Examiner James E Heffern has allowed 8 of 60 decided applications (13%) in Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.
James E Heffern has a public record across two art units in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). Over 60 disposed applications, 8 were allowed and 52 were abandoned, yielding an allowance rate of 13%. This rate reflects the ratio of allowed to all decided applications in the examiner's pooled record. The figure aggregates outcomes across both art units and represents the examiner's historical disposition data, not a prediction for any individual application.
A pooled record aggregates statistics across multiple art units, creating a single overall figure. This aggregate allowance rate describes past outcomes across different subject areas and does not predict results on any specific application. Pooled data masks variation between individual art units; detailed per-unit records appear separately. The allowance rate is correlational—a historical ratio—and reflects no causal relationship to any particular examination approach.
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 →
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.
Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.
Allowance rate for applications with an examiner interview versus without one.
A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 23 decided applications with an interview and 29 without.
Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.
Based on 8 applications — too small a sample to characterize the rejection mix reliably; shown for completeness.
Methodology. This page pools every art unit in which Examiner James E Heffern 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 June 25, 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: 60 applications.
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.
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