United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 24 July 2007

                               Extension of the
                   Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program
                        between the USPTO and the JPO

   On July 3, 2006, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
commenced a Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program (PPH) which enabled an
applicant whose claims have been determined allowable/patentable in an
application filed in the Japan Patent Office (JPO) to have the
corresponding application filed in the USPTO be advanced out of turn for
examination. See Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program between the
United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Japan Patent Office, 1307
Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 61 (June 13, 2006). The USPTO indicated that the
pilot program would last for a period of one year ending on July 3, 2007,
but may be extended for an additional time period thereafter.

   The requirements of the PPH pilot program were recently modified to
permit certain applications based on PCT filings to qualify for
participation in the PPH pilot program (the June 13, 2006 notice excluded
PCT applications). See Revised Requirements for Requesting Participation in
the Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program in the USPTO, 1319 Off. Gaz.
Pat. Office 63 (June 12, 2007). In view of this recent modification, the
USPTO has decided to extend the PPH pilot program for an additional 6
months to January 3, 2008. The USPTO and JPO will evaluate the results of
the pilot program at the end of this 6 months period to determine whether
and how the program should be fully implemented.

   Please continue to direct inquiries on the PPH pilot program to Magdalen
Greenlief at 571-272-8800 or via e-mail addressed to
Magdalen.greenlief@uspto.gov.


June 27, 2007                                                     JOHN DOLL
                                                   Commissioner for Patents