USPTO Examiner PATTON SPENCER D - Art Unit 3656

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19254134ROBOTIC ARM OBSTACLE AVOIDING PATH PLANNING METHODJune 2025December 2025Allow510NoNo
19235005Method and Apparatus for Position Alignment of Robotic Arm, as Well as Electronic DeviceJune 2025January 2026Allow710NoNo
19192418PATH TRACKING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IN-OIL INSPECTION ROBOT FOR STORAGE TANK BOTTOM PLATE IN INVISIBLE ENVIRONMENTApril 2025June 2025Allow100NoNo
19186481ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE DEPOSITSApril 2025December 2025Allow820YesNo
19181861POSTURE OPTIMIZATION AND FOLLOWING CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ROBOT USED IN FREEFORM SURFACE REPAIRApril 2025July 2025Allow310NoNo
19075819AUTOMATIC END EFFECTOR TIP POSITION INITIALIZATION MECHANISM FOR MICROMANIPULATION SYSTEMMarch 2025October 2025Allow710NoNo
19064661METHODS FOR IMPROVED HAND-EYE CALIBRATION BASED ON STRUCTURED LIGHT CAMERASFebruary 2025April 2025Allow200NoNo
18855651ROBOT WITH CHANGEABLE POSITION OF BODY WITH RESPECT TO A VEHICLE PORTIONOctober 2024June 2025Allow810NoNo
18884894METHOD, COMPUTER SYSTEM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORD MEDIUM FOR LEARNING ROBOT SKILLSeptember 2024February 2025Allow510YesNo
18827912DATA-DRIVEN BIPARTITE CONSENSUS CONTROL METHOD FOR MULTI-ROBOT COLLABORATIVE ROTATION OF LARGE WORKPIECESeptember 2024January 2025Allow510NoNo
18799439SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOUNTING OBJECTS ACROSS A NON-UNIFORM OUTDOOR TERRAINAugust 2024September 2024Allow200NoNo
18784896METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SAFE MAINTENANCE OF UNDERGROUND PIPELINE CORRIDOR BASED ON SMART GAS REGULATORY INTERNET OF THINGSJuly 2024January 2025Allow600NoNo
18760751SPINNING WORKSHOP INSPECTION METHOD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND STORAGE MEDIUMJuly 2024October 2025Allow1510NoNo
18754599APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION OF A ROBOTIC ARM IN A MODULAR SYSTEMJune 2024September 2025Allow1530YesNo
18751244CONTROL METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY HEALTH INSPECTION ROBOT FOR MULTI-INDEX COLLECTIONJune 2024January 2025Allow720NoNo
18652204TRAVERSAL BASED MIXTURE OF MOIST GRANULAR MATERIAL IN A BULK STOREMay 2024January 2026Allow2010YesNo
18617276MOVING OBJECT, REMOTE DRIVING SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF DISABLING REMOTE CONTROLMarch 2024February 2026Allow2310NoNo
18506672APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ROBOTIC MANIPULATORSNovember 2023October 2025Allow2410YesNo
18501303VARIABLE PAYLOAD ROBOTNovember 2023October 2025Allow2410NoNo
18490776UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE INSPECTION ROUTE GENERATING APPARATUS AND METHODOctober 2023January 2026Allow2710NoNo
18484480MOTION PLANNING TECHNIQUE FOR ROBOTIC SYSTEMSOctober 2023October 2025Allow2410YesNo
18377042FIREFIGHTER ROBOTIC SYSTEMOctober 2023April 2025Allow1840NoNo
18279941SAFETY FEATURES FOR A ROBOT ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF SAMESeptember 2023December 2025Allow2711NoNo
18235675HIERARCHICAL POLYTOPE WORKSPACE MAPPING FOR HUMAN-ROBOT COLLABORATIONAugust 2023August 2025Allow2410NoNo
18447082INTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC FOOTWEAR AND CONTROL LOGIC FOR AUTOMATED PEDESTRIAN COLLISION AVOIDANCEAugust 2023July 2025Allow2410NoNo
18226927APPARATUS, METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM FOR GENERATING OPERATION PATH OF ROBOTJuly 2023March 2026Abandon3120NoNo
18212415COOPERATIVE HIGH-CAPACITY AND HIGH-DEXTERITY MANIPULATORSJune 2023July 2025Allow2510YesNo
18202413ROBOT LOCALIZATION AND MAPPING ACCOMMODATING NON-UNIQUE LANDMARKSMay 2023August 2025Allow2720YesNo
18197251MOBILE ROBOT PROVIDING ENVIRONMENTAL MAPPING FOR HOUSEHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLMay 2023October 2025Allow3020NoNo
18144078LIFT DEVICE WITH ROBOTIC WELDING ATTACHMENT INNOVATIONSMay 2023December 2025Allow3240NoNo
18138927ROBOT DEVICE CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLING POSITION OF ROBOTApril 2023January 2025Allow2000NoNo
18123704MONITORING METHOD AND SYSTEMMarch 2023July 2025Allow2850YesNo
18180046Fleet Management Platform for Multi-Purpose RobotsMarch 2023January 2026Allow3450YesNo
18117093SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ACTIVATING MANUAL MANIPULATION USING LINKAGE INTERACTION SENSINGMarch 2023August 2025Allow2920YesNo
18017936PROCESSING SYSTEMJanuary 2023July 2025Allow2911NoNo
18077953MANUAL AND ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR MOVEMENT COORDINATIONDecember 2022November 2025Allow3541NoNo
18077135SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROBOTIC CONTROL UNDER CONTACTDecember 2022October 2024Abandon2310NoNo
17990037DETERMINISTIC ROBOT PATH PLANNING METHOD FOR OBSTACLE AVOIDANCENovember 2022February 2025Allow2710NoNo
17917206METHOD FOR GENERATING A LATERAL OFFSET TRAJECTORYOctober 2022April 2025Allow3011NoNo
17959515APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INFERRING DRIVING CHARACTERISTICS OF A VEHICLEOctober 2022April 2025Allow3120NoNo
17934782CONTROL OF AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTSSeptember 2022December 2024Allow2620YesNo
17897316AUTOMATIC REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR RESERVOIR CAPAugust 2022April 2025Allow3120NoNo
17891325SIMULATION LEARNING-BASED DROWSY DRIVING SIMULATION PLATFORM SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CARELESS DRIVING IN CONJUNCTION WITH DEEP LEARNINGAugust 2022May 2025Allow3330YesNo
17818372SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE BY TELEOPERATION BASED ON A SPEED LIMITERAugust 2022September 2025Allow3840NoNo
17791173CONTROL SYSTEMJuly 2022April 2025Allow3430YesNo
17810653SUBSTRATE TRANSFER METHOD AND SUBSTRATE TRANSFER SYSTEMJuly 2022September 2024Allow2610NoNo
17810408DRIVING HANDOVER SYSTEM, DRIVING HANDOVER METHODJuly 2022April 2025Abandon3320NoNo
17856196Method Of Setting Control Parameter Of Robot, Robot System, And Computer ProgramJuly 2022September 2024Allow2610NoNo
17784366CALIBRATING A VIRTUAL FORCE SENSOR OF A ROBOT MANIPULATORJune 2022December 2024Abandon3110NoNo
17832377SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WAFER MANUFACTURING PROCESS MANAGEMENTJune 2022July 2024Allow2610NoNo
17748672CHARGING PORT ALIGNMENT METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ROBOTIC CAR CHARGERSMay 2022December 2024Abandon3110NoNo
17744345FORCE ESTIMATION AND VISUAL FEEDBACK IN SURGICAL ROBOTICSMay 2022July 2025Allow3821YesNo
17690865PERCEPTION-BASED PARKING ASSISTANCE FOR AUTONOMOUS MACHINE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONSMarch 2022October 2024Allow3230YesNo
17677521CONTROLLING SEED PLACEMENT BASED ON PRIOR MATERIAL PLACEMENTFebruary 2022November 2024Allow3320YesNo
17528873ELEVATOR INTERACTIONS BY MOBILE ROBOTNovember 2021February 2025Abandon3930NoNo
17436727METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING AUTOMATIC CAMERA CALIBRATION FOR ROBOT CONTROLSeptember 2021March 2025Allow4240YesNo
17199174OBJECT REARRANGEMENT USING LEARNED IMPLICIT COLLISION FUNCTIONSMarch 2021April 2025Allow4951YesNo
17146004WORK APPARATUS HAVING UNDER-TABLE ROBOTJanuary 2021October 2024Allow4640NoNo
16851529PROVIDING NAVIGATIONAL DATA TO A DRIVER COMPUTING DEVICE TO DIRECT THE DRIVER COMPUTING DEVICE TO A GEOGRAPHIC REGION IN VIEW OF A LOCATION SPECIFIED BY THE DRIVER COMPUTING DEVICEApril 2020May 2025Allow6020YesNo
16639493INTERACTION SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONFebruary 2020April 2025Abandon6070YesNo
16138758INTELLIGENT INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODSSeptember 2018May 2019Allow810YesNo
15707683SYSTEM AND CALIBRATION, REGISTRATION, AND TRAINING METHODSSeptember 2017March 2020Allow3011NoNo
15395180DRONE SWARM FOR INCREASED CARGO CAPACITYDecember 2016February 2019Allow2510NoNo
15369812INTELLIGENT SERVICE ROBOT AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODSDecember 2016April 2019Allow2820NoNo
15311753COLLISION DETECTIONNovember 2016March 2019Allow2810YesNo
15311739STANDBY MODE OF A HUMANOID ROBOTNovember 2016November 2019Allow3520YesNo
15252712INTELLIGENT ROBOT WITH DIFFERENT ACCOUTERMENTSAugust 2016July 2018Allow2210NoNo
15117858METHOD AND AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A PLANNED ARRANGEMENTAugust 2016December 2018Allow2920NoNo
15044834ROBOT APPARATUSFebruary 2016October 2017Allow2010NoNo
14921899CUSTOMER SERVICE ROBOT AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODSOctober 2015August 2017Allow2210NoNo
14834865METHOD OF DYNAMIC CONTROL OF A ROTARY- WING DRONE IN THROW STARTAugust 2015March 2017Allow1900NoNo
14663897ROBOTMarch 2015August 2016Allow1710NoNo
14371949VEHICLE TEST APPARATUS AND METHODJuly 2014February 2017Allow3120YesNo
14323047DYNAMICAL SYSTEM-BASED ROBOT VELOCITY CONTROLJuly 2014March 2016Allow2010NoNo
14363015FORKLIFT AND CONTROL METHOD OF FORKLIFTJune 2014December 2016Allow3010YesNo
14185548LOW-COST, HIGH-RELIABILITY CONTROLLER FOR REMOTELY OPERATED ROBOTSFebruary 2014January 2015Allow1120YesNo
13910526ROBOT AND ROBOT CONTROL METHODJune 2013April 2015Allow2320NoNo
13877041A BATTERY QUICK-CHANGE SYSTEM FOR AN ELECTRIC PASSENGER CAR CHASSIS HAVING A CARTESIAN COORDINATE ROBOTMarch 2013June 2014Allow1520YesNo
13841031METHODS, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS FOR STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION REDUCTION IN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEMSMarch 2013April 2015Allow2520NoNo
13770812System And A Method For Providing Safe Remote Access To A Robot ControllerFebruary 2013October 2013Allow810YesNo
13575502PARKING AND STOPPING CONTROL SYSTEMJuly 2012August 2017Allow6090YesNo
13493997AUTOMATED CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY AND METHODJune 2012April 2014Allow2311NoNo
13514420POWER CONTROL DEVICE AND POWER CONTROL METHODJune 2012July 2015Allow3720YesNo
13486551DISTANCE BASED VEHICLE UPDATING SERVERJune 2012September 2014Allow2800NoNo
13486019ROBOT POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SEMICONDUCTOR TOOLSJune 2012January 2016Allow4430YesNo
13512944CONTROL DEVICE FOR POWER DEVICEMay 2012November 2015Allow4240YesNo
12910451REAL-TIME DATA AIDING FOR ENHANCED GPS PERFORMANCEOctober 2010May 2011Allow600NoNo
12881998MOTOR ASSISTANCE FOR A HYBRID VEHICLE BASED ON PREDICTED DRIVING RANGESeptember 2010August 2015Allow5940YesNo
12820909VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL WITH PACKET AND VOICE OVER PACKET COMMUNICATIONS AND SYSTEMS INCORPORATING SUCH A TOOLJune 2010March 2014Allow4530YesNo
12762739DRIVER WORKLOAD-BASED VEHICLE STABILITY ENHANCEMENT SYSTEMApril 2010April 2011Allow1220YesNo
12692221TRAVEL DEVICEJanuary 2010June 2011Allow1720NoNo
12560057ROBOT CONTROL APPARATUS, ROBOT CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING RECORDED THEREON A ROBOT CONTROL PROGRAMSeptember 2009September 2012Allow3600NoNo
12512153OPENING AND CLOSING CONTROL APPARATUS FOR ROOF PANEL FOR VEHICLEJuly 2009January 2013Allow4110YesNo
12490856METHOD AND SYSTEM OF DETERMINING LOAD CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRAILERJune 2009November 2012Allow4010YesNo
10582070METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING AN ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED BRAKE SYSTEM WITH DRIVING DYNAMICS CONTROLMarch 2009October 2012Allow6010NoNo
12320568ROBOT SIMULATOR AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING ROBOT SIMULATORJanuary 2009October 2014Allow6030NoNo
12317698METHOD FOR THE CONTROL OF AN ASSEMBLYDecember 2008September 2012Allow4520NoNo
12299789METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROL AND SAFE BRAKING IN PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEMS WITH LINEAR INDUCTION MOTORSNovember 2008August 2012Allow4611NoNo
12117101MANIPULATORS EMPLOYING MULTIPLE DEFORMABLE ELONGATE MEMBERSMay 2008September 2010Allow2920NoNo
11837198CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AN AT LEAST TEMPORARILY FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVEN MOTOR VEHICLEAugust 2007August 2011Allow4810YesNo

Appeals Overview

No appeal data available for this record. This may indicate that no appeals have been filed or decided for applications in this dataset.

Examiner PATTON, SPENCER D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner PATTON, SPENCER D works in Art Unit 3656 and has examined 73 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 95.9%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 45 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner PATTON, SPENCER D's allowance rate of 95.9% places them in the 85% 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 PATTON, SPENCER D receive 2.79 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 82% 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 PATTON, SPENCER D is 45 months. This places the examiner in the 13% 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 -1.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by PATTON, SPENCER 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, 22.1% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 27% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show below-average effectiveness with this examiner. Carefully evaluate whether an RCE or continuation is the better strategy.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 23.6% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 31% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner shows below-average receptiveness to after-final amendments. You may need to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 44.4% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 38% 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 15.1% of allowed cases (in the 96% percentile). Per MPEP § 1302.04, examiner's amendments are used to place applications in condition for allowance when only minor changes are needed. This examiner frequently uses this tool compared to other examiners, indicating a cooperative approach to getting applications allowed. Strategic Insight: If you are close to allowance but minor claim amendments are needed, this examiner may be willing to make an examiner's amendment rather than requiring another round of prosecution.

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 2.9% of allowed cases (in the 73% 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:

  • 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 extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.
  • Examiner cooperation: This examiner frequently makes examiner's amendments to place applications in condition for allowance. If you are close to allowance, the examiner may help finalize the claims.

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.