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The Red Queen’s Race, and the 17 Series
Nov. 6th, 2021 12:37 amThis week, something appeared on my Expedited docket, a document which the patent applicant wanted me to consider in an allowed case, so I dealt with that. I also got an amendment on Amended docket, and I finished Office Actions on both that and the amendment I already had, so I now have no amendments of any kind, and have have caught up with the Red Queen.
I also finished an Office Action on the oldest Request for Continued Examination case on my Regular New docket, and have begun work on another Regular New application.
When I started at the Patent Office in 1998, we were still working on 08 series applications, meaning applications with serial numbers like 08/812,345. It didn’t take too long before I was examining 09 series applications like 09/010,203 (these are made-up numbers, not actual cases of my own). Over the years, we went through the 10 series, the 11 series, and so on through the 15 series, and well into the 16 series. I have worked on some 17 series cases, when they were made special, and I examined them ahead of earlier-filed applications.
I recently sent out an Office Action on the last 16 series case on my Regular New docket as a non-Request for Continued Examination application, so from now on I expect to be working only on 17 series cases (followed by 18 series cases, etc.) as new applications, although I will still have amendments and such that were filed earlier. This means that nearly half of all the patent applications ever filed with the United States Patent Office have been examined during the twenty-three years and two months of my tenure here.
I also finished an Office Action on the oldest Request for Continued Examination case on my Regular New docket, and have begun work on another Regular New application.
When I started at the Patent Office in 1998, we were still working on 08 series applications, meaning applications with serial numbers like 08/812,345. It didn’t take too long before I was examining 09 series applications like 09/010,203 (these are made-up numbers, not actual cases of my own). Over the years, we went through the 10 series, the 11 series, and so on through the 15 series, and well into the 16 series. I have worked on some 17 series cases, when they were made special, and I examined them ahead of earlier-filed applications.
I recently sent out an Office Action on the last 16 series case on my Regular New docket as a non-Request for Continued Examination application, so from now on I expect to be working only on 17 series cases (followed by 18 series cases, etc.) as new applications, although I will still have amendments and such that were filed earlier. This means that nearly half of all the patent applications ever filed with the United States Patent Office have been examined during the twenty-three years and two months of my tenure here.
