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Examiner Phuong Thao Cao

TECH CENTER 2100 · 1 ART UNIT · 903 DECIDED APPLICATIONS · LAST ACTION JUN 2026
ALLOWANCE RATE = SHARE OF DECIDED APPLICATIONS (ALLOWED + ABANDONED); PENDING EXCLUDED
OVERALL ALLOWANCE RATE · POOLED ACROSS 1 ART UNIT
77%vs 62% art-unit average+15 pts

Examiner Phuong Thao Cao has allowed 696 of 903 decided applications in Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.

allowed696abandoned207pending26· pending excluded from the rate
DATA UPDATED JULY 14, 2026
// READING THIS EXAMINER

What the data says.

Phuong Thao Cao maintains a public record across one art unit in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). Across hundreds of decided applications, the examiner's allowance rate is 77%. This figure represents the share of applications that were allowed, compared to all decided applications (allowed and abandoned combined). The allowance rate is computed from the examiner's pooled record and reflects past outcomes only; it is not a prediction of any specific application's disposition.

// HOW TO READ THESE NUMBERS

How to read these numbers.

This profile presents a pooled record aggregating all art units under the examiner's assignment. The allowance rate of 77% describes the examiner's historical distribution of allowed and abandoned applications. Pooled figures represent past outcomes across a range of subject matter and do not forecast outcomes in any individual case. For art-unit-specific data, consult the separate per-unit breakdown available on this page.

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
929 APPS · 77% ALLOWANCE

Primarily examines information retrieval and database structures.

77% allowance (of decided)▏ art-unit average 62%
DISPOSITION696 / 207 / 26allowed / abandoned / pending
FIRST ACTION20.5 moart unit avg 22.7 mo
TOTAL PENDENCY36.3 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 eligibility80%art unit 58%+22 pts
§102 — Anticipation (novelty)73%no art-unit benchmark
§103 — Obviousness80%art unit 88%8 pts
§112 — Written description & definiteness80%no art-unit benchmark
// INTERVIEW SPLIT

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

WITH INTERVIEW84%allowance share
WITHOUT INTERVIEW72%+12 pt difference

A correlation, not proof that interviews cause allowances. Based on 383 decided applications with an interview and 520 without.

// FAQ

Questions about Examiner Phuong Thao Cao

  • What is Examiner Cao's overall allowance rate?
    The allowance rate is 77%, calculated from hundreds of decided applications (allowed and abandoned). This is a historical figure and is not a prediction of any specific application's outcome.
  • How many art units does Examiner Cao work in?
    Examiner Cao's public record covers one art unit, pooled in this overall profile.
  • Does the pooled allowance rate apply to my application?
    No. The pooled allowance rate is a historical aggregate across multiple art units and does not predict outcomes in any specific case. Art-unit-specific data may provide additional context.
  • What technology does Examiner Cao examine?
    Applications in TC 2100, which covers Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security.
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METHODOLOGY & DISCLOSURES

Methodology. This page pools every art unit in which Examiner Phuong Thao Cao 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: 929 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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