USPTO Examiner BURSUM KIMBERLY SUZANNE - Art Unit 3627

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18604454TECHNIQUES FOR TRAINING A NEURAL NETWORK TO DYNAMICALLY PREDICT ORDER FULFILLMENTMarch 2024April 2025Abandon1310NoNo
18373166SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FRICTIONLESS SELF-CHECKOUT MERCHANDISE PURCHASINGSeptember 2023April 2025Abandon1810NoNo
18135428Technologies for Using Machine Learning to Manage Product CatalogsApril 2023October 2024Allow1830YesNo
18125485PERSON TRANSACTION TRACKINGMarch 2023March 2025Allow2420NoNo
18157245RE-USING PAYMENT INSTRUMENTS FOR IN-STORE USE SYSTEMS AND METHODSJanuary 2023October 2024Allow2120NoNo
18155352SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING AN ON-SHELF AVAILABILITY STATUS OF AN ITEM WITHIN A RETAIL LOCATIONJanuary 2023May 2025Allow2800NoNo
18150660APPARATUSES, COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR AUTOMATIC PRODUCT VERIFICATION AND SHELF PRODUCT GAP ANALYSISJanuary 2023January 2025Allow2530YesNo
17936232CART-BASED AVAILABILITY DETERMINATION FOR AN ONLINE CONCIERGE SYSTEMSeptember 2022May 2025Allow3240YesYes
17952618INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHODSeptember 2022June 2025Abandon3310YesNo
17814506PAIRING A MOBILE DEVICE WITH A MERCHANT TRANSACTION DEVICEJuly 2022May 2025Abandon3440YesNo
17866746METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT FOR BLOCKCHAIN-BASED TRANSACTIONSJuly 2022March 2025Allow3210NoNo
17847212SYSTEM FOR MANAGING PLACING RETAIL PRODUCTS ON STORE SHELVESJune 2022October 2024Abandon2810NoNo
17741100SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING ELECTRONIC REQUESTSMay 2022November 2024Abandon3010NoNo
17729982RESOURCE TRANSFER VALIDATION WITHIN A METAVERSEApril 2022December 2024Allow3220YesNo
17722130Systems, Methods, Kits, and Apparatuses for Digital Product Network Systems and Biology-Based Value Chain NetworksApril 2022February 2025Abandon3410NoNo
17708218IN-SCOPE AND OUT-OF-SCOPE RFID-BASED ITEM MANAGEMENTMarch 2022February 2025Allow3510YesNo
17700217GEOLOCATION COMPLIANCE FOR A MOBILE WORKFORCEMarch 2022May 2025Abandon3720NoNo
17541305SERVER AND METHODDecember 2021May 2025Abandon4121NoNo
17527973INVOICE PROCESSING PLATFORMNovember 2021October 2024Allow3510YesNo
17337386DATA-DRIVEN REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS AND MATCHINGJune 2021December 2024Allow4240NoNo
17245403SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEVICE INITIALIZATION BY SECONDARY USERApril 2021February 2025Allow4650YesNo
17231243PROVISIONING CONTROL APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHODApril 2021May 2025Allow4960NoNo
17125276METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING PRODUCT EXPIRATIONDecember 2020March 2025Abandon5150YesNo
17112459CONTROL TOWER AND ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM WITH ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION LAYER TO AUTOMATE ACTIONS FOR SUBSET OF APPLICATIONS BENEFITTING VALUE CHAIN NETWORK ENTITIESDecember 2020March 2025Abandon5140NoNo
17083055LOCATING, IDENTIFYING, AND SHIFTING OBJECTS IN AUTOMATED OR SEMI-AUTOMATED FASHION INCLUDING DURING TRANSITOctober 2020January 2025Allow5140NoNo
17017380REAL-TIME EXPENSE AUDITING AND MACHINE LEARNING SYSTEMSeptember 2020October 2024Allow5030YesNo
16991570MULTI-BOOK ALLOCATIONS WITH SNAPSHOT VERIFICATIONAugust 2020November 2024Abandon5140YesNo
16991344OBJECT-AWARE TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES MONITORING AND EARLY WARNING BY COMBINING VISUAL AND THERMAL SENSING SENSINGAugust 2020April 2025Allow5640YesYes
16927662OPTIMIZED ORDER FULFILLMENT FROM MULTIPLE SOURCESJuly 2020March 2025Abandon5650YesYes
16864852UTILIZING MACHINE LEARNING TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN IN-PERSON CUSTOMER FOLLOWS A MERCHANT ON SOCIAL MEDIAMay 2020November 2024Abandon5550YesNo
16747300PHOTO-BASED INVENTORY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USEJanuary 2020May 2025Abandon6060NoNo
16661811PRODUCT INFORMATION PREPARATION SYSTEMOctober 2019May 2025Abandon6030YesYes
16586287REAL-TIME SHELF INVENTORY AND NOTIFICATIONSeptember 2019October 2024Allow6050NoNo
16349157ELECTRONIC PAYMENT PROCESSINGMay 2019February 2025Allow6060YesYes
15481399RFID SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING ASSETSApril 2017November 2024Abandon60100YesYes

Appeals Overview

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

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
2
Examiner Affirmed
1
(50.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(50.0%)
Reversal Percentile
76.3%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 50.0% reversal rate, the PTAB reverses the examiner's rejections in a meaningful percentage of cases. 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
6
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(33.3%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(66.7%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
51.4%
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, 33.3% 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 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 BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE works in Art Unit 3627 and has examined 34 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 52.9%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 41 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE's allowance rate of 52.9% places them in the 9% 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 BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE receive 3.26 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 98% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues more office actions than most examiners, which may indicate thorough examination or difficulty in reaching agreement with applicants.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE is 41 months. This places the examiner in the 7% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +5.6% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by BURSUM, KIMBERLY SUZANNE. This interview benefit is in the 31% 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, 15.2% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 6% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show lower effectiveness with this examiner compared to others. Consider whether a continuation application might be more strategic, especially if you need to add new matter or significantly broaden claims.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 13.0% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 7% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments compared to other examiners. You should generally plan to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry. Per MPEP § 714.12, primary examiners have discretion in entering after-final amendments, and this examiner exercises that discretion conservatively.

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 43% 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 60.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 31% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 66.7% 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, 0.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 4% 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 32% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 32% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions less often than average. Allowances may come directly without a separate action for formal matters.

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.
  • Expect multiple rounds of prosecution: This examiner issues more office actions than average. Address potential issues proactively in your initial response and consider requesting an interview early in prosecution.
  • Plan for RCE after final rejection: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments. Budget for an RCE in your prosecution strategy if you receive a final rejection.
  • Plan for extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.

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.