USPTO Examiner BRAINARD TIMOTHY A - Art Unit 3648

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18794484TIME SERIES INSAR TROPOSPHERIC DELAY CORRECTION IN COMPLEX MOUNTAINOUS AREASAugust 2024February 2025Allow610NoNo
18792542SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR IMAGE COMPRESSIONAugust 2024April 2025Allow920NoNo
18784934THREE-DIMENSIONAL DEFORMATION FIELD MODELING METHOD FUSING GNSS/INSAR OBSERVATION DATAJuly 2024January 2025Allow610NoNo
18654493RANGE-GATED IMAGERMay 2024July 2024Allow300NoNo
18694705Application of Adaptive Pulse Compression (APC) in Cluttered Radar Cross-Section (RCS) MeasurementsMarch 2024July 2024Allow310YesNo
18394544RADAR OBJECT CLASSIFICATION METHOD AND SYSTEMDecember 2023April 2025Allow1630YesNo
18358975ITERATIVE FOCUSED MILLIMETER WAVE INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION AND SENSING METHODJuly 2023March 2024Allow810NoNo
18272657METHOD FOR ACTIVATING A MOTOR VEHICLE FUNCTION AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVATION DEVICEJuly 2023July 2024Allow1230YesNo
18219733AIRPORT STAND ARRANGEMENTJuly 2023September 2024Abandon1420YesNo
18266475CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER FROM SPACEJune 2023April 2025Allow2210NoNo
18168225RADAR INTERFERENCE MITIGATION BY MONITORING OF CHANNELS AND SWITCHING TO INTERFERENCE-FREE CHANNELFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2810YesNo
18081169RADAR INTERFERENCE DETECTIONDecember 2022June 2025Allow3010NoNo
18000749ELECTRONIC DEVICE, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND PROGRAMDecember 2022June 2025Allow3010YesNo
17932461Detecting a Frame-of-Reference Change in a Smart-Device-Based Radar SystemSeptember 2022April 2024Allow1910YesNo
17874797FREQUENCY MODULATED CONTINUOUS WAVE RADAR SYSTEMJuly 2022February 2024Allow1900NoNo
17857784LIVE POINT CLOUD COMPRESSION WITH EGOMOTION PROPAGATIONJuly 2022March 2024Allow2001NoNo
17856109Methods and Apparatus for Velocity Detection in MIMO Radar Including Velocity Ambiguity ResolutionJuly 2022January 2024Allow1900NoNo
17809116Waveguide with Slot Antennas and ReflectorsJune 2022July 2025Allow3610NoNo
17807911MODULAR RADAR SYSTEMSJune 2022May 2025Allow3510YesNo
17744566RADAR CLUSTERING USING MACHINE LEARNINGMay 2022April 2025Allow3520YesNo
17775512METHOD FOR REMOVING RANDOM NOISE OF RADAR COLLECTION SIGNAL IN BIOMETRIC SIGNAL MEASUREMENT RADAR, AND APPARATUS FOR SAMEMay 2022November 2024Allow3000NoNo
17704414Method for Operating a Heating Device for Controlling the Temperature of a Radome of a Radar Sensor of a Vehicle by Using Image Data from a Camera, Computing Device, Heating Control System and VehicleMarch 2022September 2023Allow1730NoNo
17693458RADAR REFLECTOR, PROTECTOR AND WEARMarch 2022December 2024Allow3311NoNo
17653275POINT CLOUD DATA FUSION METHOD AND APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, STORAGE MEDIUM AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMarch 2022January 2023Abandon1110NoNo
17651859Ghost Object DetectionFebruary 2022August 2024Allow3010YesNo
17753022RADAR SENSOR, MOTOR VEHICLE, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A RADAR SENSORFebruary 2022March 2025Allow3730YesNo
17668941SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER-ACCESSIBLE MEDIUM FOR REAL TIME IMAGING USING A PORTABLE DEVICEFebruary 2022January 2025Allow3510NoNo
17649649SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF CALIBRATING A RANGE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMFebruary 2022August 2024Allow3110NoNo
17574417SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MICROWAVE IMAGINGJanuary 2022July 2024Allow3010NoNo
17563062FOREIGN-OBJECT DETECTION SYSTEMDecember 2021August 2024Allow3110NoNo
17553370RADAR APPARATUSDecember 2021February 2025Allow3810YesNo
17552627HIGH-RESOLUTION RADAR TARGET SIGNATURE SMEARING CORRECTIONDecember 2021October 2024Allow3410NoNo
17552056SYSTEM FOR DETECTING BLACK ICE ON ROADS USING BEAMFORMING ARRAY RADARDecember 2021November 2024Abandon3510NoNo
17552200SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER-ACCESSIBLE MEDIUM FOR REAL TIME IMAGING USING A PORTABLE DEVICEDecember 2021January 2025Allow3810NoNo
17643110MONITORING IMPEDANCE MATCHING OF A RECEIVE ANTENNA AND MONITORING A RECEIVE CHAIN USING A TEST SIGNALDecember 2021July 2024Allow3110YesNo
17541516VECTOR SENSOR ARRAY SURFACE WAVE RADARDecember 2021July 2024Allow3210NoNo
17521804Proximity Detection Using Multiple Power LevelsNovember 2021June 2024Allow3110NoNo
17451700VEHICULAR SENSING SYSTEM USING MIMO RADAR SENSOR UNITSOctober 2021May 2023Allow1900NoNo
17604534HYGIENIC TANK SEALOctober 2021January 2024Allow2700NoNo
17479002DISTANCE MEASUREMENT USING MILLIMETER WAVE RADARSeptember 2021October 2023Allow2510NoNo
17396032Scene-Adaptive RadarAugust 2021January 2025Allow4121NoNo
17391247DIPOLE-RESONATOR RESISTIVE ABSORBERAugust 2021November 2023Allow2800NoNo
17389745TEST SYSTEM AND FEEDTHROUGH ASSEMBLYJuly 2021December 2023Allow2900NoNo
17387173RADAR DEVICE, SIGNAL PROCESSOR, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING METHODJuly 2021August 2023Allow2410NoNo
17443160CAMERA AUGMENTED BICYCLE RADAR SENSOR SYSTEMJuly 2021July 2023Allow2400NoNo
17381658METHOD OF TARGET FEATURE EXTRACTION BASED ON MILLIMETER-WAVE RADAR ECHOJuly 2021November 2023Allow2710NoNo
17373457GENERATING A SUBTERRANEAN MAP WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADARJuly 2021March 2025Allow4440YesNo
17420147AIRPORT STAND ARRANGEMENTJuly 2021October 2024Allow3920YesNo
17364026SECONDARY RADAR IMPROVING AERIAL SAFETY VIA VERY-LONG-RANGE ADS-B DETECTIONJune 2021November 2023Allow2810NoNo
17304858VEHICLE RADAR SYSTEM WITH SOLUTION FOR ADC SATURATIONJune 2021April 2023Allow2100NoNo
17347896APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CALIBRATING AND ALIGNING AUTOMOTIVE SENSORSJune 2021March 2024Allow3310YesNo
17342111RADAR DEVICEJune 2021June 2024Allow3630NoNo
17339042ENERGY-SAVING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR A PRESENCE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A MOTOR VEHICLEJune 2021October 2023Allow2900NoNo
17299398IMPEDANCE MATCHING FILM FOR RADIO WAVE ABSORBER, IMPEDANCE MATCHING FILM-ATTACHED FILM FOR RADIO WAVE ABSORBER, RADIO WAVE ABSORBER, AND LAMINATE FOR RADIO WAVE ABSORBERJune 2021February 2024Allow3210NoNo
17331425DYNAMIC POWER MANAGEMENT IN LOW POWER RADAR SOLUTIONSMay 2021January 2025Allow4430NoNo
17316462TRANSMISSION CONTROL DEVICE, VEHICLE SYSTEM, TRANSMISSION CONTROL METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM PRODUCTMay 2021October 2023Allow2910NoNo
17292607SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CALIBRATING A RADAR ROTATABLE ANTENNA SYSTEMMay 2021October 2023Allow2900NoNo
17244511MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND METHODS OF MEASURING A REFLECTION COEFFICIENTApril 2021October 2021Allow600NoNo
17240456SELECTIVE INTRUSION DETECTION SYSTEMSApril 2021May 2023Allow2410YesNo
17240548INCREASING CACHE HITS FOR SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADARApril 2021June 2023Allow2610NoNo
17046955METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING A RADAR CROSS SECTION, METHOD FOR TRAINING AN INTERACTION MODEL, AND RADAR TARGET EMULATOR AND TEST FACILITYApril 2021September 2023Allow3500NoNo
17283813METHOD FOR DETERMINING AN OCCUPANCY STATE OF A PARKING SPACEApril 2021April 2024Abandon3610NoNo
17222766META SECONDARY RADARApril 2021February 2023Allow2200NoNo
17282550ELECTRONIC DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND CONTROL PROGRAM OF ELECTRONIC DEVICEApril 2021March 2024Allow3510YesNo
17301448DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR TRACKING AN OBJECT USING RADAR DATA AND IMAGER DATAApril 2021July 2023Allow2820NoNo
17220397RADAR SYSTEM FOR GENERATING AN ON-DEMAND DISTRIBUTED APERTURE BY MECHANICAL ARTICULATIONApril 2021December 2022Allow2100NoNo
17281858METHOD FOR ACQUIRING ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION BY MEANS OF MULTIPLE RADAR SENSORSMarch 2021September 2023Allow3010NoNo
17216749METHOD AND DEVICES FOR RADAR INTERFERENCE REDUCTIONMarch 2021December 2022Allow2000NoNo
17215585ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING ANTENNAS FOR ANGLE OF ARRIVAL MEASUREMENTMarch 2021October 2023Allow3000NoNo
17188676METHOD FOR PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE PIECE OF TARGET INFORMATIONMarch 2021March 2023Allow2410NoNo
17163191GAN-BASED DATA SYNTHESIS FOR SEMI-SUPERVISED LEARNING OF A RADAR SENSORJanuary 2021April 2024Allow3910NoNo
17153788Radar System with Sparse Primary Array and Dense Auxiliary ArrayJanuary 2021January 2023Allow2410YesNo
17152846OBJECT TRACKING IN AN AREA OF DISTRIBUTED SENSORSJanuary 2021March 2023Allow2610NoNo
17148689APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING PHASE ERROR OF CHIRP SIGNALJanuary 2021December 2021Allow1120YesNo
17143147ANGULAR RESOLUTION REFINEMENT IN A VEHICLE RADAR FOR OBJECT IDENTIFICATIONJanuary 2021April 2024Allow3930NoNo
17139480CALIBRATION OF A PHASED ARRAYDecember 2020August 2023Allow3200NoNo
17119101RADAR BASED PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES USING SPATIOTEMPORAL INTERPOLATIONDecember 2020April 2024Abandon4010NoNo
17109317CO-PRIME CODED (CPC) DOPPLER DIVISION MULTIPLEXING (DDM) MIMO RADAR METHOD AND SYSTEMDecember 2020August 2022Allow2000NoNo
17058522SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR METHOD AND SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR DEVICENovember 2020August 2022Allow2100NoNo
17058248SYSTEM FOR DETECTING UNCRUSHABLE MATERIALS FOR INSTALLATION IN HEAVY MACHINERY BUCKETSNovember 2020March 2024Abandon3910NoNo
17058586RADAR HEAD POSE LOCALIZATIONNovember 2020August 2023Allow3300NoNo
16952134VEHICLE AND VEHICLE SYSTEMNovember 2020February 2025Allow5110NoNo
17097373SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EMULATING DIFFUSE TARGETSNovember 2020March 2025Allow5200NoNo
17090668SENSOR CALIBRATIONNovember 2020March 2023Allow2820YesNo
17080452MANIPULATION OF 3-D RF IMAGERY AND ON-WALL MARKING OF DETECTED STRUCTUREOctober 2020January 2023Allow2710NoNo
17079674RADAR TARGET SIMULATOR WITH CONTINUOUS DISTANCE EMULATION AND CORRESPONDING SIMULATION METHODOctober 2020November 2024Allow4930NoNo
17074259Electronic Devices Having Millimeter Wave Ranging CapabilitiesOctober 2020May 2023Allow3120YesNo
17073821RADOME FOR A RADAR SENSOR OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND MOTOR VEHICLEOctober 2020December 2022Allow2610NoNo
17047622Portable Vehicle Sensor Calibration Apparatus Having a Suction MechanismOctober 2020November 2023Allow3710NoNo
16982680OBJECT DETECTION DEVICE AND OBJECT DETECTION METHODSeptember 2020October 2023Allow3710NoNo
16981339DISTANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMSeptember 2020May 2025Abandon5610NoNo
17020931NOISE MITIGATION IN RADAR SYSTEMSSeptember 2020April 2023Allow3110NoNo
17019531Fano-Based Information Theoretic Method (FBIT) for Design and Optimization of Nonlinear SystemsSeptember 2020January 2025Allow5210NoNo
17012528STRADDLE TYPE VEHICLESeptember 2020November 2023Allow3810NoNo
17009396METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EMITTING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND RECEIVING PARTIAL RADIATION REFLECTED BY THE OBJECTSSeptember 2020July 2022Allow2200NoNo
16976852RADAR SENSOR SYSTEMAugust 2020April 2023Allow3230NoNo
16976313METHOD FOR JOINT RADAR-COMMUNICATIONAugust 2020June 2023Allow3420YesNo
17002150LIVE POINT CLOUD COMPRESSION WITH EGOMOTION PROPAGATIONAugust 2020June 2022Allow2100NoNo
16997328RADAR REPEATERS FOR NON-LINE-OF-SIGHT TARGET DETECTIONAugust 2020July 2023Allow3521YesNo
16994313METHOD OF PROCESSING WAVEFORMS AT A MULTIPLE-INPUT-MULTIPLE-OUTPUT (MIMO) RADAR FOR AN UNKNOWN TARGETAugust 2020November 2020Allow300NoNo

Appeals Overview

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

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
10
Examiner Affirmed
5
(50.0%)
Examiner Reversed
5
(50.0%)
Reversal Percentile
76.6%
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
22
Allowed After Appeal Filing
9
(40.9%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
13
(59.1%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
65.8%
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, 40.9% 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 BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A works in Art Unit 3648 and has examined 763 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 89.6%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 31 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A's allowance rate of 89.6% places them in the 69% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A receive 1.46 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 34% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues fewer office actions than average, which may indicate efficient prosecution or a more lenient examination style.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A is 31 months. This places the examiner in the 37% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +2.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by BRAINARD, TIMOTHY A. This interview benefit is in the 21% 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, 31.6% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 57% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. Consider whether your amendments or new arguments are strong enough to warrant an RCE versus filing a continuation.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 52.7% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 74% 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, 25.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 27% 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 39% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 38.9% 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, 60.3% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 77% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are frequently granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1002.02(c), various examiner actions are petitionable to the Technology Center Director, including prematureness of final rejection, refusal to enter amendments, and requirement for information. If you believe an examiner action is improper, consider filing a petition.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.5% of allowed cases (in the 60% 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 2.0% of allowed cases (in the 66% 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.