USPTO Examiner KNIGHT DEREK DOUGLAS - Art Unit 3659

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18581689TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR A PLANETARY GEAR TRAIN MULTI-GEAR HYBRID VEHICLE AND TRANSMISSION METHOD THEREFORFebruary 2024June 2024Allow400NoNo
18462775POWER TRAIN OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONSeptember 2023April 2024Allow710NoNo
18231989APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLEAugust 2023June 2024Allow1100NoNo
18262202CONTROL METHOD AND CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR VEHICLEJuly 2023June 2024Allow1100NoNo
18203832HYBRID TRANSMISSION FOR A VEHICLEMay 2023December 2023Allow710NoNo
18039009HYBRID TRANSMISSION FOR A VEHICLEMay 2023January 2024Allow810NoNo
18254553Method for Controlling a Braking System of a Motor VehicleMay 2023April 2024Allow1010NoNo
18198718AIRCRAFT COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO TURBOSHAFT ENGINES AND DEVICE CONFIGURED TO BE CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE TURBOSHAFT ENGINES AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SUCH AN AIRCRAFTMay 2023April 2024Allow1110NoNo
18196048EPICYCLIC GEAR TRAINMay 2023July 2024Allow1420NoNo
18030370TWO-SPEED TRANSMISSIONApril 2023March 2024Allow1110NoNo
18025415METHOD FOR DETERMINING AN OPERATIVE SHIFT CONFIGURATON OF A DRIVE MECHANISM OF A GEARBOX OF A SADDLE-RIDE TYPE VEHICLEMarch 2023December 2023Allow1010NoNo
18173578LOW COST SPIN ACTUATORSFebruary 2023January 2024Abandon1010NoNo
18021337PLANETARY GEARBOX HAVING IMPROVED LUBRICANT TRANSFER, DRIVE TRAIN, WIND TURBINE AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONFebruary 2023April 2024Allow1410NoNo
18165173SPEED REDUCTION GEAR FOR AN AIRCRAFT TURBOMACHINEFebruary 2023December 2023Allow1010NoNo
18154346CONTROL METHOD FOR CALIBRATING AN ACTUATION OF A CONVERTER LOCK-UP CLUTCH OF A HYDRODYNAMIC TORQUE CONVERTERJanuary 2023February 2024Allow1310NoNo
18015418Motor Vehicle Having at Least Two Drive Motors and Having an Automatic Transmission Which Has a Fixed and a Power Split Gear RatioJanuary 2023May 2024Allow1700YesNo
18147919CONTROL DEVICEDecember 2022October 2023Allow900NoNo
18013036Motor Vehicle Having at Least Two Drive Motors and Having an Automatic Gearbox That Has One Fixed and One Power-Split Transmission RatioDecember 2022December 2023Allow1110NoNo
18086024COMPLEX PLANETARY DESIGN UTILIZING PLANET GEOMETRY FOR STACKABLE AND REVERSIBLE PLANETARIESDecember 2022June 2023Allow600NoNo
18068332PLANETARY GEARBOX FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE, AND GAS TURBINE ENGINEDecember 2022March 2024Allow1510NoNo
18075787PARALLEL HYBRID POWER PLANT WITH HOLLOW MOTORDecember 2022January 2024Allow1320NoNo
17999855Method and Device for Controlling State Switching of Fluid Torque Converter, and Storage MediumNovember 2022January 2024Allow1310NoNo
17926873FRICTIONAL ROLLER REDUCERNovember 2022October 2023Allow1110YesNo
18048620HYBRID ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLEOctober 2022June 2024Allow2020YesNo
17920744CONTROLLING ENERGY MANAGEMENT OF A TRACTION BATTERY OF A HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLEOctober 2022March 2024Abandon1610NoNo
17919244MULTI-SPEED TURBINE REDUCTION GEARBOX SYSTEM AND METHODOctober 2022August 2023Allow1010NoNo
17947432SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADJUSTING ENGINE OPERATING POINTS BASED ON EMISSIONS SENSOR FEEDBACKSeptember 2022July 2023Allow1010NoNo
17944365AXLE ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLANETARY GEAR SETSeptember 2022August 2023Allow1120NoNo
17903699SELECTIVE POWER DISTRIBUTION FOR AN AIRCRAFT PROPULSION SYSTEMSeptember 2022November 2023Allow1510NoNo
17904695EXTREME TRANSMISSION RATIO EFFICIENT MECHANISMAugust 2022January 2024Allow1710NoNo
17872239PIVOT FOR A TURBOMACHINE MECHANICAL REDUCTION GEARJuly 2022March 2023Allow710NoNo
17813453TURBOMACHINE AND GEAR ASSEMBLYJuly 2022December 2023Allow1720NoNo
17793368GEARBOXJuly 2022July 2023Allow1210NoNo
17792859Drive Device for Electrically Driving a Motor Vehicle, in Particular a Passenger VehicleJuly 2022March 2023Allow800NoNo
17791581ELECTRIC MACHINE GEARBOX AND ENGINE STARTER AND POWER GENERATOR INCLUDING GEARBOXJuly 2022March 2024Allow2010NoNo
17789369POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICEJune 2022August 2023Allow1400NoNo
17847149PLANET CARRIER FOR A SPEED REDUCER OF AN AIRCRAFT TURBOMACHINEJune 2022March 2023Allow910NoNo
17806756TRANSMISSION AND AGRICULTURAL OR INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLEJune 2022October 2022Allow400NoNo
17806749TRANSMISSION AND AGRICULTURAL OR INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLEJune 2022July 2023Allow1320NoNo
17806761TRANSMISSION AND AGRICULTURAL OR INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLEJune 2022March 2023Allow900NoNo
17806742TRANSMISSION AND AGRICULTURAL OR INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLEJune 2022July 2023Allow1320NoNo
17783218BRAKE CONTROL DEVICEJune 2022November 2023Allow1810NoNo
17781525DRIVE APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLEJune 2022December 2023Allow1910NoNo
17752756OUTPUT DEVICEMay 2022July 2023Allow1410NoNo
17778460HYBRIDISED DRIVETRAIN AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAID DRIVETRAINMay 2022August 2023Allow1510NoNo
17743322GEAR SYSTEMSMay 2022November 2022Allow610NoNo
17735184POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICE AND AUTOMOBILE INCLUDING THE SAMEMay 2022June 2024Allow2640YesNo
17772554COMPACT GEARED REDUCTION UNIT FOR APPLICATION WITH TRANSMISSION SHAFT SUBJECTED TO RADIAL LOADSApril 2022December 2023Allow2010NoNo
17729165TRANSMISSIONApril 2022May 2023Abandon1310NoNo
17771312A TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLYApril 2022June 2023Allow1410NoNo
17724844LUBRICATION STRUCTURE OF PLANETARY GEAR SET UTILIZING INNER PIPEApril 2022November 2023Allow1920NoNo
17659785TRANSMISSION DEVICE OF HYBRID VEHICLEApril 2022January 2023Allow910NoNo
17719783TRANSMISSION ARRANGEMENTApril 2022March 2023Allow1210NoNo
17711177EPICYCLIC GEAR TRAINApril 2022February 2023Allow1010NoNo
17761926PLANETARY GEAR TRANSMISSION BOXMarch 2022April 2024Allow2520NoNo
17654219DUAL MOTOR ELECTRIC DRIVELINEMarch 2022December 2023Allow2110NoNo
17685804POWER TRANSMISSION APPARATUS OF A HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLEMarch 2022January 2023Allow1000NoNo
17675738ADJUSTABLE RING SHIM FOR TRACTION DRIVEFebruary 2022October 2022Allow800NoNo
17636120VEHICLE DRIVE DEVICEFebruary 2022June 2023Allow1610NoNo
17671072DRIVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE AND CONSTRUCTION MACHINEFebruary 2022March 2024Allow2511NoNo
17582546MECHANICAL REDUCERJanuary 2022July 2023Allow1820NoNo
17415994PLANETARY GEAR SYSTEMJanuary 2022June 2023Allow2410NoNo
17578818GEAR TRAIN WITH VARIABLE INPUT DIRECTION OF ROTATION AND CONSTANT OUTPUT DIRECTION OF ROTATIONJanuary 2022October 2022Allow900NoNo
17627880TWO-GEAR BRIDGE DRIVING SYSTEM AND VEHICLEJanuary 2022March 2023Allow1410NoNo
17627699REDUCERJanuary 2022January 2023Allow1200NoNo
17626216EPICYCLIC REDUCTION GEAR FOR A TURBOMACHINEJanuary 2022July 2023Allow1810YesNo
17625910PLANETARY TRANSMISSION WITH DIFFERENTIALJanuary 2022January 2024Allow2440NoNo
17625502GEARWHEEL TRANSMISSION WITH HIGH TRANSMISSION RATIO AND WITH IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND/OR INCREASED CAPACITY FOR TRANSMITTING TORQUEJanuary 2022March 2023Allow1400YesNo
17558609MODULARIZED COAXIAL GEAR SET REDUCTION MECHANISMDecember 2021February 2023Allow1410NoNo
17558607SHORT-AXLE-DISTANCE LARGE-SPEED-RATIO GEAR SET STRUCTUREDecember 2021October 2022Allow1000NoNo
17560137COUPLING STRUCTURE AND MODULARIZED COAXIAL GEAR TRAIN REDUCTION MECHANISM USING SAMEDecember 2021October 2022Allow1000NoNo
17596796TRANSMISSION MODULE FOR A HYBRID DRIVE VEHICLEDecember 2021May 2024Allow2900NoNo
17553300CYCLOID TRANSMISSIONDecember 2021July 2022Allow700NoNo
17542797PLANETARY GEAR MECHANISM AND GEARED MOTORDecember 2021March 2023Allow1610NoNo
17540400RING GEAR MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT WITH OIL SCAVENGE SCHEMEDecember 2021July 2022Allow700NoNo
17596045PLANETARY REDUCTION GEAR FOR AN AIRCRAFT TURBINE ENGINEDecember 2021April 2024Allow2830NoNo
17608605PLANETARY REDUCTION GEARNovember 2021June 2023Allow1910NoNo
17605666TRANSMISSION AND VEHICLE WITH TRANSMISSIONOctober 2021September 2023Allow2310NoNo
17594540PLANETARY GEAR DEVICE CARRIER AND PLANETARY GEAR DEVICEOctober 2021November 2022Allow1310NoNo
17603655SPEED REDUCER OF A TURBOMACHINEOctober 2021March 2023Allow1710NoNo
17495209MECHANICAL REDUCTION GEAR FOR AN AIRCRAFT TURBINE ENGINEOctober 2021May 2022Allow710NoNo
17490240VEHICLE DRIVELINE COMPONENT HAVING A HOUSING WITH A LUBE FEED RAMP FOR PROVIDING INCREASED LUBRICATION TO A BEARING THAT SUPPORTS A PINIONSeptember 2021October 2022Allow1200NoNo
17600364GEARBOXSeptember 2021August 2023Abandon2320NoNo
17442457GEARLESS TRANSMISSION UNIT HAVING UNILATERALLY POSITIONED FINGER ASSISTSSeptember 2021May 2023Allow2020NoNo
17441459WHEEL HEAD TRANSMISSION FOR A WHEEL HEAD OF A MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVE AXLE, AND WHEEL HEADSeptember 2021November 2022Allow1410NoNo
17448074REDUCTION GEAR FOR RING GEAR RETENTIONSeptember 2021July 2022Allow1000NoNo
17440950FRICTIONAL ROLLER REDUCERSeptember 2021November 2023Allow2620YesNo
17437919Hybrid Transmission Device and Motor VehicleSeptember 2021December 2023Abandon2710NoNo
17469951PLANETARY GEAR ACTUATORSeptember 2021February 2023Allow1710NoNo
17460822ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLEAugust 2021June 2023Allow2120NoNo
17433883PLANET CARRIER OF A PLANET ARY GEARBOX AND PLANET ARY GEARBOX HAVING A PLANET CARRIER OF THIS KINDAugust 2021April 2022Allow700NoNo
17410448SEALING SYSTEM, GEAR BOX WITH SEALING SYSTEM AND A GAS TURBINE ENGINE WITH SEALING SYSTEMAugust 2021October 2022Allow1310NoNo
17404739MOTIVE POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR VEHICLEAugust 2021May 2022Allow910NoNo
17444346EPICYCLIC GEAR CARRIER ASSEMBLY HAVING AN INTEGRATED LUBRICATION PUMPAugust 2021April 2023Allow2030YesNo
17382925DRIVING FORCE TRANSMITTING APPARATUS, SHEET CONVEYANCE APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUSJuly 2021April 2023Allow2010NoNo
17383203IN-WHEEL DRIVING APPARATUS AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE SAMEJuly 2021October 2022Allow1420NoNo
17381050ELECTRIC AXLE ASSEMBLY AND OPERATING METHODJuly 2021March 2023Allow2010NoNo
17365524DRIVETRAIN FOR A MIXERJuly 2021March 2024Abandon3320NoNo
17418780BALANCED SPEED REDUCER OF DUAL-RING GEAR VARIABLE-LINE-SPEED PLANETARY ROWJune 2021May 2022Allow1000NoNo
17413690TRANSMISSION AND WORK VEHICLEJune 2021April 2022Allow1010NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
6
Examiner Affirmed
6
(100.0%)
Examiner Reversed
0
(0.0%)
Reversal Percentile
15.8%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 0.0% 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.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
9
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(22.2%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
7
(77.8%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
26.6%
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, 22.2% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is below the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal has limited effectiveness in prompting favorable reconsideration.

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 KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS works in Art Unit 3659 and has examined 565 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 91.2%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 19 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS's allowance rate of 91.2% places them in the 74% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS receive 0.83 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 8% 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 KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS is 19 months. This places the examiner in the 93% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications move through prosecution relatively quickly with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a -3.0% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS. This interview benefit is in the 5% 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, 35.5% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 75% 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 62.7% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 85% 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, 200.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 98% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. Before filing a full appeal brief, strongly consider requesting a PAC. The PAC provides an opportunity for the examiner and supervisory personnel to reconsider the rejection before the case proceeds to the PTAB.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 33.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 3% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 33.3% 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, 24.4% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 15% 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 0.2% of allowed cases (in the 49% 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 3.5% of allowed cases (in the 74% 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:

  • 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.
  • Request pre-appeal conferences: PACs are highly effective with this examiner. Before filing a full appeal brief, request a PAC to potentially resolve issues without full PTAB review.

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.