USPTO Examiner MELTON TODD M - Art Unit 3669

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18943586ROBOTIC-THROTTLE CONTROL OF A FISHING VESSELNovember 2024February 2025Allow400NoNo
18813033HIERARCHICAL CONTROL METHOD OF TORQUE DISTRIBUTION FOR WHEEL HUB MOTOR-DRIVEN ELECTRIC VEHICLESAugust 2024November 2024Allow300NoNo
18808069Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicle Driving Using Vehicle-to-Infrastructure CommunicationAugust 2024May 2025Allow920YesNo
18774235METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING POWER BATTERY OF A VEHICLE, STORAGE MEDIUM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICEJuly 2024October 2024Allow300NoNo
18745367MAP UPDATING METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM RECORDED ON RECORDING MEDIUM TO EXECUTE THE SAMEJune 2024November 2024Allow510NoNo
18603018Methods and Systems Using Digital Map DataMarch 2024July 2025Allow1600NoNo
18587347GLOBAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT OPTIMIZATION METHOD IN MULTI-TASK CROSS-CORE DEPLOYMENT FOR HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLESFebruary 2024January 2025Allow1010NoNo
18438247SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTELLIGENTLY IMPLEMENTING AN AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC-POWERED TRAILER DURING A TOWING OPERATIONFebruary 2024August 2024Allow610NoNo
18406797Use of Relationship Between Activities of Different Traffic Signals in a Network to Improve Traffic Signal State EstimationJanuary 2024February 2025Allow1300NoNo
18400606VEHICLE MEDICAL DEVICE INTERFACE SYSTEMDecember 2023May 2024Allow510NoNo
18535579AERIAL VEHICLE POWERING OFF METHOD AND DEVICE, AND AERIAL VEHICLEDecember 2023January 2025Allow1300NoNo
18525077MOTORCYCLE WITH HAPTIC BRAKING HAZARD ALERTNovember 2023October 2024Allow1000NoNo
18516828Systems and Methods for Utilizing Machine-Assisted Vehicle Inspection to Identify Insurance Buildup or FraudNovember 2023October 2024Allow1100NoNo
18502777PHOTO-DETECTION APPARATUS AND PHOTO-DETECTION SYSTEMNovember 2023October 2024Allow1100NoNo
18498653CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STRADDLED ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND STRADDLED ELECTRIC VEHICLEOctober 2023June 2025Allow2000NoNo
18384726ELECTRIFIED VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAMEOctober 2023June 2025Allow2000NoNo
18483206TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND SHIFTING METHODOctober 2023June 2025Allow2100NoNo
18477297FIELD CALIBRATION OF AN AUGMENTED REALITY DEVICESeptember 2023June 2025Allow2110YesNo
18367399METHOD OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL JET PROPULSION MODE IN ELECTRIC VEHICLESeptember 2023May 2025Allow2000NoNo
18279125METHOD OF ATTENUATING LONGITUDINAL ACCELERATION OSCILLATIONS OF A VEHICLE BODYAugust 2023May 2025Allow2000NoNo
18237275METHOD OF CONTROLLING TORQUE OF DRIVE SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC VEHICLEAugust 2023April 2025Allow2000NoNo
18235613System and Method for Location-Based TransactionsAugust 2023October 2023Allow200NoNo
18446768RULE-BASED ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLEAugust 2023April 2025Allow2000NoNo
18446471VEHICLE CONTROLLER FOR REDUCTION OF POWER CONSUMPTION WHILE TOWINGAugust 2023June 2025Allow2310YesNo
18228140FIXED DRONE VISUALIZATION IN SECURITY SYSTEMSJuly 2023June 2024Allow1100NoNo
18262824AN ELECTRICAL WHEEL MODULE FOR ACCELERATION AND BRAKING OF A HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLEJuly 2023March 2025Allow2000NoNo
18224449VEHICLEJuly 2023April 2025Allow2000NoNo
18222774CONTROLLING DRIVING MODES OF SELF-DRIVING VEHICLESJuly 2023April 2024Allow900NoNo
18339258SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NAVIGATING A VEHICLE AMONG ENCROACHING VEHICLESJune 2023October 2024Allow1500NoNo
18333445ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) SYSTEM AND OPERATING METHODJune 2023March 2025Allow2200NoNo
18321760Computing Systems and Methods for Controlling Current in Vehicle MotorsMay 2023October 2024Allow1600NoNo
18319364INTELLIGENT VEHICLE NAVIGATORMay 2023October 2024Allow1700NoNo
18197023SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTELLIGENTLY IMPLEMENTING AN AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC-POWERED TRAILER DURING A TOWING OPERATIONMay 2023November 2023Allow610YesNo
18142345METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING POWER FOR WORK MACHINEMay 2023April 2025Allow2300NoNo
18139621VEHICLE-MOUNTED EQUIPMENT FOR RAPID DETECTION OF DANGER AND HIDDEN DANGER OF A DIKE AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOFApril 2023June 2023Allow200NoNo
18136382CONTROL METHOD, CONTROL SYSTEM, AND DEVICE FOR GRAB OF PORTAL CRANEApril 2023July 2023Allow300NoNo
18299233METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A MOTION OF A VEHICLE, DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, COMPUTER PROGRAM, COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, AND VEHICLE PROPULSION SYSTEMApril 2023April 2025Allow2400NoNo
18133873METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING A PAYLOADApril 2023January 2024Allow910NoNo
18023936POWER GENERATION PLANNING DEVICE AND POWER GENERATION PLANNING METHODFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2810NoNo
18023817Vehicle Management SystemFebruary 2023February 2025Allow2400NoNo
18023513REMOTE OPERATION DEVICE FOR A WORK MACHINEFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2710NoNo
18043253Remote Operation of Robotic SystemsFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2810NoNo
18042609HYBRID VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD AND HYBRID VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE FOR SUPPRESSING SYSTEM RESONANCE OTHER THAN NATURAL VIBRATIONFebruary 2023October 2023Allow810NoNo
18171446VEHICULAR CABIN MONITORING SYSTEMFebruary 2023July 2024Allow1700NoNo
18110187VEHICLE COLLISION AVOIDANCE DEVICE AND METHOD THEREFORFebruary 2023May 2025Allow2710NoNo
18108390ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOFFebruary 2023November 2024Allow2100NoNo
18163682METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING ELECTRIC MACHINE EFFICIENCYFebruary 2023June 2025Allow2910NoNo
18103491Field Registration Method, Field Registration System, And Field Registration ProgramJanuary 2023March 2025Allow2610NoNo
18103689Preemptive Logical Configuration of Vehicle Control SystemsJanuary 2023November 2024Allow2210YesNo
18150304Use of Relationship Between Activities of Different Traffic Signals in a Network to Improve Traffic Signal State EstimationJanuary 2023October 2023Allow900NoNo
18067850DETERIORATION ESTIMATION DEVICE, METHOD, SOLAR SYSTEM, AND VEHICLEDecember 2022January 2025Allow2510NoNo
18065153Vehicle, Server, Method of Controlling Vehicle, and Method of Controlling ServerDecember 2022March 2025Allow2710NoNo
17999813AUTONOMOUS AND MANUAL MODE SWTICHING FOR UTILITY VEHICLENovember 2022January 2025Allow2610NoNo
17992695Motorcycle with haptic braking hazard alertNovember 2022March 2023Allow400NoNo
17989432Systems and Methods for Utilizing Machine-Assisted Vehicle Inspection to Identify Insurance Buildup or FraudNovember 2022August 2023Allow910YesNo
18047034APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF TRANSFERRING VEHICLE COMMUNICATION CONTENTOctober 2022December 2024Allow2610NoNo
17966069SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING RESIDUAL ENERGY IN A CHARGING COMPONENTOctober 2022November 2024Allow2510NoNo
18046498METHOD FOR NOTIFYING OF AN ABNORMAL EVENT AND SELF-PROPELLED DEVICE AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAMEOctober 2022February 2025Abandon2810NoNo
17938480WHEEL MOTOR COMPENSATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING WHEEL SENSOR DATAOctober 2022March 2025Allow2900NoNo
17995502ON-BOARD RELAY DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAMOctober 2022November 2024Allow2610NoNo
17956850AUTOMATIC BERTHING SYSTEM AND METHODSeptember 2022July 2024Allow2200NoNo
17951467VEHICLE MEDICAL DEVICE INTERFACE SYSTEMSeptember 2022October 2023Allow1320NoNo
17755685DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING AN AUTOMATED DRIVING OPERATION OF A VEHICLEAugust 2022October 2024Allow2910NoNo
17884125SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND MITIGATING PILOT ACTIONS IN AN ELECTRIC AIRCRAFTAugust 2022June 2023Allow1010YesNo
17880948FIXED DRONE VISUALIZATION IN SECURITY SYSTEMSAugust 2022June 2023Allow1100NoNo
17869490ROBOT AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOFJuly 2022June 2024Allow2300NoNo
17869533MARINE PROPULSION SYSTEM AND JOYSTICK CONTROL METHODJuly 2022November 2024Allow2810NoNo
17869515MARINE PROPULSION SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH SINGLE REAR DRIVE AND LATERAL MARINE DRIVEJuly 2022June 2024Allow2300NoNo
17869478AI-BASED NOISE GENERATION DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PE COMPONENTS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLEJuly 2022June 2024Allow2300NoNo
17869498INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR GRANTING AN INCENTIVE TO SHARE VEHICLE HISTORYJuly 2022November 2024Allow2810NoNo
17759055IN-VEHICLE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHODJuly 2022June 2024Allow2300NoNo
17792908METHOD FOR INDICATING EXCHANGE OF A FUEL VAPOR ABSORBER AND A VEHICLE WITH AN INDICATOR THEREFOREJuly 2022April 2023Allow900NoNo
17851661Positioning Method and Electronic DeviceJune 2022November 2023Abandon1710NoNo
17844655MULTI-MODE VISUAL GEOMETRY LOCALIZATIONJune 2022December 2022Allow610YesNo
17757259Method and Device for Detecting a Group Runtime Variation for a Navigation Sensor for a Navigation System for a Vehicle and Navigation Sensor with a Device of this KindJune 2022April 2024Allow2200NoNo
17828654SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TRIP SIMILARITIESMay 2022April 2024Allow2200NoNo
17829348SECONDARY SENSOR DATA-BASED SOFT CONSTRAINT OPTIMIZATION FOR POSE GRAPH AND MAPPING REFINEMENTMay 2022October 2023Allow1600NoNo
17828806Systems and Methods for Material Handling Vehicle Travel Control Based on Object Detection SystemsMay 2022September 2024Allow2710NoNo
17756616INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD FOR SELF-POSITION ESTIMATIONMay 2022September 2024Allow2710NoNo
17749923SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INDUCING SPEED REDUCTION RESPONSIVE TO DETECTING A SURFACE HAVING A RELATIVELY LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTIONMay 2022October 2023Allow1700NoNo
17777951Automatic Travel System For Work VehicleMay 2022June 2023Allow1300NoNo
17663677SYSTEM AND METHOD USING WIRELESS LATCHING RELAY FOR VEHICLE SHARINGMay 2022May 2024Allow2400NoNo
17777095CONTROLLER AND CONTROL METHOD FOR OPERATION OF MOTORCYCLEMay 2022April 2024Allow2300NoNo
17743512SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ESTABLISHING A COMMUNICATION LINK BETWEEN LEAD AND REMOTE VEHICLES OF A CONSISTMay 2022August 2024Allow2810NoNo
17740696SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PERSON OVERBOARDMay 2022September 2024Allow2810NoNo
17755585METHOD OF PROVIDING IMAGE BY VEHICLE NAVIGATION DEVICEMay 2022September 2024Allow2810NoNo
17732729SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING RESIDUAL ENERGY FOR AN ELECTRIC AIRCRAFTApril 2022August 2023Allow1610YesNo
17732988BOARDING INFORMATION GUIDING SYSTEM AND METHOD, AND PROCEDURE MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND METHODApril 2022March 2025Allow3410NoNo
17755222METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FULL COVERAGE PATH PLANNING OVER THREE-DIMENSIONAL TERRAINApril 2022October 2024Abandon2910NoNo
17755139TRAJECTORY PLANNING DEVICE, TRAJECTORY PLANNING METHOD, AND PROGRAMApril 2022March 2024Abandon2310NoNo
17725793AERIAL DISPLAY MORPHINGApril 2022November 2023Abandon1810NoNo
17719541CONTROLLING DRIVING MODES OF SELF-DRIVING VEHICLESApril 2022November 2022Allow710NoNo
17717076Unmanned protective vehicle for protecting manned vehiclesApril 2022January 2024Allow2110NoNo
17702951STRADDLE TYPE VEHICLE AND CONTROL UNIT FOR STEERING TORQUE DAMPINGMarch 2022August 2024Allow2810NoNo
17762918VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICEMarch 2022July 2023Allow1500NoNo
17762716DIRECTION CALCULATION APPARATUS, DIRECTION CALCULATION METHOD, AND PROGRAMMarch 2022December 2023Allow2110NoNo
17761513Methods and Systems Using Digital Map DataMarch 2022December 2023Allow2110YesNo
17696202AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DRIVING DEVICE FOR MANAGING POWER SAVING STATE, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DRIVING METHOD FOR MANAGING POWER SAVING STATE, AND PLURALITY OF NON-TRANSITORY STORAGE MEDIA FOR MANAGING POWER SAVING STATEMarch 2022July 2024Allow2810YesNo
17696399WATERCRAFT MANEUVERING CONTROL APPARATUS, AND WATERCRAFT MANEUVERING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAMEMarch 2022June 2024Allow2710NoNo
17692511VEHICLE COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST APPARATUSMarch 2022June 2024Allow2710NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner MELTON, TODD M.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
3
Examiner Affirmed
3
(100.0%)
Examiner Reversed
0
(0.0%)
Reversal Percentile
16.2%
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
19
Allowed After Appeal Filing
9
(47.4%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
10
(52.6%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
74.3%
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, 47.4% 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 MELTON, TODD M - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner MELTON, TODD M works in Art Unit 3669 and has examined 717 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 88.3%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 24 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner MELTON, TODD M's allowance rate of 88.3% 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 MELTON, TODD M receive 1.17 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 19% 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 MELTON, TODD M is 24 months. This places the examiner in the 74% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +10.7% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by MELTON, TODD M. This interview benefit is in the 48% 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, 37.5% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 83% 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 65.3% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 87% 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, 100.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 74% 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 83.3% of appeals filed. This is in the 74% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 40.0% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner shows above-average willingness to reconsider rejections during appeals. The mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) provides an opportunity for reconsideration.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 24.5% 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 0.1% of allowed cases (in the 47% 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 0.6% of allowed cases (in the 51% 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.

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.