USPTO Examiner THOMPSON KENNETH L - Art Unit 3676

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19082622Adjustable Hydraulic Jarring DeviceMarch 2025May 2025Allow200NoNo
19055084INFINITE-STAGE FRACTURING SLIDING SLEEVEFebruary 2025May 2025Allow300NoNo
19051212METHODS FOR DIAGNOSING CONTROL EFFECTIVENESS OF FRACTURE HEIGHTS IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING BY COMBINING MONITORING PRESSURE SIGNALSFebruary 2025April 2025Allow200NoNo
18751039Downhole Perforating Gun Tube and ComponentsJune 2024December 2024Allow610NoNo
18746950METHOD FOR DETERMINING WELL WALL COLLAPSE OF SINGLE WELL FOR FRACTURED-VUGGY RESERVOIRJune 2024May 2025Allow1100NoNo
18719338DEPTH ACTIVATED DOWNHOLE ADJUSTABLE BEND ASSEMBLIESJune 2024June 2025Allow1200NoNo
18715647METHOD OF COMPLETION OF A WELLBOREMay 2024May 2025Allow1200NoNo
18666936PRESSURE BULKHEADMay 2024June 2025Allow1321YesNo
18666429Radial Cutting Apparatus with Swirl DiverterMay 2024June 2025Allow1310NoNo
18665940Hydraulic Fracturing Equipment With Non-Hydraulic PowerMay 2024March 2025Allow1000NoNo
18664177ENHANCED DEEP MICRO-FRACTURING TOOL USING LASER BEAMS AND ACOUSTIC WAVESMay 2024March 2025Allow1000NoNo
18654829WIRELINE POWER SUPPLY DURING ELECTRIC POWERED FRACTURING OPERATIONSMay 2024June 2025Allow1310NoNo
18648660METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A DISSOLVABLE PLUGApril 2024June 2025Allow1311NoNo
18647538FRACTURE REACTIVATION INDEX (FRI) FOR SEAL INTEGRITY ANALYSIS IN CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE (CCS)April 2024February 2025Allow1010YesNo
18646675ALL-METAL BRIDGE PLUG WITH SELF-CONTAINED BALL ADAPTED TO CASINGS WITH VARIOUS SPECIFICATIONSApril 2024January 2025Allow900NoNo
18636666HYDRAULIC FRACTURING AND CUTTING COOPERATIVE DEVICE SUITABLE FOR HARD ROCK AND USE METHOD THEREOFApril 2024September 2024Allow510NoNo
18620847OILFIELD SYSTEMMarch 2024May 2025Allow1410NoNo
18615844MECHANICAL HOLD DOWN WITH INTERNAL STRAINERMarch 2024January 2025Allow1000NoNo
18436806APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FRACKING OPTIMIZATIONFebruary 2024December 2024Allow1010NoNo
18411411METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A WELLBOREJanuary 2024April 2025Allow1511NoNo
18390319CLEANING AND INSPECTING A WELLBOREDecember 2023January 2025Allow1301NoNo
18540728Method And Apparatus For Downhole Fluid Microsample Collection With Staged Hydraulic ActuationDecember 2023March 2025Allow1501NoNo
18536909Apparatus, Systems and Methods to Energize Seals in a Rod Pump Stuffing BoxDecember 2023February 2025Allow1410NoNo
18531342WELLBORE SATELLITE LAUNCHER SYSTEMDecember 2023December 2024Allow1300NoNo
18528336INVERTED DIFFUSER FOR ABRASIVE SLURRY FLOW WITH SENSOR FOR INTERNAL DAMAGESDecember 2023December 2024Allow1200NoNo
18290411TOOLSTRING AND METHOD FOR INNER CASING PERFORATING, SHATTERING ANNULUS CEMENT, AND WASHING THE FIRST ANNULUS IN A SECOND CASINGNovember 2023April 2025Allow1710NoNo
18506709HYBRID HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLEETNovember 2023February 2025Allow1610NoNo
18506438REUSABLE PERFORATING GUN SYSTEM AND METHODNovember 2023November 2024Allow1200NoNo
18384832STAGED MULTI-CLUSTER FRACTURING SLIDING SLEEVE SYSTEM BASED ON SMART KEY LABELOctober 2023April 2024Allow500NoNo
18495252METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR RETRIEVING A WIRELINE USING A RELEASE SUBOctober 2023February 2025Allow1510NoNo
18557160A WELL TOOL COMPRISING AN ANCHORING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR USING SAMEOctober 2023June 2025Allow2020YesNo
18382632Systems And Methods For Multistage FracturingOctober 2023March 2025Allow1611NoNo
18486717NON-INTRUSIVE RHEOMETER FOR USE IN WELL OPERATIONSOctober 2023October 2024Allow1200NoNo
18484303SYSTEM FOR PUMPING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLUID USING ELECTRIC PUMPSOctober 2023September 2024Allow1100NoNo
18481718TWO-PART DRILLING AND RUNNING TOOL INCLUDING A ONE WAY MECHANISMOctober 2023March 2025Allow1710NoNo
18476462PERCUSSIVE DRILL BITSeptember 2023December 2024Allow1510NoNo
18477323SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DRILLING OPERATIONSSeptember 2023May 2025Allow1920NoNo
18475393INDUCED EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION METHOD FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ACTIVATED FAULTSSeptember 2023March 2024Allow500NoNo
18472443FRAC PLUG DEVICE FOR HIGH EXPANSION AT THE SETTING POSITIONSeptember 2023November 2024Allow1410NoNo
18460635FLUID SEALING FOR DOWNHOLE ACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT TOOLSeptember 2023March 2025Allow1811NoNo
18240840DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR A REINFORCING RING IN A BITAugust 2023May 2025Allow2111YesNo
18277351DRIVE AND STEERING OF A DOWNHOLE ROBOTAugust 2023February 2025Abandon1810NoNo
18228972ELECTRIC POWERED PUMP DOWNAugust 2023January 2025Abandon1810NoNo
18223259Adjustable Hydraulic Jarring DeviceJuly 2023November 2024Allow1610NoNo
18350960SPECTRAL ANALYSIS AND MACHINE LEARNING FOR DETERMINING CLUSTER EFFICIENCY DURING FRACKING OPERATIONSJuly 2023July 2024Allow1300NoNo
18342382REMOTE DETECTION TECHNOLOGY BASED APPARATUS AND METHODOLOGY FOR MINIATURIZED SENSOR RECOVERYJune 2023October 2024Allow1510NoNo
18211791CABLE MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC POWERED HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PUMP UNITJune 2023October 2024Allow1610NoNo
18337741All-Metal Intelligent Control MotorJune 2023November 2024Allow1710NoNo
18208932SYSTEM FOR FUELING ELECTRIC POWERED HYDRAULIC FRACTURING EQUIPMENT WITH MULTIPLE FUEL SOURCESJune 2023January 2025Abandon1910NoNo
18333079DOWNHOLE TOOL INCLUDING RELATED LUG SLOTS AND LUGS FOR COUPLING A MILLING TOOL AND WHIPSTOCK ASSEMBLYJune 2023March 2025Allow2111NoNo
18333342TWO-STAGE MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION SCHEME FOR WELLBORE CLEANUP WITH AN EMISSIONS MEASUREJune 2023April 2025Allow2211NoNo
18256194METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING A DEPTH PRESSURE AND/OR PERMEABILITY PROFILE OF A GEOLOGICAL FORMATION HAVING A WELLJune 2023June 2024Allow1300NoNo
18329321METHOD TO CREATE A FLUID MIXTURE WITH UNIFORM PROPERTIES PRIOR TO FLOWING INTO A FLUID FLOW CONTROL DEVICEJune 2023February 2025Allow2011NoNo
18205197APPARATUS AND METHOD TO FORM CENTRALIZER BLADES ON WELLBORE TUBULARJune 2023September 2024Allow1510NoNo
18326775THREADED 2 PIECE BIT ASSEMBLYMay 2023February 2025Allow2011NoNo
18254240METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED MULTI-ZONE DOWNHOLE CLOSED LOOP RESERVOIR TESTINGMay 2023May 2024Allow1201NoNo
18323047SENSOR ASSEMBLY FOR INTERPRETING MULTIPHASE FLOW IN A FLOWLINEMay 2023August 2024Allow1510YesNo
18317485DOWNHOLE PERFORATING GUN SYSTEMMay 2023November 2024Allow1810NoNo
18304031METHOD TO IDENTIFY PERFORATION LOCATIONS FOR FRACTURING DEEP AND TIGHT SANDSTONE RESERVOIRApril 2023May 2024Allow1300NoNo
18136169DOWNHOLE APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC-BASED FRACTURINGApril 2023September 2024Allow1710NoNo
18296540Determining Fracture Driven Interactions Between WellboresApril 2023December 2024Allow2020NoNo
18130316Formation Testing And Sampling Tool For Stimulation Of Tight And Ultra-Tight FormationsApril 2023April 2024Allow1300NoNo
18029784INTRA-BOTTOM HOLE ASSEMBLY (BHA) WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMMarch 2023January 2025Allow2220NoNo
18129459METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A FRAC PLUGMarch 2023February 2025Allow2231YesNo
18029519The system for monitoring the profile of the bottom of the borehole at the reaming stages during the construction of communications using the horizontal directional drilling methodMarch 2023October 2024Abandon1920YesNo
18123860Electric Power Distribution for Fracturing OperationMarch 2023October 2024Allow1920NoNo
18179297LUBRICATOR WITH ORIFICEMarch 2023September 2024Allow1921NoNo
18117289AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING FRAC SLEEVESMarch 2023March 2024Allow1300NoNo
18174441METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO GAS TURBINE ENGINESFebruary 2023August 2023Allow610NoNo
18110804DOWNHOLE PERFORATING GUN TUBE AND COMPONENTSFebruary 2023December 2023Allow1000NoNo
18169509WHIPSTOCK SETTING ARRANGEMENT, METHOD, AND SYSTEMFebruary 2023June 2024Allow1620YesNo
18168258OPERATION OF A RECIRCULATION CIRCUIT FOR A FLUID PUMP OF A HYDRAULIC FRACTURING SYSTEMFebruary 2023March 2024Allow1300NoNo
18168424LUBRICATING DOWNHOLE-TYPE ROTATING MACHINESFebruary 2023July 2024Allow1710NoNo
18163992METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR STIMULATION OF A SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION USING AT LEAST ONE SELF-RESONATING NOZZLEFebruary 2023January 2024Allow1210NoNo
18006986DART FOR DOWNHOLE DEVICE AND DOWNHOLE DEVICEJanuary 2023July 2023Allow610NoNo
18095766ANNULUS PRESSURE MONITORING, REPORTING, AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HYDROCARBON WELLSJanuary 2023June 2024Allow1710YesNo
18152295METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEISMIC STIMULATION OF OIL-BEARING PRODUCTION FORMATIONSJanuary 2023October 2024Allow2130YesNo
18095197TORSIONAL COUPLING FOR ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLUID PUMPSJanuary 2023January 2025Allow2520NoNo
18150035SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING ROCK STRENGTHSJanuary 2023May 2024Allow1610NoNo
18092619HIGH CAPACITY POWER STORAGE SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC FRACTURINGJanuary 2023April 2025Allow2730NoNo
18092831UNTETHERED NEAR-WELLBORE STIMULATIONJanuary 2023January 2024Allow1200NoNo
18002902EXTRACTION FROM A FORMATION WITH INDUCTION HEATINGDecember 2022April 2024Allow1610NoNo
18012092METHODS OF PROVIDING WELLBORES FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING OF UNDERGROUND HYDROCARBON FORMATIONS AND APPARATUS THEREOFDecember 2022April 2024Allow1610NoNo
18069518MANUALLY ORIENTED INTERNAL SHAPED CHARGE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USEDecember 2022December 2024Allow2421NoNo
18081408ROTATIONAL CONTINUOUS CIRCULATION SYSTEMDecember 2022December 2023Allow1200NoNo
18061959RUPTURE DISC AND SYSTEMDecember 2022January 2024Allow1310YesNo
18060977OPTIMIZATION BASED ON PREDICTED TOOL PERFORMANCEDecember 2022May 2024Allow1811YesNo
18059858METHOD AND APPARATUS OF GUIDED EXTEND REACH TRACTORNovember 2022March 2024Allow1501NoNo
17926841METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A PLURALITY OF DRILL RIGSNovember 2022May 2025Allow3030YesNo
17999291WELL PLANNING BASED ON HAZARD PREDICTIVE MODELSNovember 2022May 2024Allow1821YesNo
17983187SELF-REGULATING FRAC PUMP SUCTION STABILIZER/DAMPENERNovember 2022October 2024Allow2430YesNo
17968532WIRELINE POWER SUPPLY DURING ELECTRIC POWERED FRACTURING OPERATIONSOctober 2022February 2024Allow1601NoNo
17968540Property Mapping By AnalogyOctober 2022February 2024Allow1610YesNo
17962920HYDRAULICALLY DRIVEN DOWNHOLE SELF-PROPELLING WIRELINE TOOLOctober 2022July 2024Allow2220NoYes
17948844SWITCHGEAR LOAD SHARING FOR OIL FIELD EQUIPMENTSeptember 2022February 2024Allow1710NoNo
17948140Toe Valve Having Integral Valve Body Sub and SleeveSeptember 2022March 2023Allow620YesNo
17942337METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A WELLBORESeptember 2022January 2024Allow1710NoNo
17939380MULTILATERAL JUNCTION INCLUDING A NON-THREADED-COUPLINGSeptember 2022January 2025Allow2921NoNo
17903831HIGH HORSEPOWER PUMPING CONFIGURATION FOR AN ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC FRACTURING SYSTEMSeptember 2022November 2024Allow2631NoNo
17903820LANDING BASE WITH EXTENDED PRESSURE MONITORING COVERAGESeptember 2022October 2023Allow1400NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner THOMPSON, KENNETH L.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
8
Examiner Affirmed
6
(75.0%)
Examiner Reversed
2
(25.0%)
Reversal Percentile
39.9%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 25.0% 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
26
Allowed After Appeal Filing
7
(26.9%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
19
(73.1%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
36.2%
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, 26.9% 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 THOMPSON, KENNETH L - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner THOMPSON, KENNETH L works in Art Unit 3676 and has examined 1,163 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 88.4%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 26 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner THOMPSON, KENNETH L's allowance rate of 88.4% 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 THOMPSON, KENNETH L receive 1.33 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 26% 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 THOMPSON, KENNETH L is 26 months. This places the examiner in the 64% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly faster than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +4.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by THOMPSON, KENNETH L. This interview benefit is in the 29% 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, 38.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 85% 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 51.1% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 72% 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, 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 66.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 46% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 50.0% 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, 35.7% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 31% 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 0.9% of allowed cases (in the 66% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments more often than average to place applications in condition for allowance (MPEP § 1302.04).

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 8.9% of allowed cases (in the 87% percentile). Per MPEP § 714.14, a Quayle action indicates that all claims are allowable but formal matters remain. This examiner frequently uses Quayle actions compared to other examiners, which is a positive indicator that once substantive issues are resolved, allowance follows quickly.

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.