LYNCH·LLP
HOME/EXAMINERS/TC 2100/HAROLD A HOTELLING
◈ FIND AN EXAMINER, ART UNIT, OR APPLICATION #
◈ USPTO PATENT EXAMINER STATISTICS

Examiner Harold A Hotelling

TECH CENTER 2100 · 1 ART UNIT · 102 DECIDED APPLICATIONS · LAST ACTION JUN 2012
ALLOWANCE RATE = SHARE OF DECIDED APPLICATIONS (ALLOWED + ABANDONED); PENDING EXCLUDED
OVERALL ALLOWANCE RATE · POOLED ACROSS 1 ART UNIT
46%vs 62% art-unit average16 pts

Examiner Harold A Hotelling has allowed 47 of 102 decided applications in Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.

allowed47abandoned55pending0· pending excluded from the rate
DATA UPDATED JULY 14, 2026
// READING THIS EXAMINER

What the data says.

Harold A Hotelling maintains a public record in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). Across hundreds of decided applications, the examiner's allowance rate is 46%, meaning that 46% of all decided applications (allowed and abandoned combined) have resulted in allowance. The examiner's practice spans a single art unit. This pooled figure represents the historical record across all decided cases and does not predict outcomes in any specific application.

// HOW TO READ THESE NUMBERS

How to read these numbers.

This profile aggregates the examiner's record across all art units into a single pooled allowance rate. The 46% figure describes past decisions on applications that have been fully decided (allowed or abandoned); it is a historical summary, not a forecast. Pooled rates combine different art units and reflect overall patterns. Individual application outcomes vary and are not determined by aggregate statistics.

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 2164
102 APPS · 46% ALLOWANCE

Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.

46% allowance (of decided)▏ art-unit average 62%
DISPOSITION47 / 55 / 0allowed / abandoned / pending
FIRST ACTION27.5 moart unit avg 22.7 mo
TOTAL PENDENCY52.7 moart unit avg 43.4 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 eligibility47%art unit 58%11 pts
§102 — Anticipation (novelty)73%no art-unit benchmark
§103 — Obviousness53%art unit 88%35 pts
§112 — Written description & definiteness7%no art-unit benchmark
// INTERVIEW SPLIT

Allowance rate for applications with an examiner interview versus without one.

WITH INTERVIEW60%allowance share
WITHOUT INTERVIEW29%+31 pt difference

A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 57 decided applications with an interview and 45 without.

// FAQ

Questions about Examiner Harold A Hotelling

  • What is Harold A Hotelling's overall allowance rate?
    The examiner's allowance rate across hundreds of decided applications is 46%. This represents the share of decided cases (allowed and abandoned) that have been allowed.
  • How many art units does this examiner cover?
    The examiner's public record spans 1 art unit.
  • What is the technology center and subject matter?
    The examiner works in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security).
  • Does the 46% allowance rate apply to my specific application?
    The pooled allowance rate is a historical aggregate and is not a prediction of any specific application's outcome. Individual applications are decided on their own merits.
◈ HOW LYNCH LLP CAN HELP

Where to go next.

Lynch LLP represents applicants in patent prosecution before the USPTO. These are general resources about the firm's services — not advice about this examiner or any specific application.

Patent prosecution at Lynch LLPApplication drafting, office-action responses, and prosecution strategy before the USPTO.Appeals and PTAB practiceAppeals, inter partes review, and patent-owner defense before the PTAB.IP portfolio strategyHow a patent portfolio is sequenced and built over a multi-year horizon.Scheduling time with an attorneyFree and paid consultation options across the firm's attorneys.
◈ RESPONDING TO AN OFFICE ACTION

Strategy, not paperwork. Talk to the attorney doing the work.

Lynch LLP represents applicants in patent prosecution before the USPTO. Book a consultation to discuss your matter with the attorney who would handle it.

Book a 30-minute consultation →
METHODOLOGY & DISCLOSURES

Methodology. This page pools every art unit in which Examiner Harold A Hotelling 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: 102 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 →

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING — Sean Lynch, Partner, Lynch LLP