The following synopsis comes from noted patent attorney Charles Van Horn:
USPTO Commissioner for Patents John Doll announced today at a DC Bar meeting that the final rules on continuation and designated claims practices are at OMB (Office of Management and Budget) for approval. The final rules were logged in on April 10 and OMB is expected to complete its review in 90 days, but frequently grants itself an extension of time. The final IDS rules were said to be on the desk of Director Dudas for approval, and will follow the other two packages to OMB in due course. So at this point in time, July-August would be an approximation for publication of the final rules, with 30 days (based on previous PTO statements) to implementation. No details of the final rules were disclosed.
Context: The PTO has proposed dramatically limiting the number of allowed continuation applications (including continuations, continuations-in-part, and requests for continued examination) and the number of claims pursued in each patent. These proposals have drawn ire from the patent bar.