Patent Initiatives

The USPTO uses patent initiatives to reduce patent application backlogs, enhance patent quality, and support, collaborate with and accelerate inventors' and entrepreneurs' applications to secure intellectual property protections.

Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program

The USPTO is launching the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program, which is designed to evaluate how having a limited number of claims under examination impacts pendency and examination quality.

Automated Search Pilot Program

The USPTO is launching the Automated Search Pilot Program, which is designed to evaluate how modernizing examination to include an automated pre-examination search may improve examination quality and efficiency.

Patents Customer Partnership Meetings

Lists of future and past Partnership Meetings, implemented as a collaborative effort to give the IP community and the USPTO a forum to discuss items of mutual interest.

Accelerated Examination

Learn more about the established procedures under which the examination of a design patent application may be accelerated.

Patent Quality

Providing high-quality, efficient examination of patent application is paramount to our mission at USPTO.

Patents for Humanity

USPTO awards competition recognizing innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges.

Contact the Patents Ombuds

Patents Ombuds services contact form

Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement

The Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement (QPIDS) program is part of the USPTO's on-going efforts towards compact prosecution and pendency reduction.

USPTO's Prioritized Patent Examination Program

Track One and Prioritized Examination for RCEs

Third-party preissuance submissions

Learn more details about the mechanisms available to third parties who wish to submit patents.