USPTO Examiner HELLNER MARK - Art Unit 3645

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19229828Method and System for Refractive Beam-SteeringJune 2025November 2025Allow610NoNo
18976245LIDAR RANGE AND SPEED MEASUREMENT METHOD AND LIDARDecember 2024February 2025Allow3300NoNo
18905629PHOTONIC CHIP MODULE, LIDAR AND MOVABLE DEVICEOctober 2024December 2024Allow200NoNo
18759024OPTICAL TRANSCEIVING MODULE AND LASER RADARJune 2024December 2024Allow510NoNo
18657328OPTICAL DEVICE AND PHOTODETECTION SYSTEMMay 2024March 2025Allow1010NoNo
18641011Autonomous Vehicle Including LIDAR Sensor System Having Improved Photonics InterfaceApril 2024September 2024Allow510NoNo
18617209LIGHT-RECEIVING DEVICE AND LIDARMarch 2024April 2025Allow1210NoNo
18608512Determining Specular Reflectivity Characteristics Using LiDARMarch 2024August 2025Allow1720YesNo
18601795TECHNIQUES FOR RANGE AND VELOCITY MEASUREMENTS IN A LIDAR SYSTEMMarch 2024August 2025Allow1810NoNo
18590470POLARIZATION SENSITIVE LIDAR SYSTEMFebruary 2024March 2025Allow1310NoNo
18438043METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING OBSTRUCTIONS ON A SENSOR HOUSINGFebruary 2024May 2025Allow1510YesNo
18430455TRACKABLE DIPOLE DEVICES, METHODS, AND SYSTEMSFebruary 2024June 2025Allow1710NoNo
18575779F-P SENSOR PROBE, ABSOLUTE DISTANCE MEASUREMENT DEVICE, AND ABSOLUTE DISTANCE MEASUREMENT METHODDecember 2023August 2024Allow810NoNo
18512634MAP GENERATING METHOD OF ELECTRONIC APPARATUSNovember 2023May 2024Allow510NoNo
18504052VIRTUAL FENCES IN AIR, WATER, AND SPACENovember 2023December 2024Allow1310NoNo
18499734METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REFRACTIVE BEAM-STEERINGNovember 2023March 2025Allow1610YesNo
18557926STRAY LIGHT SUPPRESSION DEVICE FOR BATHYMETRIC LIDAR ONBOARD UNMANNED SHIPBORNEOctober 2023November 2024Allow1310NoNo
18489340DISTANCE MEASUREMENT DEVICE, DERIVING METHOD FOR DISTANCE MEASUREMENT, AND DERIVING PROGRAM FOR DISTANCE MEASUREMENTOctober 2023March 2025Allow1710NoNo
18480022Optical fiber characterization using transmission of shaped ASEOctober 2023January 2025Allow1510NoNo
18369866DISTANCE MEASURING METHOD AND APPARATUSSeptember 2023January 2025Allow1610NoNo
18463637LIDAR with Co-Aligned Transmit and Receive PathsSeptember 2023September 2025Allow2410NoNo
18242519SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POLARIZATION SEPARATION IN REMOTE IMAGING SYSTEMSSeptember 2023January 2025Allow1710NoNo
18239149LIDAR AND ADJUSTMENT METHOD THEREOFAugust 2023March 2025Allow1911NoNo
18449515SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LINEARIZING NON-LINEAR CHIRP SIGNALSAugust 2023April 2025Allow2010NoNo
18362931METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR LASER DISTANCE MEASURING, FOUSING METHODS AND SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR AUTO-FOCUSING ANALYSISJuly 2023May 2024Allow1010NoNo
18359868TARGET MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASURING A TARGETJuly 2023May 2025Allow2210NoNo
18356518Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) System Including a Modular AssemblyJuly 2023April 2025Allow2010NoNo
18354456SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AXLE BODY AND FILET CRACKS IN RAIL VEHICLESJuly 2023May 2025Allow2210NoNo
18336372ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE DETECTION APPARATUS AND INFORMATION ACQUISITION SYSTEMJune 2023February 2025Allow2010NoNo
18265966Circuit For Background Light SuppressionJune 2023January 2024Allow810NoNo
18325171FREQUENCY INFORMATION RAPID EXTRACTION FOR RANGING APPLICATIONSMay 2023December 2024Allow1910YesNo
18319611Measurement Of Fluid Flow Velocity With High Spatial And Temporal ResolutionMay 2023February 2026Allow3321NoNo
18198814TIME-OF-FLIGHT DEVICE USING TWO LIGHT MODULATION FREQUENCIES AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOFMay 2023October 2024Allow1710NoNo
18317171LIDAR Receiver Using a Waveguide and an ApertureMay 2023July 2025Allow2620NoNo
18307429TUNABLE SEMICONDUCTOR LASER DEVICEApril 2023March 2025Allow2310NoNo
18302551LIDAR SCANNING SYSTEM AND METHODSApril 2023February 2025Allow2210NoNo
18132897REMOTE MEASUREMENT OF SHALLOW DEPTHS IN SEMI-TRANSPARENT MEDIAApril 2023November 2024Allow1910NoNo
18187827LIDAR Pixel with Dual Polarization Receive Optical AntennaMarch 2023November 2024Allow2010NoNo
18123782TECHNIQUES FOR FILTERING POINTS IN A LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING SYSTEMMarch 2023March 2025Allow2410NoNo
18116578PERSONAL LADAR SENSORMarch 2023January 2025Abandon2310NoNo
18171821TECHNIQUES FOR POINT CLOUD PROCESSING UTILIZING POINT INDICESFebruary 2023January 2025Allow2310NoNo
18111481TECHNIQUES FOR GHOSTING MITIGATION IN COHERENT LIDAR SYSTEMS USING MULTIPLE CHIRP RATESFebruary 2023November 2024Allow2110YesNo
18168806APPARATUS AND METHODFebruary 2023August 2024Allow1810NoNo
18168510TECHNIQUES FOR CORRECTING PHASE IMPAIRMENTS IN A TARGET SIGNALFebruary 2023March 2025Allow2510YesNo
18104186DIGITAL ELECTRO-OPTICAL PHASE LOCKED LOOP IN A LIDAR SYSTEMJanuary 2023January 2026Allow3500NoNo
18156804LIGHT SOURCE SYSTEMJanuary 2023May 2025Allow2820NoNo
18005325GATING CAMERA, VEHICLE SENSING SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE LAMPJanuary 2023March 2026Allow3800NoNo
18094255Self-Mixing Interference Device for Sensing ApplicationsJanuary 2023March 2025Allow2620NoNo
18149120LASER RADAR FOR METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONJanuary 2023July 2023Allow610NoNo
18148897Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) System Including a Modular AssemblyDecember 2022April 2023Allow410YesNo
18089724Frequency Shift Light Modulator And Laser Doppler Measuring DeviceDecember 2022July 2024Allow1810NoNo
18085676SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR WIDE-ANGLE LiDAR USING NON-UNIFORM MAGNIFICATION OPTICSDecember 2022July 2025Allow3111NoNo
18078536SURVEYING DEVICE COMPRISING A RANGE IMAGING SENSOR AND A SETTABLE TARGET ILLUMINATOR TO PROVIDE AN AREA ILLUMINATION IN DIFFERENT ILLUMINATION STATESDecember 2022March 2026Allow3910NoNo
18076128TECHNIQUES FOR USING AN ELECTRO-OPTICAL PHASE LOCKED LOOP IN A LIDAR SYSTEMDecember 2022June 2023Allow610NoNo
17994756METHOD OF MULTI-PHASE CORRELATIONS VECTOR SYNTHESIS RANGING BY FRACTIONAL CORRELATIONNovember 2022June 2023Allow610NoNo
17926439OBJECTIVE, USE OF AN OBJECTIVE, MEASUREMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING AN OBJECTIVE AND USE OF A BI-ASPHERICAL PLASTIC LENS IN AN OBJECTIVENovember 2022July 2023Allow810NoNo
18056510METHOD FOR DETERMINING A DISTANCE USING A LASER RANGE FINDERNovember 2022May 2024Allow1810NoNo
17978520TECHNIQUES FOR PROCESSING A TARGET RETURN SIGNAL USING FREE-SPACE OPTICSNovember 2022October 2024Allow2310NoNo
17970735Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) System Having a Liquid Cooled Cold PlateOctober 2022July 2023Allow910YesNo
17920071METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE RECOGNITION OF BLOOMING IN A LIDAR MEASUREMENTOctober 2022February 2023Allow400NoNo
17919632LIDAR SYSTEM WITH SUPPRESSED DOPPLER FREQUENCY SHIFTOctober 2022July 2023Allow910YesNo
17962728INJECTION LOCKED ON-CHIP LASER TO EXTERNAL ON-CHIP RESONATOROctober 2022May 2024Allow1910NoNo
17937311CONTINUOUS WAVE TIME OF FLIGHT SYSTEMSeptember 2022February 2026Allow4110NoNo
17933549SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AXLE BODY AND FILET CRACKS IN RAIL VEHICLESSeptember 2022March 2023Allow610NoNo
17902750LIDAR SIGNAL ACQUISITIONSeptember 2022August 2024Allow2410NoNo
17901749TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR COILED GAIN FIBER IN FIBER AMPLIFIERSeptember 2022March 2026Allow4210NoNo
17899126ANALOG DEMODULATION OF PHASE MODULATED CONTINUOUS WAVE (PMCW) LiDARAugust 2022March 2026Allow4210NoNo
17896159TECHNIQUES FOR POINT CLOUD PROCESSING UTILIZING POINT INDICESAugust 2022November 2022Allow300NoNo
17820500OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING DISTANCE INFORMATION WITHIN A FIELDAugust 2022July 2024Allow2310NoNo
17797791PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF A PULSED LIGHT BEAMAugust 2022January 2026Allow4211NoNo
17815573SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) MAP BASED ON MAPPING DESIGNATION INFORMATIONJuly 2022February 2023Allow700NoNo
17869544LASER DETECTION APPARATUS, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING LASER DETECTION APPARATUS, AND TERMINALJuly 2022December 2025Allow4110NoNo
17865088VIRTUAL IMAGE DISPLAY OPTICAL ARCHITECTURESJuly 2022December 2025Allow4110NoNo
17812163LIGHT WAVE DISTANCE METERJuly 2022January 2026Allow4210NoNo
17791930RARE EARTH DOPED FIBER AND FIBER OPTIC AMPLIFIERJuly 2022December 2025Allow4110NoNo
17861238TIME OF FLIGHT SENSORS AND SENSING METHODSJuly 2022August 2024Allow2510NoNo
17811317METHOD OF OPERATING A LIDAR SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF GASJuly 2022March 2023Allow910NoNo
17850017DISPERSION COMPENSATION FOR A FREQUENCY-MODULATED CONTINUOUS-WAVE (FMCW) LIDAR SYSTEMJune 2022April 2024Allow2110YesNo
17849237METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SCANNING OF A TRANSPARENT PLATE DURING EARTH OBSERVATION IMAGINGJune 2022October 2023Allow1610NoNo
17788366OPTICAL MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND MEASUREMENT METHODJune 2022November 2025Allow4110NoNo
17807168OPTICAL FREQUENCY COMB CONTROLJune 2022October 2025Allow4010NoNo
17785756AMPLIFIED HOLLOW CORE FIBER TRANSMISSIONJune 2022January 2026Abandon4301NoNo
17837124OPTICAL FIBER ASSEMBLY FOR MITIGATING STIMULATED BRILLOUIN SCATTERINGJune 2022July 2025Allow3700NoNo
17837883PASSIVE HIGH ENERGY Q-SWITCHED LASER SYSTEM WITH OPTICALLY SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-STAGE/MULTI-PASS AMPLIFICATIONJune 2022February 2026Allow4410NoNo
17836280LIDAR PIXEL WITH DUAL POLARIZATION RECEIVE OPTICAL ANTENNAJune 2022November 2022Allow510YesNo
17836153ACTIVE LMA OPTICAL FIBER WITH ENHANCED TRANSVERSE MODE STABILITYJune 2022November 2025Allow4210NoNo
17836775Gain Adjuster, Gain Adjustment Method, and Optical Line TerminalJune 2022November 2025Allow4210NoNo
17831169TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFYING TRUE SIGNALS IN COHERENT LIDAR SYSTEMSJune 2022October 2023Allow1610NoNo
17804228FULL-BAND, HIGH-POWER OPTICAL AMPLIFIERMay 2022November 2025Allow4210YesNo
17824820SEMICONDUCTOR LASER AND OPTICAL AMPLIFIER PHOTONIC PACKAGEMay 2022May 2024Allow2310NoNo
17664178Polarization Sensitive LiDAR SystemMay 2022November 2023Allow1810NoNo
17744705TUNABLE MICROCHIP LASER AND LASER SYSTEM FOR RANGING APPLICATIONSMay 2022October 2025Allow4101NoNo
17744042ENERGY METER CIRCUIT FOR SHORT AND LOW-INTENSITY LASER PULSESMay 2022July 2022Allow200NoNo
17775928THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITION FOR LIDAR SENSOR SYSTEM WITH IMPROVED ABSORPTION PROPERTIESMay 2022February 2026Allow4620NoNo
17740606Scalable Arbitrary Optical Waveform GenerationMay 2022October 2025Allow4110NoNo
17738882TECHNIQUES FOR USING MATCHED FILTERING IN COHERENT LIDAR SYSTEMSMay 2022August 2024Allow2720NoNo
17755666METHOD FOR TRACKING A SPACE OBJECT USING ON-BOARD RADAR AND LIDAR SYSTEMSMay 2022December 2025Allow4410NoNo
17732038TECHNIQUES FOR RANGE AND VELOCITY MEASUREMENTS IN A LIDAR SYSTEMApril 2022November 2023Allow1810NoNo
17727929CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE OPTICAL CONFINEMENT FOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIERSApril 2022June 2025Allow3700NoNo
17725867Determining Specular Reflectivity Characteristics Using LiDARApril 2022December 2023Allow2010NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner HELLNER, MARK.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
8
Examiner Affirmed
6
(75.0%)
Examiner Reversed
2
(25.0%)
Reversal Percentile
41.1%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 25.0% 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
18
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(11.1%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
16
(88.9%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
14.4%
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, 11.1% 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.

Strategic Recommendations

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 HELLNER, MARK - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner HELLNER, MARK works in Art Unit 3645 and has examined 1,348 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 92.7%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 30 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner HELLNER, MARK's allowance rate of 92.7% places them in the 79% 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 HELLNER, MARK receive 1.01 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 10% 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 HELLNER, MARK is 30 months. This places the examiner in the 61% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +8.1% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by HELLNER, MARK. This interview benefit is in the 38% 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, 40.8% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 92% 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 67.3% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 90% 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, 25.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 29% 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 46.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 12% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 28.6% 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.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 40.4% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 31% 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 0.4% of allowed cases (in the 59% 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 10.9% of allowed cases (in the 89% percentile). Per MPEP § 714.14, a Quayle action indicates that all claims are allowable but formal matters remain. This examiner frequently uses Quayle actions compared to other examiners, which is a positive indicator that once substantive issues are resolved, allowance follows quickly.

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.

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.