Over the last decade, the total annual patent applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) each year is over 600,000 applications. The fastest patent review process time is 6-12 months if fast-tracked via Track One, with the average taking up to 22 months. With a steady increase in patent submission rate and added strain on the patent review and approval system, the USPTO has announced plans to launch a new pre-application review program called the “Pre-Prosecution Pilot” as part of its continuing commitment to expand access to the innovation ecosystem and support under resourced inventors. While this program is an elegant evolution of the USPTO’s mission “to drive U.S. innovation, inclusive capitalism, and global competitiveness,” and meet the demand, it also presents an opportunity for patent professionals to couple the pre-application program with technology that can help accelerate this process even further.
The Patent Review and Approval Process
The average approval rate of patent applications by the USPTO from 2011-2020 is 52.8%, meaning roughly half of all patent applications are approved, depending on the type of patent filed. With the growing demand and advent of new AI technology to screen and assess patent validity, this program will help patent applicants avoid common patent mistakes, language issues, or other barriers that can potentially slow down or invalidate the patent review process, monopolizing the USPTO’s time.
A New Day for Independent Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Innovators
This new USPTO program has the potential of providing a more welcoming and encouraging innovation ecosystem for independent inventors as they seek to protect and bring to market their ideas. With a program such as this in place, it will also help raise awareness of the importance of incorporating a cloud-based, AI-powered innovation management and ideation tool to help independent inventors streamline their innovation workflow, minimize wasted time and cost, and enhance their overall efficiency and patent application quality.
Where IQ Ideas+ Excels
Patent applications are costly, often costing $15,000 or more depending on the process, industry, and type of patent. The pre-application program initiated by the USPTO is an innovative enhancement to the services already provided by the USPTO. The goal of this pre-application program is to help educate innovators and entrepreneurs on the complex patent application process to help solve the massive influx of patent applications and reduce the rate of patent rejections. What is missing from the program is a method of optimizing the ideation process and having a quantifiable score to provide clear guidance before filing the patent. Pairing these services with IP.com’s IQ Ideas+ can maximize the effectiveness of your patent application. IQ Ideas+ essential, AI-powered tools to help find inventors and engineers find better solutions faster, not only helping you quantify the amount of novelty your patent idea has but also pulling and comparing prior art, which simplifies the process and educates inventors and entrepreneurs. IQ Ideas+ helps quantify patent novelty, mitigates obviousness risk, helps the vitality of your idea, assists in organizing your idea, and helps you write more solid claims. At present it’s unclear to what level of service the USPTO’s pre-application program will be providing–and the quality of patent application ultimately determines the level of cost implications for the patent filer.
Pairing these services with IP.com’s IQ Ideas+ and InnovationQ+ can maximize the effectiveness of your patent application. Enhance your decision-making with the industry’s sole concept novelty scoring tool. Rely on the data-backed assessments to distinguish ideas poised for advancement in the innovation lifecycle and those requiring further iterations. Conduct thorough landscape searches into technology areas with the fully automated overview analysis. By using AI to focus this overview on only the most relevant technologies and companies, you can quickly focus your invention description on differentiators or even identify new competitors or opportunities for partnership.
