIR-BOUND PASSENGER RESTRAINT DEVICEApril 2020August 2022Allow2810NoNo
16757488HEAVY-DUTY CONNECTIONS E.G. FOR AXLE/SUSPENSION SYSTEMSApril 2020August 2022Allow2840NoNo
16852840SUSPENSION THRUST BEARING DEVICE AND SUSPENSION STRUT EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A DEVICEApril 2020August 2022Abandon2820NoNo
16850621STEERING APPARATUS OF VEHICLEApril 2020July 2021Allow1500NoNo
16756330AIRBAG ASSEMBLYApril 2020November 2021Allow1920NoNo
16829616VEHICLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM AND VEHICLEMarch 2020October 2021Allow1810NoNo
16826811STEERING DEVICEMarch 2020September 2021Allow1810YesNo
16826735SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR VEHICLEMarch 2020June 2022Allow2740YesNo
16649263METHOD FOR MEASURING THE PULL-OUT OF THE BELT BAND AND BELT BAND RETRACTORMarch 2020November 2022Allow3210NoNo
16815173REINFORCING ELEMENTMarch 2020October 2022Allow3210NoNo
15733018PRETENSIONER AND SEAT BELT APPARATUSMarch 2020January 2022Abandon2210NoNo
16642924STEERING DEVICEFebruary 2020September 2021Allow1920NoNo
16790874STRUCTURE FOR ASSEMBLING APPARATUSFebruary 2020July 2022Allow2910NoNo
16789161VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL INSTALLATION DEVICEFebruary 2020May 2021Allow1500NoNo
16775922VEHICULAR SEAT BELT DEVICEJanuary 2020August 2021Allow1810NoNo
16629685COVERING PART FOR A CHASSIS ELEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLEJanuary 2020January 2023Abandon3610NoNo
16735108AIR SUSPENSION STRUT HAVING A SEALED CLOSURE CAPJanuary 2020July 2021Allow1810NoNo
16731920SUSPENSION FOR VEHICLEDecember 2019February 2022Allow2510NoNo
16626626ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR A CHASSIS OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND REAR-AXLE STEERING SYSTEMDecember 2019September 2021Allow2020YesNo
16725787FRAME ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLEDecember 2019October 2022Allow3420NoNo
16724651HIGH-PERFORMANCE CAR WITH GAS PUSHERSDecember 2019March 2021Allow1500NoNo
16721249ALERT DEVICEDecember 2019May 2022Allow2900NoNo
16623471VIBRATION ABSORBER RING AND AIRBAG MODULE WITH SUCH A VIBRATION ABSORBER RINGDecember 2019July 2021Allow1910NoNo
16713152METHOD FOR PRODUCING SPRING STRUT FORKSDecember 2019February 2022Allow2610NoNo
16620939ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN HAVING AT LEAST ONE MRF ACTUATORDecember 2019March 2021Allow1500NoNo
16696312VEHICLE HEIGHT ADJUSTING APPARATUSNovember 2019March 2021Allow1600NoNo
16614309SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLESNovember 2019November 2021Abandon2410NoNo
16677804MOTOR VEHICLE CONTROL ARM, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MOTOR VEHICLE CONTROL ARMNovember 2019June 2021Allow1901NoNo
16664388WORK VEHICLEOctober 2019June 2022Allow3210NoNo
16663880OCCUPANT PROTECTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLEOctober 2019June 2021Allow2010YesNo
16607887FOUR-POINT LINK AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FOUR-POINT LINKOctober 2019April 2021Allow1810NoNo
16607372GAS GENERATOR, AIRBAG MODULE, VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PURIFYING A PYROTECHNICALLY PRODUCED GASOctober 2019October 2021Allow2420NoNo
16591674SHROUD FOR A HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLE COMPONENTOctober 2019January 2023Abandon4010NoNo
16580231VEHICLE BODY FRONT STRUCTURESeptember 2019January 2021Allow1600NoNo
16496340IMPACT-ABSORBING MEMBER AND SIDE MEMBER OF AUTOMOBILESeptember 2019January 2021Allow1600NoNo
16576007LINK FOR A LINK SYSTEM FOR THE ATTACHMENT OF A WHEEL CARRIER TO A BODY OF A VEHICLESeptember 2019March 2021Allow1820NoNo
16494553VEHICLE SUSPENSION SYSTEMSeptember 2019July 2022Abandon3410NoNo
16570111SHOCK ABSORBER FOR VEHICLESeptember 2019April 2021Allow2010NoNo
16566706HYDRAULIC DROP FRAME TRAILERSeptember 2019May 2022Allow3230NoYes
16555383EXPANDABLE VEHICLE FRAMEAugust 2019December 2021Abandon2820NoNo
16554667Connecting mechanism between the karting steering knuckle and the vehicle bodyAugust 2019December 2021Abandon2720NoNo
16548010CONTROL DEVICE FOR VEHICLE SEAT BELTAugust 2019March 2022Allow3110YesNo
16486881SUSPENSION DEVICEAugust 2019March 2022Abandon3120NoNo
16540393SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING TILTING OF A CAB FOR A COMMERCIAL VEHICLEAugust 2019October 2021Allow2610NoNo
16531722AERODYNAMIC COVER OF VEHICLEAugust 2019December 2020Allow1700NoNo
16509719CRANE CONTROLJuly 2019September 2022Allow3810NoNo
16510258LIGHTWEIGHT SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE, AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS THEREOFJuly 2019March 2022Allow3200NoNo
16433359AIR BAG DEVICEJune 2019April 2021Allow2210NoNo
16432442PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATOR AND SYSTEM FOR VEHICLEJune 2019December 2020Allow1800NoNo
16431929VEHICLE BODY FRONT STRUCTUREJune 2019June 2021Allow2420NoNo
16431925AIRBAG SYSTEMJune 2019March 2021Allow2210NoNo
16431357SEATBELT ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AIRBAGJune 2019December 2020Allow1810NoNo
16430880WORK VEHICLEJune 2019October 2021Allow2830YesNo
16429607UTILITY VEHICLEJune 2019May 2021Allow2320YesNo
16372985OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICEApril 2019July 2022Allow4010NoNo
16146689NESTED ENERGY ABSORPTION STRAP ASSEMBLYSeptember 2018April 2021Allow3120NoNo
16114989Ratchet Adjuster for Latch ConnectorAugust 2018March 2021Allow3010NoNo
15796566Adjustable Tie Rod Assemblies and MethodsOctober 2017February 2022Abandon5130YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner LEE, MATTHEW D.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
1
Allowed After Appeal Filing
1
(100.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
0
(0.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
98.5%
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, 100.0% 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

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

Examiner LEE, MATTHEW D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner LEE, MATTHEW D works in Art Unit 3616 and has examined 89 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 85.4%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 22 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner LEE, MATTHEW D's allowance rate of 85.4% places them in the 63% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by LEE, MATTHEW D receive 1.17 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 12% 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 LEE, MATTHEW D is 22 months. This places the examiner in the 88% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications move through prosecution relatively quickly with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a -2.4% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by LEE, MATTHEW D. This interview benefit is in the 9% 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, 40.0% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 91% 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 56.2% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 83% 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 16% 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 96% percentile among all examiners. 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, 0.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 5% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 31% 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 2.6% of allowed cases (in the 74% 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:

  • 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.