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Patent Examiner Frank S. Hou

Art Unit 1692 · Organic Chemistry: Organosilicon & Organometallic Compounds · Tech Center 1600 · 190 applications since 2021

⚑ Hard: harder than 61% of examiners● Free examiner data

Frank S. Hou is a USPTO patent examiner in Art Unit 1692 (Organic Chemistry: Organosilicon & Organometallic Compounds) who has examined 190 applications in filing years 2021–2025. Examiner Hou's allowance rate is 67.0%, below the 82.1% USPTO average; the examiner ranks harder than 61% of examiners. Applicants who held an examiner interview saw a 40.0 percentage-point lift in allowance in 2024.

Draft a response to Examiner HouSee the strategy data ↓

Data through March 2026 · Source: USPTO Patent Center (formerly PAIR) · Methodology

Overview

Free
Difficulty: Hard
harder than 61% of examiners
Easier61st percentileHarder
Allowance rate vs peers
Examiner Hou67.0%
Art Unit 169276.2%
USPTO average82.1%
Allowance rate
67.0%
▼ USPTO avg 82.1%
Applications
190
filing years 2021–2025
First-action allowance
16.1%
allowed on OA #1
Abandoned
19.5%
share of applications
Avg office actions
1.2
USPTO avg 1.2
Days to first OA
881
▲ USPTO 589
RCE rate
17.4%
USPTO 14.1%
Interview rate
30.0%
USPTO 21.5%

Examiner details

  • Art unit1692 · Organic Chemistry: Organosilicon & Organometallic Compounds
  • Title / gradePatent Examiner · GS-12
  • Service4 years
  • Phone(571) 272-1802
  • Email[email protected]
  • LocationAlexandria, VA 22314
  • On office actionsHou, Frank S
Work reviewed by a primary examiner

Office actions from Examiner Hou are reviewed and signed by a more senior examiner before issuing, so clear written arguments carry extra weight.

Examines (USPC classes)
556 · Organic Compounds (Class 532-570 Series)564 · Organic Compounds: Amines (Class 532-570 Series)514 · Drug, Bio-Affecting & Body Treating Compositions

How to improve your odds with Examiner Hou

  • The data favors an interview. Interviewed cases allowed 40.0 points higher in 2024, the largest measured lift on this docket.
  • Plan for the timeline. First office action averages 881 days vs the 589-day USPTO norm.
  • Expect a §103. Obviousness is the most-issued rejection (76), and applicants overcame it 93.5% of the time.
  • The data favored an RCE here. Cases with an RCE allowed at 83.3% versus 61.1% without in 2022.
  • Tighter claims have moved faster here. With a 67.0% allowance rate, appropriately scoped independent claims have tended to shorten prosecution.

Historical patterns from this examiner's past cases, shown for general information. This is not legal advice and does not predict the outcome of any specific application. Decisions about interviews, RCEs, and claim strategy should be made with a licensed patent attorney or agent.

Rejection patterns & how they get overcome

Free
§102 Novelty53 issued · 100.0% overcome
§103 Obviousness76 issued · 93.5% overcome
§112 Disclosure9 issued · 100.0% overcome
Arguments that overcame §103 rejections🔒 Members

REMARKS: Applicant respectfully traverses the rejection under 35 U.S.C. §103. The cited references, whether taken alone or in combination, fail to teach or suggest at least the recited limitation, and the Office has not established an adequate rationale to combine the references as proposed without impermissible hindsight in that ...

Read every winning §103 argumentFull REMARKS, amendments, claim trees & redlines from the file wrappers
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RCE behavior

Allowance after a Request for Continued Examination versus without one, per year. Use it to judge whether an RCE is worth the cost in front of Examiner Hou.

YearRCE rateAllowance w/ RCEAllowance w/oDelta
202222.1%83.3%61.1%+22.2pp
202127.4%83.3%59.1%+24.2pp

Recent outcomes

Free🔒 Case detail: members
App #TitleOutcomeOAsArguments & redline
17/813687Tertiary Hydroxyl Functional Alkoxysilanes and Methods for Preparing ThereofPatented1🔒 View
18/011433Monomer for Polymer Gel, Polymer Gel and Preparation ThereforPatented0🔒 View
17/370957Silacyclic Compounds and Methods for Depositing Silicon-Containing Films Using SamePatented4🔒 View
17/799133Isocyanate Group-Containing Organosilicon Compound and Method for Producing Isocyanate Group-Containing Organosilicon CompoundPatented2🔒 View
See all 190 dispositions with full file-wrapper detailOffice action text, attorney arguments, amendments & claim-by-claim track changes
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Technology & expertise

Organosilicon compoundsOrganometallic chemistrySilicon-containing filmsIndustrial chemistryTop CPC: C07F · C08G · C07C
About this examiner. Frank S. Hou has examined 190 applications in Art Unit 1692 (Organic Chemistry: Organosilicon & Organometallic Compounds, Tech Center 1600). The docket skews toward organosilicon compounds, organometallic chemistry, silicon-containing films.

Frequently asked questions

What is Examiner Frank S. Hou's allowance rate?
Examiner Hou's allowance rate is 67.0%, compared with the 82.1% USPTO average and 76.2% for Art Unit 1692, which places Examiner Hou harder than 61% of examiners.
Is Examiner Hou a hard examiner?
Somewhat — Examiner Hou ranks harder than 61% of examiners, in the 61st difficulty percentile (hard), with a 67.0% allowance rate versus the 82.1% USPTO average and a higher RCE rate (17.4% versus 14.1%).
Do examiner interviews help with Examiner Hou?
The data says yes. Interviewed applications allowed 40.0 percentage points higher than non-interviewed ones in 2024 (100.0% versus 60.0%).
What is Examiner Hou's most common rejection?
§103 obviousness, issued 76 times in the data. Applicants overcame it 93.5% of the time, usually by amendment plus argument.
Is an RCE worth filing with Examiner Hou?
Often, yes — every measured year ran the same way. In 2022, applications with an RCE allowed at 83.3% versus 61.1% without one.
How long until the first office action from Examiner Hou?
About 881 days on average, versus the 589-day USPTO norm.
How do I contact Examiner Frank S. Hou?
Examiner Hou can be reached by phone at (571) 272-1802 or by email at [email protected]. The examiner's direct line also appears on the first page of every office action.

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Statistics are computed by Boundly Prosecution Intel from USPTO Patent Center (formerly PAIR) file wrappers for filing years 2021–2025, updated monthly. Allowance rate (sometimes called grant rate) is the share of disposed applications that issued as patents. Historical data is provided for informational purposes only; past examiner behavior does not guarantee future outcomes, and nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for advice from a licensed patent attorney or agent. Are you Frank S. Hou, or see an error? Request a correction.