Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.
| Application Number | Title | Filing Date | Disposal Date | Disposition | Time (months) | Office Actions | Restrictions | Interview | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18609953 | MULTI-ENTITY PLATFORM USING UNIFORM LABELING OF DATA PRODUCTS AND SERVICES | March 2024 | June 2025 | Abandon | 15 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18396199 | Systems And Methods To Utilize An Electronic Garage Shelf | December 2023 | March 2025 | Allow | 15 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18449564 | MULTI-PROTOCOL DATA TRANSFER | August 2023 | February 2025 | Abandon | 18 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 18343569 | OPTICAL PATTERN RECOGNITION FOR LOCATING OBJECTS IN AN ENVIRONMENT | June 2023 | July 2024 | Allow | 12 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 18190591 | CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION OF RECORDS OF E-PROCUREMENT TRANSACTIONS | March 2023 | April 2025 | Allow | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17955685 | CLOUD-BASED CONFIGURABLE TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER AND METHOD THEREOF | September 2022 | October 2024 | Allow | 24 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17902086 | DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSMITTING AND MODIFYING DATA VIA A SMART DATA CABLE | September 2022 | June 2025 | Abandon | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17899794 | SMART PARTS BIN APPARATUS AND SYSTEM | August 2022 | April 2025 | Abandon | 32 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17871559 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INVENTORY MONITORING | July 2022 | June 2025 | Abandon | 34 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 17788443 | AN AUTOMATED MOBILE INVENTORY SYSTEM | June 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 34 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17807942 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY ROUTING ONE OR MORE SHIPMENTS IN A SUPPLY CHAIN NETWORK | June 2022 | April 2025 | Abandon | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17838690 | PAYMENT PROCESSOR FINANCING OF CUSTOMER PURCHASES | June 2022 | June 2024 | Allow | 24 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17736364 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LINKING HIGH-VALUE TOKENS USING A LOW-VALUE TOKEN | May 2022 | January 2025 | Allow | 32 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17735366 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING WINE IN A WINE-CELLAR AND MONITORING INVENTORY | May 2022 | February 2025 | Abandon | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17735980 | Methods And Systems For Expense Management | May 2022 | March 2025 | Abandon | 34 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17732730 | EXPENSE-TYPE AUDIT MACHINE LEARNING MODELING SYSTEM | April 2022 | January 2025 | Allow | 33 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17715756 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INVENTORY PLANNING AND CONTROL | April 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 36 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17712297 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPACE PLANNING FOR WORKSPACE CHANGES | April 2022 | October 2024 | Abandon | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17713013 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING AND PRESENTING AN ELECTRONIC BILL IN A BILL TIMELINE VIEW | April 2022 | December 2024 | Abandon | 32 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 17710428 | REDISTRIBUTING PRODUCT INVENTORY | March 2022 | August 2024 | Allow | 28 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17710745 | ANOMALY DETECTION FOR BILL GENERATION | March 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 36 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17708139 | ON-HAND INVENTORY ACCURACY SYSTEM | March 2022 | September 2024 | Allow | 29 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17700005 | Telecommunication System | March 2022 | October 2024 | Abandon | 31 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 17671521 | GENERATING AN ONLINE STOREFRONT | February 2022 | June 2024 | Allow | 28 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17631997 | MERCHANDISE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MERCHANDISE MANAGEMENT METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND RECORDING MEDIUM | February 2022 | April 2025 | Abandon | 38 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17589723 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING PLANOGRAMS | January 2022 | April 2025 | Allow | 38 | 5 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17574758 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A TRANSACTION USING ACCOUNT INFORMATION ON FILE | January 2022 | January 2025 | Allow | 36 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17573928 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING STOWING LOCATION RECOMMENDATION | January 2022 | July 2024 | Allow | 30 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17555948 | Automated Equipment Tracking for Service Technicians | December 2021 | January 2025 | Allow | 37 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 17523322 | MEDICAL SUPPLY CABINET WITH MEDICAL SUPPLY CONTENTS HAVING MACHINE READABLE CODES | November 2021 | July 2025 | Allow | 44 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17511889 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGEMENT OF SUBSTANCES | October 2021 | October 2024 | Allow | 35 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17503836 | Customer-Based Suggesting for Ticket Splitting | October 2021 | November 2024 | Abandon | 37 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 17491669 | DYNAMIC IDENTITY ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM FOR COMPONENTS OF AN INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEM (IHS) AND METHOD OF USING THE SAME | October 2021 | October 2024 | Abandon | 36 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 17390465 | DETERMINISTIC EXCEPTION HANDLING FOR ITEM IDENTITY FEDERATION AND VISIBILITY AS A SERVICE | July 2021 | June 2025 | Abandon | 46 | 2 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 17246505 | RESOURCE CONSUMPTION RATE AND CONSUMPTION LEVEL CONTROL SYSTEM | April 2021 | March 2025 | Abandon | 46 | 2 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 15883235 | POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEM AUTOMATED TESTING | January 2018 | September 2024 | Allow | 60 | 6 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 15849231 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MULTI-SENSOR TAG SALE OPTIMIZATION | December 2017 | December 2024 | Abandon | 60 | 7 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 15539873 | INTERACTION ANALYSIS | June 2017 | May 2020 | Allow | 34 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 15376544 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING MEASUREMENT TOOL AT POINT OF SALE | December 2016 | January 2017 | Allow | 2 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 15197708 | EXPEDITED PROCESSING OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS | June 2016 | May 2017 | Allow | 11 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14798262 | DIGITAL KIOSK | July 2015 | April 2016 | Allow | 9 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14741394 | BIG TREE METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CAPTURING TRANSACTIONS | June 2015 | October 2016 | Abandon | 16 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14639606 | AUTOMATED DATABASE ANALYSIS TO DETECT MALFEASANCE | March 2015 | September 2016 | Allow | 18 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14292492 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE JURISDICTION WAGE VALIDATION | May 2014 | August 2017 | Abandon | 39 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14281763 | GRATUITY PROCESSING SYSTEM APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS | May 2014 | December 2015 | Abandon | 19 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14211202 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AUTOMATED CHARGEBACK OPERATIONS | March 2014 | April 2017 | Abandon | 37 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14194170 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR INCREASING BUSINESS VISIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY USING LINKED NOTIFICATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY AUDITORS | February 2014 | June 2017 | Abandon | 39 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14152644 | OUT OF STOCK SENSOR | January 2014 | October 2015 | Allow | 21 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14089758 | Method and System for Credit Card Selection at a Point of Sale | November 2013 | September 2017 | Abandon | 46 | 2 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 13998500 | Financial accounting methods and systems to account for assets and liabilities | November 2013 | March 2017 | Abandon | 40 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14067458 | AGGREGATED BILLING FOR APPLICATION-BASED NETWORK ACCESS AND CONTENT CONSUMPTION | October 2013 | March 2018 | Allow | 53 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 14052756 | Method and System for Making Electronic Payments | October 2013 | October 2016 | Allow | 36 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 14052334 | AGGREGATION OF ITEM-LEVEL TRANSACTION DATA FOR A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS | October 2013 | August 2017 | Abandon | 46 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 14022546 | SELECTING MOBILE WALLET APPLICATION FOR A TRANSACTION CONDUCTED USING A SMART CARD | September 2013 | May 2016 | Allow | 32 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13963284 | TRANSACTION LEVEL MODELING METHOD AND APPARATUS | August 2013 | October 2017 | Abandon | 50 | 2 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 13925039 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING AND TRACING PRODUCTS THROUGH A SUPPLY CHAIN UTILIZING UNIQUE URLS | June 2013 | April 2014 | Allow | 10 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13907772 | SECURE MOBILE PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION | May 2013 | May 2016 | Allow | 36 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13901926 | RETAIL PRODUCT TRACKING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS | May 2013 | June 2017 | Abandon | 49 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 13890333 | METHOD FOR MEASURING THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON BRAND PERCEPTION | May 2013 | April 2016 | Abandon | 36 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13889023 | EXCHANGING VALUE BETWEEN A SERVICE BUYER AND A SERVICE PROVIDER | May 2013 | January 2014 | Allow | 8 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13872616 | MONITORING APPARATUS AND MONITORING METHOD | April 2013 | October 2017 | Abandon | 54 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 13871538 | EXTENDED KEYPAD FOR CONTROLLING VENDING MACHINE OPERATION | April 2013 | June 2017 | Abandon | 50 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 13867996 | RECEIPT VISUALIZATION AND RECEIPT DATA APPLICATIONS | April 2013 | August 2013 | Allow | 4 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 13861766 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING TIME | April 2013 | March 2017 | Abandon | 47 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 13856952 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION OF TIME AND ATTENDANCE INFORMATION | April 2013 | March 2016 | Abandon | 35 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13849418 | System and method for automatic invoice approval requests | March 2013 | March 2016 | Abandon | 36 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 13803868 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATING ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE AND PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEMS | March 2013 | March 2016 | Abandon | 36 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 13803766 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING TO A COMPUTING DEVICE INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE REPLENISHMENT STATUS OF A RETAIL ITEM | March 2013 | March 2016 | Abandon | 36 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 13830968 | Transaction managing system | March 2013 | October 2016 | Abandon | 43 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 13829080 | GENERATING AN ONLINE STOREFRONT | March 2013 | February 2017 | Allow | 48 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13785970 | MOBILE DEVICE AS POINT OF TRANSACTION FOR IN-STORE PURCHASES | March 2013 | August 2015 | Allow | 30 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13786426 | RETURNED PRODUCT DATA PROCESSING METHOD, RELATED SYSTEM, AND DEVICE | March 2013 | October 2016 | Abandon | 43 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 13783110 | WEARABLE MOBILE SCANNER SYSTEM WITH MOBILE TABLET HAVING A MOBILE POS AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING APPLICATION FOR POS CUSTOMER ORDER FULFILLMENT AND METHOD IN STORE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT FOR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT | March 2013 | April 2015 | Allow | 26 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 13779646 | METHOD FOR USING DIFFERENT BILLING CYCLES FOR POINT OF SALE TRANSACTIONS | February 2013 | October 2013 | Allow | 8 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13766738 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOMEDICAL TRACK AND TRACE | February 2013 | April 2013 | Allow | 2 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13765683 | Method for Secure Electronic Tender | February 2013 | June 2019 | Allow | 60 | 7 | 1 | No | No |
| 13753448 | SHOPPING PROCESS INCLUDING MONITORED SHOPPING CART BASKET WEIGHT | January 2013 | January 2017 | Allow | 48 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13736030 | System and Method for Computer Automated Payment of Hard Copy Bills | January 2013 | January 2016 | Abandon | 36 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13734504 | Restroom Convenience Center | January 2013 | April 2015 | Abandon | 28 | 4 | 1 | No | No |
| 13732390 | POINT-OF-SALE ("POS") CONTROLLER | January 2013 | December 2015 | Allow | 35 | 2 | 2 | No | No |
| 13636418 | DELIVERY OF INFORMATION SERVICES TO PERSONAL DEVICES | December 2012 | August 2015 | Allow | 35 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13691040 | Suggesting Expired Product Replenishment Based On Receipt Data | November 2012 | January 2016 | Abandon | 38 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13680780 | MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAM | November 2012 | July 2016 | Abandon | 44 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 13669346 | METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR PROVISIONING AND UTILIZING AN AGGREGATED SOFT CARD ON A MOBILE DEVICE | November 2012 | May 2017 | Allow | 54 | 6 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13651584 | MERCHANT CATEGORY CODE ("MCC") BASED ACCEPTANCE COST RECOVERY | October 2012 | October 2016 | Allow | 48 | 5 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13627420 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY DISPENSING A PRODUCT | September 2012 | July 2015 | Abandon | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13624106 | FOOD BROKERING SYSTEM AND METHOD | September 2012 | June 2014 | Abandon | 21 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 13635904 | Point-of-Sale (POS) Machine, POS Machine Card-Payment System and Card-Payment Trading Method Thereof | September 2012 | October 2016 | Abandon | 49 | 5 | 0 | No | No |
| 13600886 | Processing Online Transactions | August 2012 | April 2016 | Abandon | 44 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13600920 | Processing Online Transactions | August 2012 | April 2016 | Abandon | 44 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13600099 | COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PARTS PACKAGING MANAGEMENT | August 2012 | November 2015 | Abandon | 38 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 13585834 | PAYROLL RECONCILIATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS | August 2012 | April 2015 | Abandon | 32 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13560674 | PUSH NOTIFICATION INFORMING CUSTOMER OF AVAILABILITY OF RECEIPT DATA | July 2012 | March 2017 | Abandon | 56 | 6 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13574654 | POINT OF SALE DEVICE FOR USE WITH A SHOPPING CART | July 2012 | June 2015 | Abandon | 35 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 13551465 | PERSONALIZED AND DYNAMIC RESTAURANT INTERFACES AND SYSTEMS | July 2012 | January 2016 | Abandon | 42 | 6 | 0 | No | No |
| 13515824 | Nonfinancial Asset Valuation And Depreciation | June 2012 | March 2015 | Abandon | 33 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13465234 | SPARE PARTS ON-HAND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT | May 2012 | December 2015 | Abandon | 43 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13496686 | SYSTEM FOR A SELF-SERVICE PRODUCT DETECTION STATION AND METHOD FOR SAID SYSTEM | March 2012 | June 2015 | Abandon | 39 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13335392 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING ACCESS POINT INFORMATION IN LINKAGE WITH MOBILE CARD PAYMENT SYSTEM, AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL THEREFOR | December 2011 | December 2014 | Allow | 35 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13286101 | RECEIPT VISUALIZATION AND RECEIPT DATA APPLICATIONS | October 2011 | December 2012 | Allow | 14 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner CHEIN, ALLEN C.
With a 6.7% reversal rate, the PTAB affirms the examiner's rejections in the vast majority of cases. This reversal rate is in the bottom 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals face significant challenges here.
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, 14.3% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is in the bottom 25% across the USPTO, indicating that filing appeals is less effective here than in most other areas.
⚠ 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 CHEIN, ALLEN C works in Art Unit 3627 and has examined 216 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 42.1%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 39 months.
Examiner CHEIN, ALLEN C's allowance rate of 42.1% places them in the 4% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.
On average, applications examined by CHEIN, ALLEN C receive 2.88 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 93% 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.
The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by CHEIN, ALLEN C is 39 months. This places the examiner in the 10% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.
Conducting an examiner interview provides a +47.7% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by CHEIN, ALLEN C. This interview benefit is in the 93% 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.
When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 13.8% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 4% 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.
This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 14.1% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 9% 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.
When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 33.3% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 32% 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.
This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 34.8% of appeals filed. This is in the 3% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 62.5% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner rarely withdraws rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. If you file an appeal, be prepared to fully prosecute it to a PTAB decision. Per MPEP § 1207, the examiner will prepare an Examiner's Answer maintaining the rejections.
When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 25.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 16% 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'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 2.2% of allowed cases (in the 67% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions more often than average when claims are allowable but formal matters remain (MPEP § 714.14).
Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:
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.