Examiner John M Heffington has allowed 184 of 455 decided applications (40%) in Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.
John M Heffington maintains a public record across 4 art units within Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). Over 455 decided applications, his allowance rate is 40%, with 184 allowed and 271 abandoned. The allowance rate ranges from 25% to 51% across his art units, reflecting variation in the disposition of applications within this technology center. This pooled figure aggregates his record across multiple art units and describes his historical record only.
A pooled record aggregates outcomes across multiple art units, each of which may handle distinct subject matter or application types. The overall allowance rate—here, 40% of 455 decided applications—is a historical summary. The range (25% to 51%) shows that outcomes vary by individual art unit. Neither the pooled rate nor the range is a prediction of any specific application's outcome. Pooled statistics describe past patterns, not future results.
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.
Allowance rate for applications with an examiner interview versus without one.
A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 112 decided applications with an interview and 114 without.
Allowance rate for applications with an examiner interview versus without one.
A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 91 decided applications with an interview and 37 without.
Primarily examines artificial-intelligence and machine-learning methods.
Allowance rate for applications with an examiner interview versus without one.
A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 24 decided applications with an interview and 32 without.
Methodology. This page pools every art unit in which Examiner John M Heffington 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: 503 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.
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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