USPTO Examiner PRONE CHRISTOPHER D - Art Unit 3774

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
19289998METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A PIVOTAL BONE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY WITH RING RETAINER AND TWIST-IN-PLACE PRESSURE INSERTAugust 2025February 2026Allow701NoNo
18631356GRAFT MATERIALS FOR SURGICAL BREAST PROCEDURESApril 2024September 2025Abandon1710NoNo
18584619APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZED PROSTHESIS PACKAGING AND/OR DELIVERYFebruary 2024December 2025Allow2231NoNo
18431541PERCUTANEOUS ENDOVASCULAR APPARATUS FOR REPAIR OF ANEURYSMS AND ARTERIAL BLOCKAGESFebruary 2024October 2025Abandon2001NoNo
18393928PIVOTAL BONE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY WITH RING RETAINER AND TWIST-IN-PLACE PRESSURE INSERTDecember 2023April 2025Allow1521YesNo
18446789Retrievable Self-Expanding Non-Thrombogenic Low-Profile Percutaneous Atrioventricular Valve ProsthesisAugust 2023November 2025Allow2711NoNo
18354094DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR TREATING PULMONARY DISEASEJuly 2023January 2026Abandon3011NoNo
18331251MODULAR HEART VALVE PROSTHESISJune 2023March 2026Allow3311NoNo
18295975DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR TREATING PULMONARY DISEASEApril 2023January 2026Abandon3420NoNo
18193970SELF-RETAINING BONE HOLDING DEVICES AND METHODSMarch 2023November 2025Allow3150YesNo
18167378TENSIONER-BALANCER FOR KNEE JOINTFebruary 2023January 2026Allow3611NoNo
18100229ARTIFICIAL SPINAL DISC AND ARTIFICIAL DISC INSERTION METHOD USING THE SAMEJanuary 2023November 2025Allow3421NoNo
18082509INTERSPINOUS SPACERDecember 2022March 2024Allow1521YesNo
18082502INTERSPINOUS SPACERDecember 2022May 2024Allow1731NoNo
18055938METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN IMPLANT AND AN IMPLANT WITH TWO COATINGSNovember 2022March 2026Abandon3921NoNo
17979383SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PREPARING REINFORCED GRAFT CONSTRUCTSNovember 2022March 2025Allow2810YesNo
18050144DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR TREATING PULMONARY DISEASEOctober 2022July 2023Allow911NoNo
17970211Edge-Matched Articular ImplantOctober 2022July 2025Abandon3310NoNo
17967503THREE-DIMENSIONAL LATTICE STRUCTURES FOR IMPLANTSOctober 2022March 2024Allow1611NoNo
18046473VALVE IMPLANT WITH INTEGRATED SENSOR AND TRANSMITTEROctober 2022July 2025Allow3311YesNo
17964814IMPLANT WITH INDEPENDENT ENDPLATESOctober 2022November 2023Allow1312NoNo
17942547EXPANDABLE ARTICULATING INTERVERTEBRAL IMPLANT WITH LIMITED ARTICULATIONSeptember 2022April 2025Abandon3201NoNo
17822821EXPANDABLE INTERVERTEBRAL IMPLANT, SYSTEM, KIT AND METHODAugust 2022September 2025Allow3620YesNo
17821638GENDER-SPECIFIC MESH IMPLANT WITH BARRIER FOR INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIRAugust 2022December 2025Allow4021YesNo
17821317Stationary Intra-Annular Halo Designs For Paravalvular Leak (PVL) Reduction - Active Channel Filling Cuff DesignsAugust 2022May 2025Allow3311NoNo
17892850ACETABULAR LINER EXTRACTIONAugust 2022August 2025Allow3621NoNo
17875971PROSTHETIC IMPLANTS INCLUDING A FRAME FOR FIXATION TO BONE AND RELATED METHODSJuly 2022November 2025Allow4021YesNo
17812067Gender Specific Implant and PackagingJuly 2022March 2025Abandon3250NoNo
17811419CORE ASSEMBLY FOR MEDICAL DEVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMSJuly 2022September 2025Allow3921YesNo
17861024EXPANSION AND LOCKING MECHANISM FOR MECHANICALLY EXPANDABLE VALVESJuly 2022February 2026Allow4301NoNo
17810206PROSTHETIC VALVE HOLDERS WITH AUTOMATIC DEPLOYING MECHANISMSJune 2022March 2026Allow4401NoNo
17804347DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR TREATING PULMONARY DISEASEMay 2022February 2026Abandon4421NoNo
17741159METHOD TO BIOPRINT A PATIENT SPECIFIC BONE GRAFTMay 2022December 2025Abandon4301NoNo
17662056DEVICES FOR DELIVERING SUBSTANCES THROUGH AN EXTRA-ANATOMIC OPENING CREATED IN AN AIRWAYMay 2022July 2025Abandon3810NoNo
17727613INTERVERTEBRAL DISC PROSTHESISApril 2022November 2023Allow1920YesNo
17660318DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR TREATING PULMONARY DISEASEApril 2022December 2022Allow711NoNo
17727605INTERVERTEBRAL DISC PROSTHESISApril 2022December 2024Abandon3250YesNo
17710281FLEXIBLE COMMISSURE FRAMEMarch 2022December 2023Allow2021NoNo
17706419FLEXIBLE COMMISSURE FRAMEMarch 2022May 2023Allow1411YesNo
17655014FREE-STANDING ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES CONTAINING POLYMERIC ACTUATORSMarch 2022October 2025Abandon4310NoNo
17670290TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODSFebruary 2022February 2026Allow4821NoNo
17665030ORTHOPAEDIC KNEE CONE COMPONENTS FOR USE IN AN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGICAL PROCEDURE AND INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS FOR INSTALLING THE SAMEFebruary 2022January 2026Allow4821YesNo
17649296IMPLANTS FOR SPINAL FIXATION AND OR FUSIONJanuary 2022April 2024Allow2711NoNo
17630290STENT AND CORRESPONDING INSERTION DEVICEJanuary 2022November 2025Abandon4510NoNo
17597818SYNTHETIC TISSUE-GRAFT SCAFFOLDJanuary 2022November 2025Abandon4610NoNo
17557620MODULAR TIBIAL CONE AUGMENTS AND METHOD OF SURGICALLY USING THE SAMEDecember 2021July 2025Allow4341YesNo
17554616TENSIONER-BALANCER FOR KNEE JOINTDecember 2021November 2022Allow1111NoNo
17457246VASCULAR GRAFTS AND METHOD FOR PRESERVING PATENCY OF THE SAMEDecember 2021December 2024Allow3710YesNo
17535843PROSTHETIC DEVICE USING HIGH-STRENGTH HYDROGELNovember 2021February 2026Abandon5020NoNo
17531717SUTURE HOLE GEOMETRY AND METHODS FOR ATTACHING TISSUE TO ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTSNovember 2021April 2025Allow4131NoNo
17522350INTERSPINOUS SPACERNovember 2021October 2024Allow3511YesNo
17518685MESHED PLACENTAL MEMBRANE TISSUE GRAFTSNovember 2021July 2024Allow3241NoNo
17509174IMPLANT COMPONENTS AND METHODSOctober 2021October 2022Abandon1201YesNo
17499099Self-Broaching Neck Preserving Hip StemOctober 2021November 2025Abandon4950YesNo
17490510INTERATRIAL SHUNTS HAVING BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL, AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAMESeptember 2021July 2025Allow4510NoNo
17266044BEARING DEVICE FOR A HEART SUPPORT SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR RINSING A SPACE IN A BEARING DEVICE FOR A HEART SUPPORT SYSTEMSeptember 2021April 2025Allow5020NoNo
17479749DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR TRANSCATHETER TREATMENT OF VALVULAR REGURGITATIONSeptember 2021July 2025Allow4610NoNo
17461114ANNULOPLASTY PROCEDURES, RELATED DEVICES AND METHODSAugust 2021October 2025Allow4920NoNo
17461410ANNULOPLASTY PROCEDURES, RELATED DEVICES AND METHODSAugust 2021October 2025Allow4930NoNo
17433526Hip Off-Loading Device and MethodAugust 2021August 2025Allow4811NoNo
17406831ELBOW ARTHROPLASTY APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHODAugust 2021September 2024Allow3710NoNo
17395521Blood Pumping DeviceAugust 2021February 2025Allow4221NoNo
17391576Polymer Filament Reinforced Scaffold for Partial Meniscus RegenerationAugust 2021May 2025Allow4601NoNo
17424612CORNEAL IMPLANTJuly 2021January 2026Abandon5420NoNo
17424883ARTIFICIAL SPINAL DISC AND ARTIFICIAL DISC INSERTION METHOD USING THE SAMEJuly 2021October 2022Allow1511YesNo
17372813PIVOTAL BONE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY WITH A BOTTOM LOADED CANNULATED SHANK HAVING A PLANAR TOP SURFACEJuly 2021May 2024Abandon3541YesNo
17369311PARTIAL HIP PROSTHESISJuly 2021November 2024Abandon4110NoNo
17355249REINFORCED BIOLOGICAL CONSTRUCT AND METHOD OF REINFORCING BIOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTJune 2021September 2025Allow5111NoNo
17354341DEVICES AND METHODS FOR TREATING A PATIENT'S SPINEJune 2021May 2024Allow3500NoNo
17416427PROSTHETIC DEVICEJune 2021August 2025Allow5040YesYes
17336630AORTIC VALVE STENT GRAFTJune 2021March 2024Allow3310YesNo
17329249ALIGNMENT GUIDEMay 2021May 2025Allow4811NoNo
17329724TRANSCATHETER VALVE PROSTHESIS AND METHOD FOR IMPLANTING THE SAMEMay 2021November 2023Allow3020YesNo
17327575COVERED PROSTHETIC HEART VALVEMay 2021March 2025Allow4620NoNo
17322733HEART VALVE LEAFLET REPLACEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THEMMay 2021July 2025Allow5021NoNo
17308147Stationary Intra-Annular Halo Designs For Paravalvular Leak (PVL) Reduction-Passive Channel Filling Cuff DesignsMay 2021June 2024Allow3711NoNo
17240627GENDER-SPECIFIC MESH IMPLANT WITH BARRIER FOR INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIRApril 2021November 2021Allow611YesNo
17222868COMPLIANT BIOLOGICAL SCAFFOLDApril 2021January 2026Allow5811NoNo
17218755OSTEOGENIC AND ANGIOGENIC IMPLANT MATERIALMarch 2021July 2025Abandon5241NoNo
17200412CAPED STENTMarch 2021April 2025Allow4921YesNo
17193094CAPED STENTMarch 2021June 2025Abandon5221NoNo
17193081CAPED STENTMarch 2021March 2025Abandon4811NoNo
17184260FIXATION DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND USEFebruary 2021November 2025Allow5720YesNo
17177916COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING COATED CERAMIC PARTICLES AND METHODS OF MAKING THEMFebruary 2021March 2024Allow3650YesNo
17176925FRACTURE AND NONUNION RIB IMPLANTSFebruary 2021October 2024Allow4411NoNo
17268349FORCE AND TORQUE SENSOR FOR PROSTHETIC AND ORTHOPEDIC DEVICESFebruary 2021March 2025Allow4920NoNo
17255147EXPANDER OF ORTHOTOPIC ARTIFICIAL BLADDER ENDOPROSTHESISDecember 2020May 2024Abandon4110NoNo
17129237EXPANDABLE INTERVERTEBRAL IMPLANTDecember 2020April 2024Allow4011NoNo
17100396PATIENT-SPECIFIC VERTEBRAL IMPLANTS WITH POSITIONING FEATURESNovember 2020February 2026Abandon6041YesNo
17098953PIEZOELECTRIC COATED IMPLANTS AND METHODS OF USING PIEZOELECTRIC COATED IMPLANTS TO REPAIR BONE STRUCTURESNovember 2020April 2024Allow4110NoNo
17094909HEART VALVE PROSTHESES HAVING MULTIPLE SUPPORT ARMS AND METHODS FOR PERCUTANEOUS HEART VALVE REPLACEMENTNovember 2020March 2025Abandon5261NoNo
17091699HIP IMPLANTNovember 2020January 2025Allow5030YesNo
17052286MEDICAL DEVICE AND COATING WITH BONDING AGENTNovember 2020August 2024Allow4510YesNo
17050876ALIGNED HYDROGEL TUBES FOR TISSUE REPAIR AND REGENERATIONOctober 2020February 2025Allow5221YesNo
17077253HUMERAL JOINT REPLACEMENT COMPONENTOctober 2020February 2023Allow2821NoNo
17072111SURGICAL IMPLANT DEVICE INCORPORATING A LATTICE VOLUME AND ASSOCIATED METHOD OF MANUFACTUREOctober 2020November 2024Allow4961YesNo
17069581EXTRA-ARTICULAR IMPLANTABLE MECHANICAL ENERGY ABSORBING SYSTEMSOctober 2020October 2025Allow6061NoNo
17064206GRAFT MATERIALS FOR SURGICAL BREAST PROCEDURESOctober 2020July 2024Abandon4531YesNo
17035835METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ACCESSING AND TREATING THE FACET JOINTSeptember 2020September 2022Allow2411NoNo
17030464Paravalvular Leak Sealing MechanismSeptember 2020May 2022Allow2011NoNo

Appeals Overview

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

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
22
Examiner Affirmed
14
(63.6%)
Examiner Reversed
8
(36.4%)
Reversal Percentile
58.0%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 36.4% reversal rate, the PTAB reverses the examiner's rejections in a meaningful percentage of cases. This reversal rate is above the USPTO average, indicating that appeals have better success here than typical.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
70
Allowed After Appeal Filing
22
(31.4%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
48
(68.6%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
48.2%
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, 31.4% 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 show good success rates. If you have a strong case on the merits, consider fully prosecuting the appeal to a Board decision.

Filing a Notice of Appeal shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.

Examiner PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D works in Art Unit 3774 and has examined 336 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 68.8%, this examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 42 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D's allowance rate of 68.8% places them in the 30% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner has a below-average tendency to allow applications.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D receive 3.07 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 88% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues more office actions than most examiners, which may indicate thorough examination or difficulty in reaching agreement with applicants.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D is 42 months. This places the examiner in the 20% 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 +4.5% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by PRONE, CHRISTOPHER D. 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, 17.1% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 15% 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 21.8% 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, 63.2% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 51% 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 62.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 42% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 32.4% 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, 34.2% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 22% 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 2.4% of allowed cases (in the 77% percentile). Per MPEP § 1302.04, examiner's amendments are used to place applications in condition for allowance when only minor changes are needed. This examiner frequently uses this tool compared to other examiners, indicating a cooperative approach to getting applications allowed. Strategic Insight: If you are close to allowance but minor claim amendments are needed, this examiner may be willing to make an examiner's amendment rather than requiring another round of prosecution.

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 48% 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:

  • Expect multiple rounds of prosecution: This examiner issues more office actions than average. Address potential issues proactively in your initial response and consider requesting an interview early in prosecution.
  • Plan for extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.
  • Examiner cooperation: This examiner frequently makes examiner's amendments to place applications in condition for allowance. If you are close to allowance, the examiner may help finalize the claims.

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.