by Dennis Crouch
I've been looking at some of the fastest issued US patents. A majority of the fastest issued are part of the Global IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot that gives substantial weight to patent allowances from a partner country. A substantial number of Chinese applications are using this program to great effect -- especially when coupled with the remarkable speed of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
The PPH program allows applicants who receive a ruling from a first patent office that at least one claim is patentable to request accelerated prosecution of corresponding claims in a second patent office. The program aims to reduce examination workload and speed patent grants through work-sharing between patent offices.
The following are a couple of new patents that I picked out from the many available. Both patents moved from filing to issuance in less than four months (including receiving and responding to a non-final rejection).
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