The Red Queen’s Race

I volunteered to take a couple of cases from an examiner who is now on assignment elsewhere in the Patent Office, so two cases of hers showed up on my docket this week: an ordinary amendment on my Amended Docket, and an After Final amendment on my Expedited docket. I dealt with the Expedited case. I also worked on the ordinary amendment that I already had, and called the Patent Agent to propose incorporating some claim language from dependent claims into each of the independent claims in order to make the case allowable. He said that he would have to discuss it with his client, and get back to me next week. So I currently have four amendments: two ordinary amendments on my Amended docket, and two Board of Appeals decisions on my Special Amended docket.

I also worked on what was my oldest Regular New case, trying to finish it by 3:00 PM Tuesday to get it counted for last biweek; I posted it for credit at 2:59 PM. I have started in my current oldest Regular New case.