USPTO Examiner NIGH JAMES D - Art Unit 3685

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18422755METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS IN CONTRACT NETWORKSJanuary 2024April 2024Allow200NoNo
18385111Cryptocurrency Exchange Traded ProductOctober 2023December 2023Allow200NoNo
18481772CONTEXTUALLY ESCALATED AUTHENTICATION BY SYSTEM DIRECTED CUSTOMIZATION OF USER SUPPLIED IMAGEOctober 2023July 2024Allow1000NoNo
18463349Method and System for Exchange of Value or Tokens Between Blockchain NetworksSeptember 2023March 2024Allow600NoNo
18239714PARTIAL POLICY EVALUATIONAugust 2023June 2024Allow900NoNo
18229424Systems and Methods for Administering an Exchange Traded Product (ETP) That Operates Entirely in Cryptocurrency/BlockchainAugust 2023October 2023Allow200YesNo
18222600ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOF PAYMENTS USING BLOCKCHAINJuly 2023May 2024Allow1000NoNo
18219194DATA DISTRIBUTION METHOD, AUTHENTICATION SERVER, AND DATA STRUCTUREJuly 2023May 2024Allow1000NoNo
18219577BODY AREA NETWORK FACILITATED AUTHENTICATION OR PAYMENT AUTHORIZATIONJuly 2023May 2024Allow1100NoNo
18213315TAG-BASED SOCIAL INTERACTION COMPUTING SYSTEM AND METHODJune 2023May 2024Allow1100NoNo
18200143METHOD AND SYSTEM TO DELEGATE ISSUANCE CAPABILITY TO A THIRD-PARTYMay 2023April 2024Allow1100NoNo
18199101SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CRYPTOGRAPHIC TRANSACTIONSMay 2023April 2024Allow1100NoNo
18314098MULTI-LAYER DIGITAL ASSET ARCHITECTURE FOR VIRTUAL AND MIXED REALITY ENVIRONMENTSMay 2023May 2024Allow1200NoNo
18144801BLOCKCHAIN-IMPLEMENTED METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACCESS CONTROL ON REMOTE INTERNET-ENABLED RESOURCESMay 2023February 2024Allow900NoNo
18143287CRYPTOGRAPHICALLY MANAGING LICENSE COMPATIBILITYMay 2023April 2024Allow1100NoNo
18135662ON-BOARDING SERVER FOR AUTHORIZING AN ENTITY TO EFFECT ELECTRONIC PAYMENTSApril 2023February 2024Allow1000NoNo
18194562Access Controls for a Decentralized NetworkMarch 2023October 2023Allow610YesNo
18194574Third Party Access Controls for a Decentralized NetworkMarch 2023October 2023Allow710YesNo
18180877AUTOMATED BLOCKCHAIN ADDRESS CREATION AND TRANSFERS BY UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR GENERATION AND EXECUTIONMarch 2023April 2024Allow1300NoNo
18114076RESOURCE TRANSFER METHOD AND APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMPUTER DEVICEFebruary 2023February 2024Allow1100NoNo
18170986METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR EXECUTING SMART CONTRACTS IN SECURE ENVIRONMENTSFebruary 2023April 2024Allow1300NoNo
18171021Systems for Securing Transactions Based on Merchant Trust ScoreFebruary 2023April 2024Allow1400NoNo
18109030VIRTUALIZATION AND SECURE PROCESSING OF DATAFebruary 2023January 2024Allow1200NoNo
18101297Systems and Methods for Supporting Regulatory Requirements for the Distribution of Controlled and Non-Controlled ItemsJanuary 2023February 2024Allow1200NoNo
18156765Data Storage and Management and Methods of ThereofJanuary 2023March 2024Allow1400NoNo
18094946SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BYPASSING INTERMEDIATION USING LIVING ARRANGEMENTSJanuary 2023August 2023Allow810YesNo
18151249TOKENIZING SCARCE GOODS WITH PROVENANCE HISTORY BOUND TO BIOLOGICAL FINGERPRINTSJanuary 2023February 2024Allow1300NoNo
18090039Blockchain Supported Resource Transfer Communication ProtocolDecember 2022August 2023Allow710YesNo
18065245UNIVERSAL PAYMENT CHANNELSDecember 2022January 2024Allow1300NoNo
18079674BANK-DRIVEN MODEL FOR PREVENTING DOUBLE SPENDING OF DIGITAL CURRENCY COEXISTING ON MULTIPLE DLT NETWORKSDecember 2022February 2024Allow1400NoNo
17993973LEDGER TOKEN TRANSFER OUTSIDE OF A DISTRIBUTED LEDGER NETWORK THROUGH CRYPTOGRAPHIC BINDING TO A TRANSFERRABLE POSSESSION TOKENNovember 2022February 2024Allow1500YesNo
17985407SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROXY CARD AND/OR WALLET REDEMPTION CARD TRANSACTIONSNovember 2022April 2024Allow1810NoNo
17978894METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING MOBILE DEVICE-TO-MACHINE PAYMENTSNovember 2022July 2024Allow2010NoNo
17973505PROCESSING INTERRUPTED TRANSACTIONS OVER NON-PERSISTENT NETWORK CONNECTIONSOctober 2022July 2024Allow2110NoNo
17972815BLOCKCHAIN ENDPOINT PROTECTIONOctober 2022March 2023Allow500NoNo
17968672INTERMEDIARY COMMUNICATIONS OVER NON-PERSISTENT NETWORK CONNECTIONSOctober 2022July 2024Allow2110NoNo
17967851MULTI-LAYER DIGITAL ASSET ARCHITECTURE FOR VIRTUAL AND MIXED REALITY ENVIRONMENTSOctober 2022February 2023Allow400NoNo
17959108REQUESTING PAYMENTS FOR SELECTED ITEMS OR SERVICES USING PAYMENT TOKENSOctober 2022April 2024Allow1810YesNo
17954818METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USER-BASED DISTRIBUTED LEDGERSSeptember 2022December 2023Allow1500NoNo
17951659METHOD FOR VIRTUAL ASSET TRANSMISSIONSeptember 2022February 2024Allow1710NoNo
17951369SYSTEM AND METHOD USING ZERO KNOWLEDGE PROOFS FOR ALERT SHARINGSeptember 2022December 2023Allow1400NoNo
17943467System, Method, and Apparatus for Securely Transmitting Data via a Third-Party WebpageSeptember 2022November 2023Allow1500NoNo
17941944AUDITABLE SYSTEM FOR EVENT TRACKINGSeptember 2022April 2024Allow1910NoNo
17823898METHOD FOR ISSUING AND TRANSACTING NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS BASED ON TIME-CONTEXT DATA TO BE USED FOR SUPPORTING TRANSACTIONS OF HISTORICAL TIME SLOTS, AND SERVER USING THE SAMEAugust 2022November 2022Allow200NoNo
17822303Methods and Systems for Smart Contracts for Security and FilteringAugust 2022October 2023Allow1400NoNo
17820532BATTERY MANAGEMENT REWARD NETWORK AND SYSTEMAugust 2022January 2023Allow510YesNo
17888922System and Method for Authorized Digital Content DistributionAugust 2022November 2023Allow1500NoNo
17886542SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURITIES FINANCE SMART CONTRACTS ON BLOCKCHAINS AND DISTRIBUTED LEDGERSAugust 2022November 2023Allow1500NoNo
17884229SYSTEM FOR LICENSING MOBILE APPLICATIONS, FEATURES, AND DEVICESAugust 2022November 2023Allow1500YesNo
17883548ELECTRONIC BILL PAY AND BILL PRESENTMENT ACCOUNT NUMBER TREATMENT SYSTEM AND METHODAugust 2022February 2024Allow1810NoNo
17857011SECURITY FOR CONTACTLESS TRANSACTIONSJuly 2022October 2023Allow1600NoNo
17788491Transaction Delegation Method, Transaction Delegation System, and Computer Readable MediumJune 2022July 2023Allow1310YesNo
17842039METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PREVENTION OF LOST CURRENCY IN BLOCKCHAIN NETWORKS TO MISSING WALLETSJune 2022October 2023Allow1600NoNo
17664704APPARATUS FOR CUSTOMER AUTHENTICATION OF AN ITEMMay 2022September 2023Allow1500NoNo
17772146AUTOMATED BLOCKCHAIN ADDRESS CREATION AND TRANSFERS BY UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR GENERATION AND EXECUTIONApril 2022February 2023Allow1000NoNo
17720256Resource Transfer SystemApril 2022October 2023Allow1800YesNo
17701237MULTI-LAYER DIGITAL ASSET ARCHITECTURE FOR VIRTUAL AND MIXED REALITY ENVIRONMENTSMarch 2022June 2022Allow300NoNo
17689751TOKENIZING SCARCE GOODS WITH PROVENANCE HISTORY BOUND TO BIOLOGICAL FINGERPRINTSMarch 2022September 2022Allow710NoNo
17679713TRADING WITH CONDITIONAL OFFERS FOR SEMI-ANONYMOUS PARTICIPANTSFebruary 2022April 2024Abandon2610NoNo
17678911COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE STATE OF A MACHINE EXECUTABLE CONTRACT IMPLEMENTED USING A BLOCKCHAINFebruary 2022September 2023Allow1900NoNo
17674300COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AND EXTRACTING USER RELATED DATA STORED ON A BLOCKCHAINFebruary 2022January 2024Allow2310NoNo
17672199DATA PAYMENT AND AUTHENTICATION VIA A SHARED DATA STRUCTUREFebruary 2022September 2023Allow1900NoNo
17667709UTILIZING A TRANSACTION CARD TO PROVIDE SECONDARY AUTHENTICATION FOR ACCESSING A SECURE APPLICATION WITH A USER DEVICEFebruary 2022September 2023Allow1900NoNo
17589674ENERGY RESOURCE NETWORKJanuary 2022August 2023Allow1900NoNo
17647926Method and System for Filtering Transactions Using Smart Contracts and Updating Filtering Smart ContractsJanuary 2022September 2022Allow810YesNo
17647790Methods and Systems for Smart Contracts for Security and FilteringJanuary 2022October 2022Allow920NoNo
17559218SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CARD INTERACTIONSDecember 2021August 2023Allow2000NoNo
17558060Systems And Methods For User Authentication Via Mobile DeviceDecember 2021August 2023Allow2000NoNo
17546446SELF-ENFORCING SECURITY TOKEN IMPLEMENTING SMART-CONTRACT-BASED COMPLIANCE RULES CONSULTING SMART-CONTRACT-BASED GLOBAL REGISTRY OF INVESTORSDecember 2021July 2023Allow1900NoNo
17617926PAYMENT ENCRYPTION SYSTEMDecember 2021July 2023Allow2000NoNo
17535605SMART CONTRACT OF A BLOCKCHAIN FOR MANAGEMENT OF CRYPTOCURRENCIESNovember 2021July 2023Allow2000NoNo
17595767METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROL OF BLOCKCHAIN DATA ACCESS BASED ON SMART CONTRACTNovember 2021March 2023Allow1510NoNo
17533102SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCALING BLOCKCHAIN NETWORKS WITH SECURE OFF-CHAIN PAYMENT HUBSNovember 2021January 2024Abandon2610NoNo
17531981SECURE GENERATION OF ONE-TIME PASSCODES USING A CONTACTLESS CARDNovember 2021May 2023Allow1800NoNo
17455539SYSTEM FOR DECRYPTING AND RENDERING CONTENTNovember 2021April 2023Allow1700NoNo
17452782DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING LOW TRUST AND ZERO TRUST VALUE TRANSFERSOctober 2021October 2023Allow2410NoNo
17509216SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PEER-TO-PEER TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL ASSETSOctober 2021June 2023Allow1900NoNo
17506363TRUSTED TRANSACTION SYSTEM FOR DIGITAL ASSET LICENSINGOctober 2021May 2023Allow1900NoNo
17504170APPLICATION FOR CREATING REAL TIME SMART CONTRACTSOctober 2021December 2023Abandon2610NoNo
17496438PRIVACY PRESERVATION IN PRIVATE CONSENSUS NETWORKSOctober 2021May 2023Allow1900NoNo
17480718DATA STORAGE AND MANAGEMENT AND METHODS OF THEREOFSeptember 2021September 2022Allow1220YesNo
17473074ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOF PAYMENTS USING BLOCKCHAINSeptember 2021April 2023Allow1900YesNo
17410869METHOD FOR MEDIATING VIRTUAL ASSET TRANSMISSIONAugust 2021May 2022Allow910YesNo
17398350COLLABORATIVE VIDEO NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS AND USES THEREOFAugust 2021April 2022Allow810YesNo
17392072PARTIAL POLICY EVALUATIONAugust 2021April 2023Allow2000NoNo
17375777TAG-BASED SOCIAL INTERACTION COMPUTING SYSTEM AND METHODJuly 2021November 2022Abandon1620NoNo
17366853Stablecoin as a Medium of Exchange on a Blockchain-Based Transaction NetworkJuly 2021June 2023Allow2310NoNo
17364706INFORMATION SHARING METHODS, APPARATUSES, AND DEVICESJune 2021November 2021Allow400NoNo
17359467MANAGING TRANSACTIONS IN MULTIPLE BLOCKCHAIN NETWORKSJune 2021February 2022Allow700NoNo
17337252SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DOMAIN RESTRICTION WITH REMOTE AUTHENTICATIONJune 2021March 2023Allow2200NoNo
17333901SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN HAVING ON CHAIN CONTENT GENERATIONMay 2021October 2022Allow1730YesNo
17303257Method and System for Blockchain-Based Gemstone Ownership, Identity, Custody, Supply-Chain Transfer, Trading, and Secure PaymentsMay 2021October 2021Allow500NoNo
17318035SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SECURING CRYPTOCURRENCY BY A PRECIOUS OBJECTMay 2021October 2023Abandon2910NoNo
17302469INTERACTING WITH AN AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE USING A USER DEVICEMay 2021May 2023Allow2410YesNo
17245730CROSS-CHAIN RIGHT USAGE SYSTEMS, METHODS, APPARATUSES, ELECTRONIC DEVICES, AND STORAGE MEDIAApril 2021April 2022Abandon1120NoNo
17219574MANAGING TRANSACTION REQUESTS IN LEDGER SYSTEMSMarch 2021September 2021Allow610YesNo
17206802METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSFERRING DIGITAL TOKENS TO AND FROM A PHYSICAL CARDMarch 2021June 2023Allow2710NoNo
17204261METHOD AND SYSTEM TO DELEGATE ISSUANCE CAPABILITY TO A THIRD-PARTYMarch 2021February 2023Allow2300NoNo
17188991PUBLIC LEDGER AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMMarch 2021July 2023Allow2910YesNo
17165098MANAGE REMOTE PROCEDURE CALLS IN CENTRALIZED PROCESSINGFebruary 2021March 2023Allow2500NoNo

Appeals Overview

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

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
61
Examiner Affirmed
44
(72.1%)
Examiner Reversed
17
(27.9%)
Reversal Percentile
43.9%
Lower than average

What This Means

With a 27.9% 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
120
Allowed After Appeal Filing
26
(21.7%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
94
(78.3%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
28.6%
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, 21.7% 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 NIGH, JAMES D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner NIGH, JAMES D works in Art Unit 3685 and has examined 789 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 55.8%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 43 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner NIGH, JAMES D's allowance rate of 55.8% places them in the 16% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by NIGH, JAMES D receive 2.56 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 75% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues a slightly above-average number of office actions.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by NIGH, JAMES D is 43 months. This places the examiner in the 17% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +30.1% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by NIGH, JAMES D. This interview benefit is in the 78% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner and should be strongly considered as a prosecution strategy. Per MPEP § 713.10, interviews are available at any time before the Notice of Allowance is mailed or jurisdiction transfers to the PTAB.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 16.3% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 13% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show lower effectiveness with this examiner compared to others. Consider whether a continuation application might be more strategic, especially if you need to add new matter or significantly broaden claims.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 22.0% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 28% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner shows below-average receptiveness to after-final amendments. You may need to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 15.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 25% percentile among all examiners. Note: Pre-appeal conferences show below-average success with this examiner. Consider whether your arguments are strong enough to warrant a PAC request.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 47.4% of appeals filed. This is in the 13% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 34.5% 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, 35.7% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 23% 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 1.3% of allowed cases (in the 70% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 43% 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:

  • Prepare for rigorous examination: With a below-average allowance rate, ensure your application has strong written description and enablement support. Consider filing a continuation if you need to add new matter.
  • Prioritize examiner interviews: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner. Request an interview after the first office action to clarify issues and potentially expedite allowance.
  • Plan for extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.

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.