USPTO Examiner HANCE ROBERT J - Art Unit 3992

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18817077VOLUMETRIC SCULPTING USING DUAL CONTOURINGAugust 2024March 2026Allow1810YesNo
18260690BASE STATION AND COMMUNICATION METHODJuly 2023July 2025Allow2400NoNo
18340851CELL SELECTION METHOD AND APPARATUSJune 2023October 2025Allow2810NoNo
18083263METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MONITOR MEDIA PRESENTATIONSDecember 2022February 2024Allow1420YesNo
17618090LOSSLESS MODE FOR VERSATILE VIDEO CODINGDecember 2021October 2023Allow2200NoNo
15485351COMMENT-PROVIDED VIDEO GENERATING APPARATUS AND COMMENT-PROVIDED VIDEO GENERATING METHODApril 2017March 2018Allow1220YesNo
15437317DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA RECORDER WITH FUNCTIONALITY FOLLOWING LOSS OF PROVIDER NETWORK SERVICEFebruary 2017November 2018Allow2020NoNo
15411029Notification of Media Content of InterestJanuary 2017July 2018Allow1820YesNo
15387103SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTING, CAPTURING, AND DISTRIBUTING CUSTOMIZED EVENT RECORDINGSDecember 2016June 2018Allow1710NoNo
15096540VIDEO ENCODING METHOD AND APPARATUS AND VIDEO DECODING METHOD AND APPARATUS USING INTRA BLOCK COPY PREDICTIONApril 2016July 2018Allow2810NoNo
14867163APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING CONTENTSeptember 2015April 2017Allow1850YesNo
14679678INTELLIGENT DEVICE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL SIGNALS ON A WIDEBAND SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMApril 2015July 2018Allow3950NoNo
14395400METHOD OF CODING AND DECODING INTEGRAL IMAGES, A DEVICE FOR CODING AND DECODING INTEGRAL IMAGES, AND CORRESPONDING COMPUTER PROGRAMSOctober 2014October 2017Allow3630NoNo
14259204Programmatically Determining When Credits Appear During a Video in Order to Provide Supplemental InformationApril 2014March 2017Allow3550YesNo
14227379COMMENT-PROVIDED VIDEO GENERATING APPARATUS AND COMMENT-PROVIDED VIDEO GENERATING METHODMarch 2014February 2017Allow3520NoNo
14130600METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLEXING AND DEMULTIPLEXING VIDEO DATA TO IDENTIFY REPRODUCING STATE OF VIDEO DATAJanuary 2014April 2017Allow3930NoNo
13194834APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING A WIRELESS TELEVISION SYSTEMJuly 2011October 2016Allow6060NoNo
12257759PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING SYSTEM, PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING APPARATUS, PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING METHOD, AND PROGRAM GUIDE PROVIDING PROGRAMOctober 2008March 2012Allow4120NoNo
12256567PRESENTING A CONTINUOUS PROGRAMMING SEQUENCE AT A CLIENT TERMINALOctober 2008May 2012Allow4230NoNo
12254466BROADCAST RECEIVING APPARATUS, BROADCAST RECEIVING METHOD AND BROADCAST RECEIVING SYSTEMOctober 2008September 2009Allow1000NoNo
11458794METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ANALYZING CABLE TELEVISION SIGNAL LEAK INFORMATIONJuly 2006January 2011Allow5401NoNo
10564058INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAMJanuary 2006January 2012Allow6071YesNo
10427797RECORDING RESOURCES INDICATORSMay 2003August 2009Allow6020YesNo

Appeals Overview

No appeal data available for this record. This may indicate that no appeals have been filed or decided for applications in this dataset.

Examiner HANCE, ROBERT J - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner HANCE, ROBERT J works in Art Unit 3992 and has examined 19 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 100.0%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 35 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner HANCE, ROBERT J's allowance rate of 100.0% places them in the 100% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is more likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by HANCE, ROBERT J receive 2.68 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 79% 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 HANCE, ROBERT J is 35 months. This places the examiner in the 41% percentile for prosecution speed. Prosecution timelines are slightly slower than average with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +0.0% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by HANCE, ROBERT J. This interview benefit is in the 17% percentile among all examiners. Note: Interviews show limited statistical benefit with this examiner compared to others, though they may still be valuable for clarifying issues.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 31.6% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 65% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. Consider whether your amendments or new arguments are strong enough to warrant an RCE versus filing a continuation.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 22.2% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 29% 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.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 40.0% 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 5.3% of allowed cases (in the 86% 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 52% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions more often than average when claims are allowable but formal matters remain (MPEP § 714.14).

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.
  • 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.