According to the USPTO website, the “traditional”
patent pendency takes 27.5 months. This
statistic measures the time from the filing of an applications until the time
that either a patent is issued or the application is abandoned. Unfortunately, this number can be misleading
because it excludes applications that file a Request for Continued Examination
(RCE).
The patent application process is a series of
interchanges between the applicant and the patent examiner. Two of the services included in the initial
filing fee are the first office action and the final office action. The first office action is the initial
response of the patent examiner regarding the patentability of the
invention. The applicant is then given
an opportunity to modify their application in response to the patent examiner’s
objections. The patent examiner then
reviews the modified application and issues a final office action either
granting the patent or rejecting the application. However, the use of the word final is
misleading here because nothing needs to be final about final office action. Through an RCE, and the associated filing
fee, applicants have the ability to continue the examination if they believe
the patent examiner’s objections can be overcome.
RCE’s, which are very common, add approximately 10
months to pendency.
Since this is a textile blog, I thought it might be helpful
to look at the pendency of textile related patents using a random sample of
over 200 textile patents issued since August 2013. The average pendency of these textile patents
was 34.8 months and approximately 40% of these applications required an RCE. About a quarter of textile related patents
were issued in less than 18 months and about three quarters of textile related
patents were issued within 46 months.
The quickest patent took 90 days and the longest patent took over 10
years. About 5% of the patents took over
6.5 years.
Below is a summary of selected patents that
have been recently issued in textile related classification codes:
Anti-slip spike structure: An improved anti-slip
spike structure which is used in soles of snow shoes or special anti-slip
shoes. The anti-slip spike is mainly arranged on a sole surface. The metal
spike body is wrapped with a hard rubber body placed in a solid cylindrical
rod-shaped rubber spike. Since the rubber spike is entirely wrapped and has a
large placement plane, it is easy to position the rubber spike in a mold. In
addition, when the rubber spike is pressed to be shaped, the spike does not
skew or shift. Patent: 8695234.
Inventor: Wu. Not Assigned.
Soccer shoe component or insert made of one
material and/or a composite and/or laminate of one or more materials for
enhancing the performance of the soccer shoe:
A soccer shoe absorbs and stores energy from the foot at
foot-strike and return some of this energy to the object being struck. The shoe
may also cushion the foot, leg and body; provide foot stability and motion
control; reduce fatigue; extend the float time of a runner and increase the
jump height of the wearer. The shoe is intended to absorb, store and return
energy to the object struck, which would otherwise be lost using the existing
shoe components and inserts. The shoe has a vertical component that extends
around the periphery of the front of the shoe and another component
(horizontal) that extends longitudinally from the front of the shoe towards the
back of the shoe, at least to about the middle of the shoe, and preferably
proximate the heel of the shoe. Patent: 8695235. Inventor:
Perron. Not Assigned.
Method for forming a high strength synthetic rope: A method is
provided for forming a high strength synthetic rope useful for towing warps,
trawler warps, yachting ropes, mooring lines, anchor lines, oil derrick anchoring
lines, seismic lines, seismic lines and any other uses for rope, cable or
chain. Patent: 8695317.
Inventors Erlendsson and Safwat.
Assignee: Hampidjan Hf.
Method and system for manufacturing cable bead: A method and system for
manufacturing high-quality cable beads with efficiency. The method includes the
steps of arranging a plurality of carriages carrying a core and a reel wound
with a wire around a reel revolving means having at least two arms, attaching
the core to a core rotating means for rotating the core in a circumferential
direction by holding it with one of the arms and positioning the reel on one
side of the core by holding it with the other of the arms, manufacturing a
cable bead by revolving the reel by holding it alternately with each of the two
arms, and returning the cable bead and the reel to the carriage using the two
arms. Thus, the setting of the reel and the core, the manufacturing of a cable
bead, and the returning of the cable bead and the reel back to the carriage are
performed automatically. Patent: 8695318. Inventor: Owaga.
Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha
Bridgestone.
Quilting machine and improved driving system for such
quilting machine: An improved quilting machine, with a
housing made by a C-shaped frame that has upper and lower arms, wherein the
needle structure at the front end of the upper arm have conventional design (as
used in commercial sewing machines) and the bobbin is placed to an elevated
height by providing an upwardly extended end portion of the lower arm and an
offset shaft transmission. By such a
simple design the reciprocating mass of the needle structure and the mass of
the torque transmission means are reduced, conventional needle moving
structures can be used and owing to the lighter load, the dimensions of the
drive train can be less massive and heavy.
Patent: 8695517. Inventor: Kasa.
Not Assigned.
Jim Carson is a principal of RB Consulting,
Inc. and a registered patent agent. He
has over 30 years of experience across multiple industries including the
biotechnology, textile, computer, telecommunications, and energy sectors. RB Consulting, Inc. specializes in providing
management, prototyping, and regulatory services to small and start-up
businesses. He can be reached via email
at James.Carson.Jr@gmail.com or
by phone at (803) 792-2183.
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