It's an awful thought, but it makes me think that in our case perhaps the examiner is getting some help too, but it's not for us. After all, their decision is worth some big bucks to some big players.

I remember reading a post by ronran where he explained how difficult it would be for a judge of Judge Ward's stature to get away with being "helped". Does anyone know how tight security is with USPTO examiners and how much scrutiny their personal lives are under?

GLTAL