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Examiner Donald L Lawson

TECH CENTER 2100 · 3 ART UNITS · 70 DECIDED APPLICATIONS · LAST ACTION OCT 2011
ALLOWANCE RATE = SHARE OF DECIDED APPLICATIONS (ALLOWED + ABANDONED); PENDING EXCLUDED
OVERALL ALLOWANCE RATE · POOLED ACROSS 3 ART UNITS
66%vs 49% weighted peer average+17 pts

Examiner Donald L Lawson has allowed 46 of 70 decided applications in Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.

allowed46abandoned24pending0· pending excluded from the rate
The weighted peer average (49%) is each art unit's average below, weighted by this examiner's applications in it (3 art units).
DATA UPDATED JULY 14, 2026
AU 2158 · 65%AU 2154 · 83%AU 2169 · 50%
// READING THIS EXAMINER

What the data says.

Donald L Lawson maintains a pooled allowance rate of 66% across dozens of decided applications in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). His public record spans 3 art units within TC 2100. The allowance rate reflects the share of applications that issued as allowed among all decided applications (allowed and abandoned combined), excluding pending matters. This aggregate figure represents his historical record across the multiple art units in his assignment and does not constitute a prediction for any specific application.

// HOW TO READ THESE NUMBERS

How to read these numbers.

This pooled record aggregates data across multiple art units, presenting an overall picture of the examiner's allowance rate. Aggregate statistics describe past performance and do not predict outcomes for individual applications. Applications in different art units within TC 2100 may have different characteristics and examination patterns. The pooled allowance rate is a historical snapshot, useful for context, but does not forecast the disposition of any particular case.

These are aggregate statistics from this examiner's past public record — not predictions about any specific application. The per-art-unit figures below show how the record varies across art units. Our approach to patent prosecution →

// BY ART UNIT

The record, art unit by art unit.

Each section benchmarks this examiner against that art unit's average. Figures are this examiner's own public record within the art unit; the overall rate above pools them.

◈ PRIMARY · ART UNIT 2158
46 APPS · 65% ALLOWANCE · LIMITED DATA

Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.

65% allowance (of decided)▏ art-unit average 48%
DISPOSITION30 / 16 / 0allowed / abandoned / pending
FIRST ACTION25.1 moart unit avg 23.4 mo
TOTAL PENDENCY45.7 moart unit avg 49.3 mo
// REJECTION PROFILE
REJECTION RATE = SHARE OF THIS EXAMINER'S APPLICATIONS THAT DREW ≥1 OFFICE-ACTION REJECTION IN WHICH THE GROUND APPEARS

Grounds can co-occur, so the four don't sum to 100%. The art-unit figure is the unweighted mean across examiners in the art unit; §102 and §112 carry no art-unit benchmark.

§101 — Subject-matter eligibility100%art unit 52%+48 pts
§102 — Anticipation (novelty)33%no art-unit benchmark
§103 — Obviousness100%art unit 87%+13 pts
§112 — Written description & definiteness0%no art-unit benchmark

Based on 46 applications — too small a sample to characterize the rejection mix reliably; shown for completeness.

ART UNIT 2154
12 APPS · 83% ALLOWANCE · LIMITED DATA

Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.

83% allowance (of decided)▏ art-unit average 58%
DISPOSITION10 / 2 / 0allowed / abandoned / pending
FIRST ACTION29.4 moart unit avg 27.1 mo
TOTAL PENDENCY47.7 moart unit avg 41.9 mo
// REJECTION PROFILE
REJECTION RATE = SHARE OF THIS EXAMINER'S APPLICATIONS THAT DREW ≥1 OFFICE-ACTION REJECTION IN WHICH THE GROUND APPEARS

Grounds can co-occur, so the four don't sum to 100%. The art-unit figure is the unweighted mean across examiners in the art unit; §102 and §112 carry no art-unit benchmark.

§101 — Subject-matter eligibility75%art unit 55%+20 pts
§102 — Anticipation (novelty)75%no art-unit benchmark
§103 — Obviousness100%art unit 87%+13 pts
§112 — Written description & definiteness0%no art-unit benchmark

Based on 12 applications — too small a sample to characterize the rejection mix reliably; shown for completeness.

ART UNIT 2169
12 APPS · 50% ALLOWANCE · LIMITED DATA

Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.

50% allowance (of decided)▏ art-unit average 47%
DISPOSITION6 / 6 / 0allowed / abandoned / pending
FIRST ACTION24.3 moart unit avg 24.8 mo
TOTAL PENDENCY35.9 moart unit avg 40 mo
// FAQ

Questions about Examiner Donald L Lawson

  • What is Donald L Lawson's overall allowance rate?
    His pooled allowance rate is 66% across dozens of decided applications in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security).
  • How many art units does this examiner cover?
    The public record spans 3 art units within TC 2100: art units 2154, 2158, and 2169. The figures presented here are pooled across all three.
  • Does the allowance rate apply to my specific application?
    No. The pooled allowance rate is a historical aggregate and is not a prediction for any individual application. Actual outcomes depend on the specifics of each case.
  • What does the allowance rate measure?
    The allowance rate (66%) is the percentage of decided applications (allowed plus abandoned) that were allowed, excluding pending applications.
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METHODOLOGY & DISCLOSURES

Methodology. This page pools every art unit in which Examiner Donald L Lawson has a public record within Technology Center 2100. Statistics are computed from publicly available USPTO records, refreshed on a recurring schedule. This page's data was last updated July 14, 2026. The overall allowance rate is total allowed divided by total decided applications (allowed plus abandoned) across all art units — not an average of the per-art-unit rates; pending applications are excluded. Figures are rounded for display. Pooled sample: 70 applications.

Rejection rates. Each §-rate is the share of this examiner's applications that drew at least one office-action rejection in which that statutory ground appears; applications with no rejection on record are excluded, and because grounds can co-occur the four do not sum to 100%. The art-unit figure beside each is the unweighted mean of the per-examiner rates across the art unit, published for §101 and §103 only. Beside the overall allowance rate we show a benchmark: for a single-art-unit examiner it is exactly that art unit's average, labeled “art-unit average”; for an examiner spanning several art units it is the “weighted peer average” — the per-art-unit averages, weighted by this examiner's application count in each — labeled distinctly because it is a blended figure, not any single art unit's average. Both are built from the same per-art-unit averages the panels show.

Lynch LLP is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Examiner statistics are derived from publicly available USPTO data.

These statistics describe past examiner behavior and do not predict the outcome of any particular application. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Where this page compares an examiner's allowance rate to an art-unit average, that comparison is a factual description of the public record, not a characterization of any individual examiner's conduct or competence.

This page is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by viewing it. Full disclaimers →

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