USPTO Examiner LANGHALS RENEE C - Art Unit 3797

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18731573BIOPSY NEEDLE VISUALIZATIONJune 2024April 2025Allow1010NoNo
18526806SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAGNETIC RESONANCE ELASTOGRAPHYDecember 2023August 2024Allow900NoNo
18382982INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES FOR LOCALIZATION AND NAVIGATIONOctober 2023February 2025Allow1520YesNo
18376855PASSIVE AND ACTIVE SENSORS FOR ULTRASOUND TRACKINGOctober 2023December 2024Abandon1510NoNo
18205734Ultrasound Bone Registration With Learning-Based Segmentation And Sound Speed CalibrationJune 2023October 2024Allow1600YesNo
18204480SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONCURRENT VISUALIZATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF BLOOD FLOW USING ULTRASOUND VECTOR FLOW IMAGINGJune 2023July 2024Abandon1310NoNo
18188308Systems and Methods for Localizing a Medical Device Using Symmetric Doppler Frequency Shifts Measured with Ultrasound ImagingMarch 2023March 2025Allow2430NoNo
17989225METHODS FOR TISSUE ANALYSIS, LOCATION DETERMINATION AND THERAPY THEREOF USING OPTICAL RADIATIONNovember 2022December 2024Allow2540YesNo
18046196METHOD FOR DETECTING AND QUANTITATIVELY ASSESSING CARDIAC DYSSYNCHRONYOctober 2022February 2024Abandon1610NoNo
17917487CONTACTLESS VITAL SIGN MONITORING OF MULTIPLE SUBJECTS IN REAL-TIMEOctober 2022April 2025Abandon3010NoNo
17847630ULTRASOUND BASED THREE-DIMENSIONAL LESION VERIFICATION WITHIN A VASCULATUREJune 2022June 2024Allow2440YesNo
17786049DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING BIOPSY ANGLES AND BIOPSY NEEDLE GUIDEJune 2022June 2024Allow2410NoNo
17662666ACCURACY CHECK AND AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION OF TRACKED INSTRUMENTSMay 2022February 2025Allow3401YesNo
17686204DERIVING CONNECTIVITY DATA FROM SELECTED BRAIN DATAMarch 2022August 2024Allow3041YesNo
17577929METHOD FOR RELEASING A SUBSTANCE INTO A SUBJECT USING AN INSERTION ARRANGEMENT (as amended)January 2022May 2024Abandon2820NoYes
17573104Access Devices, Treatment Devices, and Kits Useful for Performing Treatment under Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Related MethodsJanuary 2022September 2024Allow3221YesNo
17533299TOMOGRAPHY CONVERGENCE-TYPE ORAL SCANNERNovember 2021April 2024Allow2910NoNo
17526798APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FETAL INTELLIGENT NAVIGATION ECHOCARDIOGRAPHYNovember 2021November 2024Allow3620NoNo
17609524LASER POINTER DEVICE FOR USE IN A LAPROSCOPIC SURGERY PROCEDURENovember 2021November 2024Abandon3610NoNo
17498416SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR ROBOTIC PLACEMENT OF ELECTRODES FOR ANATOMY IMAGINGOctober 2021April 2025Allow4250YesNo
17493919SURGICAL DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS USING FIDUCIAL IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKINGOctober 2021December 2024Abandon3930YesNo
17440800MEDICAL ARM SYSTEM, CONTROL DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHODSeptember 2021June 2024Abandon3310NoNo
17438816DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TISSUE ANALYSIS, LOCATION DETERMINATION AND THERAPY THEREOF USING OPTICAL RADIATIONSeptember 2021February 2024Abandon2941YesNo
17465046ULTRASOUND AND STEREO IMAGING SYSTEM FOR DEEP TISSUE VISUALIZATIONSeptember 2021June 2025Abandon4560YesNo
17409818ENDOSCOPY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF RECONSTRUCTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTUREAugust 2021April 2024Abandon3230NoNo
17431639SURGICAL DEVICE FOR TRANSPERINEAL BIOPSY, IN PARTICULAR OF THE PROSTATE, FOR A MOVABLE ARM OF A ROBOTAugust 2021August 2024Allow3610YesNo
17417664ULTRASONIC PROBEJune 2021January 2025Allow4350YesNo
17343907ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING METHODJune 2021May 2025Abandon4750NoNo
17050343SURGICAL NAVIGATION METHOD AND SYSTEMJune 2021June 2025Abandon5630YesNo
17296680MEDICAL SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHODMay 2021September 2024Abandon3910NoNo
17315247SUPPORT FOR A MEDICAL INTERVENTIONMay 2021February 2025Abandon4540YesNo
17041087BIOPSY NEEDLE VISUALIZATIONSeptember 2020February 2024Allow4121YesNo
16970751ULTRASONIC APPARATUS FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATION USING ULTRASONIC WAVESAugust 2020April 2024Allow4450YesNo
16990800CONSTRUCTING OR RECONSTRUCTING 3D STRUCTURE(S)August 2020June 2024Allow4640YesNo
16934714Identifying Anatomical StructuresJuly 2020April 2024Abandon4520NoNo
16960274METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPYJuly 2020August 2024Abandon4920NoNo
16840434GUIDING A NEEDLE USING A RADIOPAQUE CONTOURApril 2020June 2025Allow6071YesNo
16818640DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TISSUE ANALYSIS, LOCATON DETERMINATION AND THERAPY THEREOF USING OPTICAL RADIATIONMarch 2020December 2024Allow5741YesNo
16645684ULTRASOUND PROBE LOCALIZATION WITH DRIFT CORRECTIONMarch 2020June 2024Abandon5120NoNo
16644133AN ULTRASONIC PROBE, AN ULTRASONIC IMAGING SYSTEM AND USE METHOD FOR BIOPSY NEEDLE VISUALIZATION ENHANCEMENTMarch 2020January 2025Abandon5961YesNo
16745660Optical Tracking Device With Optically Distinguishable LinesJanuary 2020January 2024Allow4830YesNo
16611309SUPPORT MEMBER FOR INTRALUMINAL IMAGING DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODSNovember 2019January 2024Allow5041YesYes
16512202METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMAGING A NEEDLE FROM ULTRASOUND IMAGING DATAJuly 2019February 2025Allow6061YesNo
16336001TIME-SYNCHRONIZED DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION OPTIMIZATIONMarch 2019March 2024Allow6050YesNo
16243139ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2019March 2024Abandon6060YesNo
16310181ACOUSTIC SUB-APERTURE PROCESSING FOR ULTRASOUND IMAGINGDecember 2018February 2024Allow6060YesNo
16212760PATIENT INTERFACE SYSTEMDecember 2018July 2024Allow6031YesNo
16183835ULTRASOUND SYSTEM WITH HIGH FREQUENCY DETAILNovember 2018April 2025Allow6060YesYes
16085877SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAGNETIC RESONANCE ELASTOGRAPHYSeptember 2018September 2023Allow6051YesYes
16131562ULTRASOUND IMAGING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTSeptember 2018March 2025Abandon6080YesNo
16068673APPARATUS AND COSMETIC METHOD FOR TREATING HYPERHIDROSISJuly 2018March 2024Abandon6060NoYes
16068671METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR POSE CONTROLLED ABLATIONJuly 2018July 2022Abandon4830NoNo
16060473CT PERFUSION PROTOCOL TARGETINGJune 2018November 2024Abandon6041YesYes
15963618STERILE COVERS FOR ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCERApril 2018March 2025Abandon6051NoYes
15611400ULTRASOUND MONITORED CONTINUOUS ANESTHESIA APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USING THE SAMEJune 2017November 2020Allow4130NoYes
15335167MULTI-PART MARKEROctober 2016September 2023Allow6060YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner LANGHALS, RENEE C.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
2
Examiner Affirmed
2
(100.0%)
Examiner Reversed
0
(0.0%)
Reversal Percentile
20.0%
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
10
Allowed After Appeal Filing
2
(20.0%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
8
(80.0%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
23.5%
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, 20.0% 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 LANGHALS, RENEE C - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner LANGHALS, RENEE C works in Art Unit 3797 and has examined 55 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 54.5%, 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 LANGHALS, RENEE C's allowance rate of 54.5% places them in the 10% 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 LANGHALS, RENEE C receive 3.35 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 98% 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 LANGHALS, RENEE C is 43 months. This places the examiner in the 4% 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 +45.5% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by LANGHALS, RENEE C. This interview benefit is in the 92% 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, 13.0% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 4% 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 20.5% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 18% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments compared to other examiners. You should generally plan to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry. Per MPEP § 714.12, primary examiners have discretion in entering after-final amendments, and this examiner exercises that discretion conservatively.

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 76% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. Before filing a full appeal brief, strongly consider requesting a PAC. The PAC provides an opportunity for the examiner and supervisory personnel to reconsider the rejection before the case proceeds to the PTAB.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 60.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 32% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 33.3% 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, 83.3% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 93% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are frequently granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1002.02(c), various examiner actions are petitionable to the Technology Center Director, including prematureness of final rejection, refusal to enter amendments, and requirement for information. If you believe an examiner action is improper, consider filing a petition.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 45% 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 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 44% 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 RCE after final rejection: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments. Budget for an RCE in your prosecution strategy if you receive a final rejection.
  • Request pre-appeal conferences: PACs are highly effective with this examiner. Before filing a full appeal brief, request a PAC to potentially resolve issues without full PTAB review.
  • 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.