December 19, 2014

On December 16, 2014, the USPTO released its interim guidance (2014 Interim Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility) for use by USPTO personnel in determining subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101. The new guidance was prepared in view of…

September 26, 2014

The USPTO has announced that it will extend the After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 (AFCP) Program through September 30, 2015. The program was previously scheduled to expire on September 30, 2014. The PTO further announced that Examiners will begin sending…

May 7, 2014

The Federal Circuit recently released its opinion for the case In re Packard, providing guidance as to when the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may properly reject a claim as failing to meet the definiteness requirements of 35…

November 15, 2013

35 U.S.C. § 154(b) allows for extension of patent term for design and utility patents filed after May 29, 2000. The statute provides for patent term adjustment for delays caused by the USPTO. “A Term” adjustments result from untimely responses…

October 2, 2013

The United States Patent and Trademark office will remain open during the government shutdown that began October 1, 2013. The Office will remain open, using prior year reserve fee collections to operate as usual for approximately four weeks. If the…

September 4, 2013

The presentation discusses different techniques for using US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invalidity proceedings to invalidate issued patents. The presentation specifically discusses the new procedures available under the America Invents Act (AIA). Topics include Post-Grant Review (PGR) and Inter…

August 28, 2013

The presentation discusses techniques for speeding up the issuance of patents at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The presentation focuses on the newly implemented Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement (QPIDS) Program which allows applicants to submit Information Disclosure…

August 21, 2013

The presentation discusses techniques for speeding up allowance of patent applications at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In particular, the presentation discusses the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 which can help applicants avoid Requests for Continued Examination…

August 14, 2013

The presentation discusses the different techniques for speeding up examination at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Topics covered in this presentation include petitions to make special, accelerated examination, prioritized examination, Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), and the First Action…

August 7, 2013

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has proposed rules for the implementation of the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) that will help filers speed up patent filing. The presentation discusses the proposed rules which allow applications to be filed without…

July 31, 2013

In order to speed up searching, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a number of new programs that not only help searchers speed up the patent searching process but also have an impact on examination. The presentation discusses…

February 19, 2013

The USPTO recently published final rules implementing the first-inventor-to-file provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA) that take effect on March 16, 2013.  The full text of the new rules is available here.  The USPTO also published examination guidelines accompanying…