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Patent Examiner Sean P. Cullen

Art Unit 1725 · Electrochemistry: Fuel Cells, Batteries & Cell Fabrication · Tech Center 1700 · 233 applications since 2021

⚑ Very Hard: harder than 83% of examiners● Free examiner data

Sean P. Cullen is a USPTO patent examiner in Art Unit 1725 (Electrochemistry: Fuel Cells, Batteries & Cell Fabrication) who has examined 233 applications in filing years 2021–2025. Examiner Cullen's allowance rate is 68.4%, below the 82.1% USPTO average; the examiner ranks harder than 83% of examiners. Applicants who held an examiner interview saw a 66.7 percentage-point lift in allowance in 2024.

Draft a response to Examiner CullenSee the strategy data ↓

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

Overview

Free
Difficulty: Very Hard
harder than 83% of examiners
Easier83rd percentileHarder
Allowance rate vs peers
Examiner Cullen68.4%
Art Unit 172585.0%
USPTO average82.1%
Allowance rate
68.4%
▼ USPTO avg 82.1%
Applications
233
filing years 2021–2025
First-action allowance
0.0%
allowed on OA #1
Abandoned
20.6%
share of applications
Avg office actions
2.1
USPTO avg 1.2
Days to first OA
720
▲ USPTO 589
RCE rate
33.5%
USPTO 14.1%
Interview rate
31.8%
USPTO 21.5%

Examiner details

  • Art unit1725 · Electrochemistry: Fuel Cells, Batteries & Cell Fabrication
  • Title / gradePrimary Patent Examiner · GS-14
  • Service17 years
  • Phone(571) 270-1251
  • Email[email protected]
  • LocationAlexandria, VA 22314
  • On office actionsCullen, Sean P
Full signatory authority

Examiner Cullen can allow an application without a supervisory sign-off, which is why an examiner interview can be decisive.

Examines (USPC classes)
429 · Electrical Current Producing Apparatus, Product & Process29 · Metal Working502 · Catalyst, Solid Sorbent, or Support Therefor

How to improve your odds with Examiner Cullen

  • The data favors an interview. Interviewed cases allowed 66.7 points higher in 2024, the largest measured lift on this docket.
  • Plan for the timeline. First office action averages 720 days vs the 589-day USPTO norm.
  • Expect a §112. Disclosure is the most-issued rejection (282), and applicants overcame it 86.8% of the time.
  • RCE outcomes are mixed year to year. 21.6 points up in 2022 but -62.5 in 2023; weigh the year-by-year table before spending the fee.
  • Tighter claims have moved faster here. With a 68.4% 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
§101 Eligibility2 issued · 100.0% overcome
§102 Novelty163 issued · 91.7% overcome
§103 Obviousness269 issued · 85.8% overcome
§112 Disclosure282 issued · 86.8% overcome
Arguments that overcame §112 rejections🔒 Members

REMARKS: Applicant respectfully traverses the rejection under 35 U.S.C. §112. The specification provides written-description and enablement support for the claimed subject matter, and the claim terms are definite when read in light of the specification by one of ordinary skill in the art, at least because ...

Read every winning §112 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 Cullen.

YearRCE rateAllowance w/ RCEAllowance w/oDelta
202417.6%50.0%57.1%-7.1pp
202324.5%37.5%100.0%-62.5pp
202229.5%87.5%65.9%+21.6pp
202147.5%73.5%69.0%+4.5pp

Recent outcomes

Free🔒 Case detail: members
App #TitleOutcomeOAsArguments & redline
17/638591Low-Crystalline Phosphorous Containing Vanadium Sulfide, Method for Producing, Active Material, Electrode, and Lithium Ion Secondary Battery Including the SamePatented1🔒 View
18/004428Method and Device for Producing a Fuel Cell Stack By Conveying Fuel Cell Layers Along Belts Via OverhangsPatented2🔒 View
17/939460Solid-State Electrolytes Including Lithiated Zeolite Particles and Lithium-Containing Materials and Methods of Forming the SamePatented2🔒 View
17/847196Solid Electrolyte Including Polymer Containing Boron and Fluorine Structure, Preparation Method, and Lithium Ion Battery Including the SamePatented2🔒 View
See all 233 dispositions with full file-wrapper detailOffice action text, attorney arguments, amendments & claim-by-claim track changes
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Technology & expertise

Fuel cellsBatteriesElectrochemical cellsEnergy storageTop CPC: H01M · C25B · H01G
About this examiner. Sean P. Cullen has examined 233 applications in Art Unit 1725 (Electrochemistry: Fuel Cells, Batteries & Cell Fabrication, Tech Center 1700). The docket skews toward fuel cells, batteries, electrochemical cells.

Frequently asked questions

What is Examiner Sean P. Cullen's allowance rate?
Examiner Cullen's allowance rate is 68.4%, compared with the 82.1% USPTO average and 85.0% for Art Unit 1725, which places Examiner Cullen harder than 83% of examiners.
Is Examiner Cullen a hard examiner?
Yes — Examiner Cullen ranks harder than 83% of examiners, in the 83rd difficulty percentile (very hard), with a 68.4% allowance rate versus the 82.1% USPTO average and more office actions per application than average (2.1 versus 1.2) and a higher RCE rate (33.5% versus 14.1%).
Do examiner interviews help with Examiner Cullen?
The data says yes. Interviewed applications allowed 66.7 percentage points higher than non-interviewed ones in 2024 (100.0% versus 33.3%).
What is Examiner Cullen's most common rejection?
§112 disclosure, issued 282 times in the data. Applicants overcame it 86.8% of the time, usually by amendment plus argument.
Is an RCE worth filing with Examiner Cullen?
It has varied by year, so the table is the better guide. In 2024, applications with an RCE allowed at 50.0% versus 57.1% without one, but earlier years did not all run that way.
How long until the first office action from Examiner Cullen?
About 720 days on average, versus the 589-day USPTO norm.
How do I contact Examiner Sean P. Cullen?
Examiner Cullen can be reached by phone at (571) 270-1251 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 Sean P. Cullen, or see an error? Request a correction.