The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced a key procedural change that applicants should keep in mind when planning utility patent filings and grants.
The USPTO is shortening the average time between a patent's Issue Notification and its official Issue Date to two weeks. This acceleration, made possible through electronic publication (eGrants) via Patent Center, may reduce the need for last-minute filings such as Quick Path Information Disclosure Statements (QPIDS). This also shortens the timeframe available for filing continuing applications post-issue fee payment.
More information may be found within the USPTO Announcement.
As a consideration for utility patents, applicants are recommended to file any continuing applications before paying the issue fee to maintain co-pendency, as issuance may now occur more quickly than anticipated. Likewise, applicants will need to be prepared for filing an information disclosure statement under the QPIDS program under an accelerated timeline, which may include closer monitoring of prosecution in related applications.
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