USPTO Examiner THOMAS ANA D - Art Unit 3661

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19061771SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTELLIGENTLY TRANSFORMING DATA TO GENERATE IMPROVED OUTPUT DATA USING A PROBABILISTIC MULTI-APPLICATION NETWORKFebruary 2025June 2025Allow310NoNo
18745961SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTELLIGENTLY TRANSFORMING DATA TO GENERATE IMPROVED OUTPUT DATA USING A PROBABILISTIC MULTI-APPLICATION NETWORKJune 2024October 2024Allow410NoNo
18678079METHOD AND A SYSTEM FOR AN IDENTITY MANAGEMENTMay 2024November 2025Abandon1710NoNo
18619658OBSTACLE DETECTION CONTROLLER OF ARTICULATED VEHICLE, OPERATION SYSTEM OF ARTICULATED VEHICLE, AND OBSTACLE DETECTION METHOD OF ARTICULATED VEHICLEMarch 2024February 2026Allow2210NoNo
18439663AUTOMATED POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL EVENT DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS ENGINE AND METHOD THEREFORFebruary 2024January 2025Allow1110NoNo
18414905CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ACTIVATION STATE OF A BRAKING-TORQUE ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR REDUCING INTAKE OF BRAKING ENERGY IN A SERVICE-BRAKE SYSTEM OF A VEHICLEJanuary 2024March 2026Allow2610NoNo
18414937PARK ASSIST DEVICE, PARK ASSIST METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2024February 2026Allow2510NoNo
18398334IN-VEHICLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ASSISTANT FOR AGENT MISBEHAVIOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION AND RELATED METHODDecember 2023October 2025Allow2210NoNo
18541067Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Airspace Reservation And Allocation SystemDecember 2023June 2025Allow1810NoNo
18525044Mapping Application with Turn-by-Turn Navigation Mode for Output to Vehicle DisplayNovember 2023April 2025Allow1610YesNo
18523684CONDITIONAL OBJECT POSITION PREDICTION BY A MACHINE LEARNED MODELNovember 2023January 2026Allow2610YesNo
18493258Robotic Systems And Methods For Tank Seal InspectionOctober 2023October 2025Allow2420YesNo
18382418SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTELLIGENTLY TRANSFORMING DATA TO GENERATE IMPROVED OUTPUT DATA USING A PROBABILISTIC MULTI-APPLICATION NETWORKOctober 2023April 2024Allow510NoNo
18367954SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GROUND DETECTION FOR A MOTORIZED MOBILE SYSTEMSeptember 2023October 2024Allow1310NoNo
18235539BOAT ANCHOR MONITORING SYSTEMAugust 2023June 2024Allow1010NoNo
18547072METHOD FOR ACTIVATING AN OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FOR A MOTOR VEHICLEAugust 2023October 2025Allow2610NoNo
18547081METHOD FOR AVOIDING OBSTACLESAugust 2023October 2025Allow2610NoNo
18451529CONTROL DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMAugust 2023September 2025Allow2510NoNo
18451812AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE MANEUVERING BASED UPON RISK ASSOCIATED WITH OCCLUDED REGIONSAugust 2023October 2024Allow1410NoNo
18449683SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF VEHICLE TESTINGAugust 2023June 2025Abandon2240YesNo
18232359COLLISION PREVENTION DEVICE, COLLISION PREVENTION METHOD AND COLLISION PREVENTION PROGRAMAugust 2023October 2025Allow2610NoNo
18222686SYSTEM FOR EVALUATING A LANE CHANGE OPERATION OF AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLEJuly 2023January 2026Allow3010YesNo
18214085CONFIGURABLE MONITOR AND PARTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMJune 2023October 2024Allow1510NoNo
18266804SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TIRE VERTICAL LOAD PREDICTIONJune 2023November 2023Allow600NoNo
18204347ACTION REFERENCE GENERATION PIPELINEMay 2023February 2026Allow3320YesNo
18323771APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING VEHICLE COLLISIONMay 2023March 2024Allow1010NoNo
18199525METHOD OF CONTROLLING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUMMay 2023October 2025Allow2910NoNo
18313486CONTROL OF A HYBRID POWERTRAIN SYSTEMMay 2023September 2025Allow2910NoNo
18311794METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLEMay 2023January 2026Allow3220NoNo
18305500Vehicle for Performing Minimum Risk Maneuver and Method of Operating the VehicleApril 2023August 2025Allow2710NoNo
18194243COLLISION AWARE PATH PLANNING SYSTEMS AND METHODSMarch 2023August 2025Allow2910NoNo
18124805DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMMarch 2023August 2025Allow2910NoNo
18124378DRIVE ASSIST APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND DRIVE ASSIST SYSTEM FOR VEHICLEMarch 2023August 2025Allow2910NoNo
18178733VEHICLE WITH POLARIMETRIC IMAGE NORMALIZATION LOGICMarch 2023March 2025Allow2410YesNo
18178458DRIVING DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE, DRIVING DIAGNOSTIC METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMMarch 2023March 2025Allow2510YesNo
18113630DRIVING ASSISTANCE DEVICE, VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM, AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE METHODFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2710NoNo
18168642STATE ESTIMATION METHOD AND STATE ESTIMATION SYSTEMFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2810YesNo
18107651ON-BOARD AUTOENCODER FOR VEHICLESFebruary 2023March 2025Allow2510YesNo
18105635VEHICLE INTEGRATED CONTROLLER AND VEHICLE FUNCTION IMPLEMENTATION METHOD USING THE SAMEFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2810NoNo
18102828AUTOMATICALLY PLANNING DELIVERY ROUTEJanuary 2023May 2024Allow1610YesNo
18007074BRAKING CONTROL DEVICEJanuary 2023February 2025Allow2510NoNo
18018050UNMANNED WORK MACHINEJanuary 2023January 2026Allow3620NoNo
18157338METHOD FOR PREVENTING A COLLISION OF A VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER ROAD USER, COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM, AND VEHICLEJanuary 2023March 2025Allow2610NoNo
18097715USING RADAR FOR VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE (V2V) COMMUNICATIONJanuary 2023April 2025Allow2710YesNo
18096284System and Method for Insight-Triggered Opportunistic Imaging in a VehicleJanuary 2023August 2025Allow3110NoNo
18095616COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST APPARATUSJanuary 2023October 2023Allow910NoNo
18065149AUTOMATED POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL EVENT DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS ENGINE AND METHOD THEREFORDecember 2022October 2023Allow1010NoNo
18049335APPARATUS FOR GENERATING U-TURN PATH OF VEHICLE AND METHOD THEREOFOctober 2022May 2025Allow3110NoNo
17960838VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMOctober 2022February 2025Allow2910NoNo
17938065DRIVING SUPPORT DEVICE, METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND VEHICLEOctober 2022June 2025Allow3310YesNo
17959667INTELLIGENT VEHICLE SYSTEMS AND CONTROL LOGIC FOR AUTOMATED THERMAL EVENT MITIGATION IN ENCLOSED AREASOctober 2022April 2025Allow3010YesNo
17958228VIRTUAL HAZARD INFERENCE SYSTEMSeptember 2022March 2025Allow3010YesNo
17936901FAILSAFE BEHAVIOR CONFIGURATION FOR AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATIONSeptember 2022October 2024Allow2410NoNo
17952942REMOTE MOVING APPLICATION SOFTWARE AND REMOTE MOVING SYSTEMSeptember 2022June 2025Allow3310NoNo
17947466Devices and Methods of Detecting Driving Conditions from a Rotating WheelSeptember 2022October 2025Allow3730YesNo
17941225METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY UPDATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL REPRESENTATION OF AN AUTONOMOUS AGENTSeptember 2022October 2025Allow3710YesNo
17908572METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING OR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE COMPONENTSeptember 2022November 2023Allow1420NoNo
17885734DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM TO PREVENT COLLISION AND A VEHICLE TO PREVENT COLLISIONAugust 2022October 2024Allow2610NoNo
17881994APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING VEHICLE COLLISIONAugust 2022March 2023Allow3110NoNo
17817946SYSTEM AND METHODS OF ADAPTIVE OBJECT-BASED DECISION MAKING FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVINGAugust 2022April 2024Allow2040YesNo
17878357VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND VEHICLE DRIVING METHOD USING THE VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEMAugust 2022July 2025Allow3520NoNo
17812372CLUNK AND SHUFFLE MANAGEMENT IN MULTI-MOTOR, MULTI-AXLE ELECTRIFIED DRIVETRAINSJuly 2022February 2025Allow3110NoNo
17855175TRAJECTORY PLANNING METHOD AND APPARATUSJune 2022February 2025Allow3210NoNo
17850994AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE MANEUVERING BASED UPON RISK ASSOCIATED WITH OCCLUDED REGIONSJune 2022June 2023Allow1110YesNo
17808947METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DYNAMIC WEIGHT MANAGEMENTJune 2022March 2023Allow910NoNo
17848662COLLISION AVOIDANCE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOVING DEVICE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJune 2022December 2024Allow3010NoNo
17785849OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE METHOD, APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND STORAGE MEDIUM FOR VEHICLEJune 2022December 2024Abandon3010NoNo
17825448APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONMay 2022December 2023Allow1840YesNo
17744137REAR APPROACHING VEHICLE DETECTING AND WARNING DEVICEMay 2022October 2024Abandon2910NoNo
17721204AUTOMATED POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL EVENT DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS ENGINE AND METHOD THEREFORApril 2022November 2022Allow710NoNo
17764258BOAT ANCHOR MONITORING SYSTEMMarch 2022May 2023Allow1400NoNo
17695080VEHICLE CONTROLLER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLEMarch 2022January 2025Allow3420YesNo
17640270MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION AND BIOMONITORING IN VEHICLESMarch 2022April 2024Allow2630YesNo
17680354DRIVING SUPPORT DEVICE, DRIVING SUPPORT METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMFebruary 2022September 2024Allow3110NoNo
17679344HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE CONTROL SYSTEMFebruary 2022March 2025Allow3730YesYes
17678385SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING, EVALUATING AND DETERMINING A RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS USING UNMANNED AIRBORNE VEHICLESFebruary 2022April 2024Abandon2510NoNo
17677663SPATIO-TEMPORAL TRACK DENSITY SHAPINGFebruary 2022October 2024Allow3110YesNo
17667845METHOD OF DAMAGE PREDICTION FOR ELECTRIC PARK BRAKE AND ADAPTATION THEREOFFebruary 2022March 2025Allow3820YesNo
17647767VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSISTANCE APPARATUSJanuary 2022July 2024Allow3010NoNo
17544256PROPEL LIMITING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAR COLLISION AVOIDANCEDecember 2021January 2026Allow4930YesNo
17457452COLLISION AVOIDANCE APPARATUSDecember 2021May 2024Allow3000NoNo
17613744Supplementing Electronic Map Data from User BehaviorNovember 2021June 2024Allow3110NoNo
17609893COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTENT RECOMMENDATION TO A USER ON BOARD A VEHICLENovember 2021April 2024Abandon2910NoNo
17609539INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAMNovember 2021January 2025Abandon3820NoNo
17490811UNUSUAL-NOISE DETERMINATION DEVICE FOR VEHICLESeptember 2021April 2024Allow3010YesNo
17480958System and Method for Providing Haptic Feedback to a Power Wheelchair UserSeptember 2021June 2023Allow2110NoNo
17465476UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AIRSPACE RESERVATION AND ALLOCATION SYSTEMSeptember 2021August 2023Allow2310YesNo
17407895AUTONOMOUS DRIVING DEVICE AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING CONTROL METHOD THAT DISPLAYS THE FOLLOWING ROAD TRAVELING ROUTEAugust 2021April 2023Allow2010YesNo
17432321ROTATION ANGLE DETECTION DEVICE, ELECTRIC POWER STEERING DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING ELECTRIC POWER STEERING DEVICEAugust 2021November 2022Allow1520YesNo
17431988Tank Seal InspectionAugust 2021February 2025Allow4220YesNo
17427667HUMAN-MACHINE INTERACTION SOMATOSENSORY VEHICLE AND VEHICLE BODY, UPPER COVER, AND SUPPORTING FRAME THEREOFAugust 2021July 2024Abandon3610NoNo
17390069Method, System, and Computer Program Product for Resolving Level Ambiguity for Radar Systems of Autonomous VehiclesJuly 2021June 2023Allow2310NoNo
17444013METHODS AND SYSTEMS TO OPTIMIZE VEHICLE EVENT PROCESSESJuly 2021July 2024Allow3620YesNo
17386810SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SPRAYING OPERATIONS WITH AN AGRICULTURAL APPLICATORJuly 2021November 2024Allow4020YesNo
17381276STRANDING AND SCOPING ANALYSIS FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SERVICESJuly 2021September 2023Allow2620YesNo
17380272DUAL-PURPOSE DRIVE AND CHARGER SYSTEMS AND METHODS THEREOFJuly 2021March 2024Allow3210NoNo
17363797Contingent Model Predictive Control Incorporating Online Estimation of Nominal and Uncertain ParametersJune 2021June 2024Allow3610NoNo
17324550PROBABILISTIC NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND METHODMay 2021March 2023Allow2210NoNo
17308688WAYPOINT PREDICTION FOR VEHICLE MOTION PLANNINGMay 2021June 2023Allow2510NoNo
17246412VELOCITY REGRESSION SAFETY SYSTEMApril 2021December 2023Allow3110YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner THOMAS, ANA D.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
5
Examiner Affirmed
4
(80.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(20.0%)
Reversal Percentile
33.1%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 20.0% 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
11
Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(36.4%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
7
(63.6%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
59.8%
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, 36.4% 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 face challenges. Ensure your case has strong merit before committing to full Board review.

Filing a Notice of Appeal is strategically valuable. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

Examiner THOMAS, ANA D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner THOMAS, ANA D works in Art Unit 3661 and has examined 352 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 87.8%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 29 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner THOMAS, ANA D's allowance rate of 87.8% places them in the 67% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by THOMAS, ANA D receive 1.56 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 29% 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 THOMAS, ANA D is 29 months. This places the examiner in the 66% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +6.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by THOMAS, ANA D. This interview benefit is in the 34% 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, 34.8% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 77% 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 44.0% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 67% 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, 66.7% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 56% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. If you have strong arguments, a PAC request may result in favorable reconsideration.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 64.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 44% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 55.6% 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, 29.4% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 17% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 37% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 40% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions less often than average. Allowances may come directly without a separate action for formal matters.

Prosecution Strategy Recommendations

Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:

  • 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.