{"abstract":"The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is implementing the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program to evaluate how having a limited number of claims under examination impacts pendency and examination quality. Under the pilot program, certain pending utility patent applications that have no more than one independent claim and no more than ten total claims may be eligible for expedited examination, if the requirements specified in this notice are met. An applicant may comply with the claim requirements of the pilot program by filing a preliminary amendment before or with a petition to make special under the pilot program. Applications accepted into the pilot program will be advanced out of turn (i.e., accorded special status) for examination until a first Office action is issued. This notice sets forth the requirements of the pilot program and describes how the pilot program will be administered. The USPTO anticipates that focusing examination resources on already-filed, unexamined applications that have a streamlined claim set will enhance efforts to reduce the USPTO's inventory and pendency, and that the data gathered from this pilot program will support designing future efforts to expedite patent examination.","action":"Notice.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE","name":"Commerce Department","id":54,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/commerce-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/54","parent_id":null,"slug":"commerce-department"},{"raw_name":"Patent and Trademark Office","name":"Patent and Trademark Office","id":402,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/patent-and-trademark-office","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/402","parent_id":54,"slug":"patent-and-trademark-office"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2025/10/27/2025-19669.html","cfr_references":[],"citation":"90 FR 48579","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"Pilot Duration: The Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program will accept petitions to make special beginning October 27, 2025, until either October 27, 2026 or the date each Technology Center that examines utility applications has been docketed at least approximately 200 applications accepted into the pilot program, whichever occurs first. The USPTO recognizes that participation in the pilot program across Technology Centers may vary. Disparities in participation across Technology Centers, such as when the pilot program applications accepted in a Technology Center significantly exceeds 200, may result in early termination of the pilot program. The USPTO may, at its sole discretion, terminate the pilot program for any reason, including factors such as workload and resources needed to administer the program, feedback from the public, and the effectiveness of the program. If the pilot program is terminated, the USPTO will notify the public. The USPTO, on its website, will specify the number of petitions filed and the number of applications accepted into the pilot program for each Technology Center. A petition filed under the pilot program before the termination of the program will be considered on its merits.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["Docket No.: PTO-P-2025-0182"],"dockets":[{"supporting_documents":[],"agency_name":"PTO","documents":[{"comment_count":0,"comment_start_date":"2025-10-27","updated_at":"2025-10-27T13:55:23.708-04:00","comment_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/PTO-P-2025-0182-0001","allow_late_comments":false,"id":"PTO-P-2025-0182-0001","comment_end_date":null,"regulations_dot_gov_open_for_comment":false}],"supporting_documents_count":0,"id":"PTO-P-2025-0182","title":"Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program"}],"document_number":"2025-19669","effective_on":null,"end_page":48582,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2025/10/27/2025-19669.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/27/2025-19669/streamlined-claim-set-pilot-program","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2025-19669?publication_date=2025-10-27","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2025-10-27/2025-19669/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":4,"page_views":{"count":3598,"last_updated":"2026-07-27 10:15:03 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-10-27/pdf/2025-19669.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-19669.pdf?1761309906","publication_date":"2025-10-27","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2025/10/27/2025-19669.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{},"regulation_id_numbers":[],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"supporting_documents":[],"comments_count":0,"agency_id":"PTO","comments_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=50&so=DESC&sb=postedDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=PTO-P-2025-0182","supporting_documents_count":0,"docket_id":"PTO-P-2025-0182","document_id":"PTO-P-2025-0182-0001","regulation_id_number":null,"title":"Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program","checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2025-10-28T20:55:06Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":null,"signing_date":null,"start_page":48579,"subtype":null,"title":"Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program","toc_doc":"Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program","toc_subject":null,"topics":[],"type":"Notice","volume":90}