By Dennis Crouch, Patent Law Blog (Patently-O) – May 03, 2010 at 02:42PM
Based on the USPTO’s most recent numbers on examination, I created an updated table of the average delay until a first office action is mailed from the PTO. These numbers reflect an average for each technology center as it operates today. The 3.25 year delay in Electronic Commerce (TC 3620) means that the applications receiving first office actions during the past three months had been pending for 3.25 years ago on average — taking us back to applications filed around new-years 2007. One-year-ago, the delay for TC 3620 was 3.9 years from filing to FAOM. The numbers do not necessarily reflect how long it would take for an application filed today to make it through. (Although it is perhaps one of the better estimates that we have on hand.).
|
Tech Center |
Area of Technology |
Average Years Delay Before First Action on the Merits |
|
2900 |
Designs |
1.13 |
|
1660 |
Plants |
1.40 |
|
1640 |
Immunology receptor ligands |
1.95 |
|
3670 |
Wells earth boring |
1.96 |
|
3610 |
Surface transportation |
2.12 |
|
1620 |
Organic chemistry |
2.17 |
|
3640 |
Aeronautics |
2.19 |
|
1650 |
Fermentation microbiology |
2.21 |
|
1630 |
Molecular biology |
2.25 |
|
3630 |
Static structures |
2.25 |
|
3720 |
Manufacturing devices |
2.25 |
|
3760 |
Body treatment |
2.41 |
|
3650 |
Material handling and |
2.43 |
|
2180 |
Computer architecture |
2.49 |
|
3660 |
Computerized vehicle |
2.49 |
|
2160 |
Database and file management |
2.55 |
|
2110 |
Computer architecture |
2.56 |
|
3710 |
Amusement and |
2.60 |
|
3740 |
Thermal and combustion |
2.65 |
|
3750 |
Fluid handling and |
2.68 |
|
1610 |
Pharmaceutical formulations |
2.72 |
|
2120 |
Miscellaneous computer |
2.76 |
|
3730 |
Bio and Organic |
2.79 |
|
3780 |
Bio and Organic |
2.79 |
|
3770 |
Respirators Therapeutic |
2.83 |
|
2610 |
Digital Communications General |
3.06 |
|
2620 |
Television and TV Recording |
3.12 |
|
3620 |
Electronic Commerce |
3.25 |
|
2190 |
Interprocess communications |
3.98 |