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
18439663AUTOMATED POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL EVENT DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS ENGINE AND METHOD THEREFORFebruary 2024January 2025Allow1110NoNo
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
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
18451812AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE MANEUVERING BASED UPON RISK ASSOCIATED WITH OCCLUDED REGIONSAugust 2023October 2024Allow1410NoNo
18449683SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF VEHICLE TESTINGAugust 2023June 2025Abandon2240YesNo
18214085CONFIGURABLE MONITOR AND PARTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMJune 2023October 2024Allow1510NoNo
18266804SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TIRE VERTICAL LOAD PREDICTIONJune 2023November 2023Allow600NoNo
18323771APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING VEHICLE COLLISIONMay 2023March 2024Allow1010NoNo
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
18157338METHOD FOR PREVENTING A COLLISION OF A VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER ROAD USER, COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM, AND VEHICLEJanuary 2023March 2025Allow2610NoNo
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
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
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
17848662COLLISION AVOIDANCE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOVING DEVICE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJune 2022December 2024Allow3010NoNo
17808947METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DYNAMIC WEIGHT MANAGEMENTJune 2022March 2023Allow910NoNo
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
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
17239689CONFIGURABLE MONITOR AND PARTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMApril 2021September 2023Allow2920NoNo
17234397SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR UPDATING HIGH DEFINITION MAPSApril 2021April 2024Allow3510NoNo
17228857SYSTEM PREVENTING COLLISION OF VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAMEApril 2021April 2024Allow3610YesNo
17282201WORKING MACHINE COMPRISING AN ILLUMINATION SYSTEMApril 2021July 2024Allow3910NoNo
17212585DRIVING SUPPORT DEVICE FOR VEHICLEMarch 2021December 2023Allow3310NoNo
17175745COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST APPARATUSFebruary 2021July 2023Allow2900NoNo
17267061LOADING MACHINE CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHODFebruary 2021April 2024Allow3810NoNo
17169830VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUSFebruary 2021June 2023Allow2800YesNo
17262550TRANSPORT ROBOT, TRANSPORT SYSTEM, AND TRANSPORT METHODJanuary 2021March 2024Allow3810NoNo
17153244INTELLIGENT VEHICLES AND CONTROL LOGIC FOR BRAKE TORQUE REQUEST ESTIMATION FOR COOPERATIVE BRAKE SYSTEM CONTROLJanuary 2021June 2023Allow2910YesNo
17145856MOBILE VEHICLE, CONTROL METHOD OF MOBILE VEHICLE, AND PATH CONTROL SYSTEM OF MOBILE VEHICLEJanuary 2021August 2023Allow3120YesNo
17258114OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLESJanuary 2021October 2023Allow3410NoNo
17132108DRIVING ASSISTANCE APPARATUSDecember 2020March 2023Allow2710NoNo
17126529DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOFDecember 2020September 2023Allow3320NoNo
17118466Merging LiDAR Information and Camera InformationDecember 2020March 2024Allow4030YesNo
17115600OPTIMAL SENSOR READING FOR LOW LATENCY OBJECT DETECTIONDecember 2020June 2023Allow3010YesNo
17103364SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING MOVING VEHICLE INFORMATION USING ELECTRICAL TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRYNovember 2020April 2023Abandon2810NoNo
17099889DRIVING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOFNovember 2020January 2023Allow2610NoNo
17095316CONFIGURABLE MONITOR AND PARTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMNovember 2020April 2023Abandon2910NoNo
17069917VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUMOctober 2020April 2023Allow3010NoNo
17070448VEHICLE FRONT OPTICAL OBJECT DETECTION VIA PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT OF METALLIC STRIPINGOctober 2020May 2023Allow3110YesNo
17060928SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMMINENT COLLISION AVOIDANCEOctober 2020April 2023Allow3030YesNo
17038433DETERMINING A VEHICLE TRAJECTORY UTILIZING BOUNDARY COST FUNCTIONSSeptember 2020October 2023Allow3720YesNo
17025313METHOD FOR PREDICTING DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF TARGET OBJECT, VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD, AND DEVICESeptember 2020March 2023Allow3010NoNo
17021028COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSISTANCE APPARATUSSeptember 2020September 2022Allow2420NoNo
17020269COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST CONTROL APPARATUSSeptember 2020March 2023Allow3020YesYes
17016567COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST CONTROL APPARATUSSeptember 2020August 2022Allow2310NoNo

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
32.2%
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
12
Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(41.7%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
7
(58.3%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
66.9%
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, 41.7% 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 400 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 88.2%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 28 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner THOMAS, ANA D's allowance rate of 88.2% places them in the 65% 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 1.52 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 38% 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 28 months. This places the examiner in the 53% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +6.4% 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, 34.0% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 69% 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 44.2% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 61% 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, 85.7% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 64% 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 66.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 46% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 60.0% 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, 22.2% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 13% 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 34% 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 35% 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:

    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.