USPTO Examiner SIMS III JAMES F - Art Unit 3761

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19019447SUSPENDED-TYPE SPOT WELDING DEVICE CONVENIENT FOR WELDING AND ASSEMBLING OF VARIOUS VEHICLE MODELSJanuary 2025April 2025Allow310NoNo
18983370Heat-Absorbing Adapter for Enhanced Heat Dissipation And DurabilityDecember 2024September 2025Allow930NoNo
18910696ELECTRIC BLANKETOctober 2024April 2025Allow710NoNo
18615834SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUBSTRATE SUPPORT TEMPERATURE CONTROLMarch 2024May 2025Allow1410YesNo
18581243ELECTRIC HEATING PADS AND MATTRESSESFebruary 2024July 2024Allow510NoNo
18443806MODULAR GRILL AND SMOKER, SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND USER DEVICE INTEGRATIONFebruary 2024March 2025Abandon1310NoNo
18436276JOINING TOOL AND TOOL GRIPPERFebruary 2024October 2024Allow910YesNo
18436475BATTERY POWERED WELDING SYSTEMFebruary 2024December 2025Allow2220NoNo
18412885LATERAL ELECTRO-CONDUCTION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MULTI-WIRE SUBMERGED ARC INNER/OUTER WELDING OF STRAIGHT-SEAM STEEL PIPEJanuary 2024August 2025Allow2010YesNo
18401490USE OF HEATING INSTRUMENT FOR SHOESDecember 2023November 2025Abandon2320NoNo
18541056ELEMENT SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR A SETTING WELDING DEVICE, AN ELEMENT NEST AND A RETROFIT KIT FOR THE SETTING WELDING DEVICE AS WELL AS CORRESPONDING SUPPLY METHODS OF A WELDING AUXILIARY JOINING PARTDecember 2023March 2025Allow1520NoNo
18538706HEATING ELEMENT AND HEATER ASSEMBLIES, CARTRIDGES, AND E-VAPOR DEVICES INCLUDING A HEATING ELEMENTDecember 2023January 2025Allow1310NoNo
18535566HEATER DESIGN FOR CARBON ALLOTROPE ICE PROTECTION SYSTEMSDecember 2023September 2024Allow910NoNo
18532299ELONGATE HEATER FOR AN ELECTRICALLY HEATED AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEMDecember 2023January 2025Allow1410NoNo
18380592DEPOSITION MASK, MASK MEMBER FOR DEPOSITION MASK, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DEPOSITION MASK, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ORGANIC EL DISPLAY APPARATUSOctober 2023November 2024Allow1310NoNo
18284294SPLIT-TYPE MULTIFUNCTIONAL UNDERWATER ARC WELDING POWER SUPPLY AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOFSeptember 2023June 2024Allow900NoNo
18278151PREPARATION JAR FOR A KITCHEN APPLIANCE, A LID FOR THE PREPARATION JAR AND A KITCHEN APPLIANCEAugust 2023March 2024Allow710NoNo
18342999AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM HAVING A CARTRIDGE WITH A SIDE APERTUREJune 2023March 2025Allow2020YesNo
18201306FIBER LASER APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING WORKPIECEMay 2023July 2024Allow1411NoNo
18322141SUBMERGED ARC WELDING SYSTEMS AND SUBMERGED ARC WELDING TORCHES TO RESISTIVELY PREHEAT ELECTRODE WIREMay 2023July 2024Allow1310NoNo
18321700Method of Rotating a Welding Torch During OperationMay 2023April 2024Allow1010YesNo
18314612AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICE INCLUDING AN ELECTRICAL GENERATOR ASSEMBLYMay 2023April 2024Allow1110NoNo
18121083Welding Power Supply With Half BridgeMarch 2023February 2025Allow2320NoNo
18015572METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING WELDING CURRENTS, AND WELDING CURRENT SOURCE AND SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO WELDING CURRENT SOURCESJanuary 2023October 2023Allow910NoNo
18094306MODULAR GRILL AND SMOKER, SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND USER DEVICE INTEGRATIONJanuary 2023May 2024Abandon1710NoNo
18150446PIZZA PAN WITH NESTED TIERS AND RELATED METHODSJanuary 2023June 2023Allow610YesNo
18066048ELECTRIC HEATING PADS AND MATTRESSESDecember 2022July 2023Allow710NoNo
17987502METHODS AND APPARATUS TO SYNERGICALLY CONTROL A WELDING-TYPE OUTPUT DURING A WELDING-TYPE OPERATIONNovember 2022September 2023Allow1010NoNo
17903575Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Weld CellSeptember 2022January 2024Allow1720YesNo
17908799RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING METHOD AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING RESISTANCE SPOT WELDED JOINTSeptember 2022October 2025Allow3710NoNo
17823285FRICTION WELD PLUGAugust 2022June 2025Allow3400NoNo
17896845HEATABLE PLASTICS COMPONENT AND METHOD FOR PRODUCINGAugust 2022September 2025Allow3710NoNo
17889697MODULAR WELDING SYSTEMAugust 2022July 2023Allow1010NoNo
17881681Integrated Automatic Sea Cucumber Cooking and Soaking SystemAugust 2022January 2023Allow500NoNo
17876838DEPOSITION MASK, MASK MEMBER FOR DEPOSITION MASK, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DEPOSITION MASK, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ORGANIC EL DISPLAY APPARATUSJuly 2022July 2023Allow1211NoNo
17874821AUTOMATIC WELDING METHODJuly 2022May 2023Allow910NoNo
17872902Electric Connector Engaging a Welder to a Spot Welding ToolJuly 2022May 2023Allow1010NoNo
17757445ROTATING ARC WELDING TORCHJune 2022February 2025Allow3210NoNo
17782618METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING JOINING APPARATUSJune 2022April 2023Allow1010NoNo
17829396ELECTRIC PLATTERJune 2022May 2023Allow1220YesNo
17774304A STEEL CORD CUT END PREPARATION DEVICE AND A WELDING MACHINE FOR WELDING STEEL CORDMay 2022January 2026Abandon4401NoNo
17728748Meals preparation machineApril 2022October 2022Allow610YesNo
17716454Roasting BasketApril 2022August 2025Abandon4020NoNo
17713184Contoured Electrodes for Joining Workpieces with Curved SurfacesApril 2022March 2025Allow3630NoNo
17754480RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING METHOD AND WELD MEMBER PRODUCTION METHODApril 2022August 2025Allow4110YesNo
17766229ARC WELDING TORCHApril 2022September 2025Allow4120NoNo
17695716SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MODELING A PART AND USING LASER PEENING TO FORM OR CORRECT THE PARTMarch 2022December 2025Abandon4501NoNo
17683759WIRE FEEDER WITH ADJUSTABLE LIFTMarch 2022March 2025Allow3611NoNo
17583747ELECTRIC HEATING PADS AND MATTRESSESJanuary 2022August 2022Allow710NoNo
17597574METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HEATING DEVICE, AND HEATING DEVICEJanuary 2022February 2026Allow4920NoNo
17646183INDUCTION HEATING COIL AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHODDecember 2021May 2023Allow1710YesNo
17563445AUTOMATIC MATERIAL CHANGING AND WELDING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STAMPING MATERIALSDecember 2021January 2024Allow2410NoNo
17547364MOTION CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SERVICING OF WELDING TORCHDecember 2021October 2024Allow3410NoNo
17617110BREWING UNIT FOR A COFFEE MACHINEDecember 2021September 2023Allow2210NoNo
17531339Accurate microwave heating method and device based on time reversal calibration technologyNovember 2021June 2025Allow4311NoNo
17531634SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROASTING COFFEE BEANSNovember 2021July 2025Allow4411YesNo
17609798DOMESTIC MICROWAVE DEVICE WITH ROTARY ANTENNANovember 2021June 2025Allow4320YesNo
17452868APPARATUS FOR WELDINGOctober 2021March 2025Allow4111YesNo
17452449SPOUTED LIQUID CONTAINER AND ASSOCIATED METHODSOctober 2021February 2025Abandon4010NoNo
17452320SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MEASURE AND CALIBRATE LASER PROCESSING MACHINE USING LOW-POWER BEAM PROFILEROctober 2021July 2025Allow4511YesNo
17510480PRESSURE PROFILING DEVICE, PARTICULARLY FOR DISPENSING UNITS OF PRESSURIZED LIQUIDSOctober 2021January 2025Allow3910YesNo
17507263MOBILE SELF-CONTAINED COFFEE SHOPOctober 2021February 2025Abandon3910NoNo
17605203HEATING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SOLDERED OBJECTOctober 2021January 2023Abandon1520NoNo
17504654AEROSOL GENERATOROctober 2021March 2023Allow1710NoNo
17504360SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADJUSTING CONTENT OF A BEVERAGEOctober 2021June 2025Allow4400NoNo
17494941POWER CONTROL FOR HAIR IRON HAVING CERAMIC HEATERSOctober 2021January 2026Abandon5110NoNo
17490919AIRBAG HOT WIND HEAT-INSULATING DEVICESeptember 2021September 2024Allow3610NoNo
17441292JOINT STRUCTURE, AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENT, AND JOINT STRUCTURE MANUFACTURING METHODSeptember 2021October 2025Allow4910YesNo
17474530PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHODSeptember 2021November 2024Allow3810NoNo
17437434WELDED JOINT MANUFACTURING METHOD, WELDED JOINT, TEMPERING DEVICE, AND WELDING APPARATUSSeptember 2021August 2024Allow3510NoNo
17593126ACTIVELY HEATED OR COOLED GARMENTS OR FOOTWEARSeptember 2021March 2025Allow4210NoNo
17593063VAPOR PROVISION SYSTEM AND CORRESPONDING METHODSeptember 2021February 2025Allow4110YesNo
17468087SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO CONTROL A WIRE ELECTRODE AT THE END OF A WELDSeptember 2021April 2025Allow4310NoNo
17465955SEMICONDUCTOR-MANUFACTURING APPARATUS MEMBER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMESeptember 2021October 2024Allow3810YesNo
17461358TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED SLEEPING BAGAugust 2021March 2022Allow610NoNo
17459094VISION-BASED ROTARY PART OFFSET CORRECTION FOR WELD TOOLPATHINGAugust 2021October 2024Allow3730YesNo
17412976SINGLE-SERVE BEVERAGE POD WITH ADDITIVE ENCLOSURE AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THEREOFAugust 2021December 2024Allow4010YesNo
17433148WELDING SLAG CLEANING DEVICE, WELDING MACHINE HEAD AND WELDING SYSTEMAugust 2021March 2025Abandon4210NoNo
17433025EXPULSION DETECTION METHOD IN ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDING AND APPARATUS THEREFORAugust 2021July 2025Allow4710NoNo
17406799SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATED TIP TRANSFERAugust 2021January 2024Allow2820YesNo
17406172SYSTEMS FOR USE IN PROCESSING RUBBER SEALSAugust 2021December 2025Abandon5220NoNo
17403140SLEEVE FOR A FRUIT SQUEEZERAugust 2021August 2024Allow3610NoNo
17401882FLUID HANDLING APPARATUS AND FLUID TANK SYSTEMAugust 2021January 2024Allow2921YesNo
17402315SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HEATING THE TOP LID OF A PROCESS CHAMBERAugust 2021March 2025Allow4310NoNo
17428066WELDING TORCHAugust 2021October 2024Abandon3810NoNo
17392894ROBOTIC WELDING SYSTEM WITH ORBITAL WELDER POSITIONED ON ROBOTIC ARMAugust 2021May 2024Allow3421YesNo
17391362AUTOMATED MARKING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REPLACEABLE AUTOMATED MACHINE COMPONENT TRACKINGAugust 2021February 2026Allow5420NoNo
17390431Gasless, Mechanized, Field-Welding Of Tubular StructureJuly 2021April 2024Allow3310NoNo
17425593CAPSULE FOR INFUSION PRODUCTSJuly 2021October 2024Abandon3910NoNo
17425464ROASTING APPARATUSJuly 2021April 2024Allow3300NoNo
17377314ELECTRIC SNOWMOBILEJuly 2021August 2024Allow3710YesNo
17375983LAYER-BASED DEFECT DETECTION USING NORMALIZED SENSOR DATAJuly 2021April 2024Allow3320YesNo
17422542METHOD FOR MONITORING WELDING OF ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDED STEEL PIPE, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDED STEEL PIPE, DEVICE FOR MONITORING WELDING OF ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDED STEEL PIPE, AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDED STEEL PIPEJuly 2021February 2025Allow4410YesNo
17370485JACKET FOR A CARTRIDGE OF A LIQUID-COOLED PLASMA ARC TORCHJuly 2021June 2025Allow4811YesNo
17419852MULTI PLANAR HEATER ELEMENT FOR USE IN A HIGH-SPEED OVEN INCORPORATING A NOVEL TENSIONING SYSTEMJune 2021January 2025Allow4210NoNo
17346866POWER SYSTEMS AND ENCLOSURES HAVING IMPROVED COOLING AIR FLOWJune 2021January 2025Allow4321NoNo
17345418INDUCTION COOKING HOB INCLUDING A COOKING AREA WITH THREE OR MORE INDUCTION COILS AND A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A COOKING AREAJune 2021February 2023Allow2010YesNo
17312294COOLING DEVICEJune 2021September 2023Abandon2710NoNo
17299125Rotisserie Oven, Method Carried Out by a Control System of a Rotisserie Oven, and Computer ProgramJune 2021April 2023Allow2210NoNo
17294306MULTI-LAYER MOTOR VEHICLE EXTERIOR PART COMPRISING A HEATING ELEMENTMay 2021April 2025Allow4720YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner SIMS III, JAMES F.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
4
Examiner Affirmed
3
(75.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(25.0%)
Reversal Percentile
41.7%
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
12
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(16.7%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
10
(83.3%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
20.5%
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, 16.7% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is in the bottom 25% across the USPTO, indicating that filing appeals is less effective here than in most other areas.

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 SIMS III, JAMES F - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner SIMS III, JAMES F works in Art Unit 3761 and has examined 285 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 86.0%, this examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 39 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner SIMS III, JAMES F's allowance rate of 86.0% places them in the 63% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has an above-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by SIMS III, JAMES F receive 1.79 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 40% 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 SIMS III, JAMES F is 39 months. This places the examiner in the 28% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +17.2% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by SIMS III, JAMES F. This interview benefit is in the 58% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews provide an above-average benefit with this examiner and are worth considering.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 26.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 44% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show below-average effectiveness with this examiner. Carefully evaluate whether an RCE or continuation is the better strategy.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 46.4% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 71% 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, 0.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 22% percentile among all examiners. Note: Pre-appeal conferences show limited success with this examiner compared to others. While still worth considering, be prepared to proceed with a full appeal brief if the PAC does not result in favorable action.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 71.4% of appeals filed. This is in the 59% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 20.0% 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, 51.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 51% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions show above-average success regarding this examiner's actions. Petitionable matters include restriction requirements (MPEP § 1002.02(c)(2)) and various procedural issues.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 44% 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 4.1% of allowed cases (in the 78% 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:

    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.