The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program, designed to move qualifying patent applications to the front of the examination line, will end on October 27, 2026. The program, which began accepting requests on June 10, 2026, also waived the petition fee for eligible applications, removing a financial barrier for inventors and small businesses seeking faster patent protection.
According to the USPTO, the pilot advances applications out of turn until a first Office action is issued. However, the program is capped: it will close earlier if a Technology Center accepts approximately 200 pilot applications. This limited capacity means that eligible applicants must act quickly to secure one of the remaining spots.
Eligibility requirements are strict. Only original, non-continuing utility nonprovisional applications filed before October 27, 2025, qualify. Applications claiming priority to another nonprovisional or international application, including national stage applications, are excluded. The claims must include no more than one independent claim and ten total claims, and multiple dependent claims are not allowed. The USPTO must not have issued a first Office action on the application. Applicants must submit Form PTO/SB/472 through Patent Center, and the specification, claims, and abstract must meet DOCX format requirements. A preliminary amendment can be filed to bring a pending application within the claim limits before submitting the petition.
For inventors and small businesses, the program's value lies in its potential to accelerate the examination process, which can otherwise take years. Faster examination can lead to earlier patent issuance, providing quicker protection and potentially attracting investors or licensees. The fee waiver, effective since June 10, 2026, further lowers the cost barrier. However, the trade-off is narrower claim scope. "Fewer claims can mean narrower protection, so we walk each client through that before filing," said J. Baron Lesperance, founder of The Patent Baron, PLLC, an intellectual property firm based in Howell, Michigan.
The Patent Baron, PLLC, led by a patent lawyer in Howell, MI, is reviewing pending applications to identify those that may still qualify before the deadline. Lesperance noted that many inventors in Livingston County and across Michigan have applications sitting in the examination queue, and the pilot allows some to move forward without the petition fee. His firm assists inventors and businesses with patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and he has been registered to practice before the USPTO since 2005.
As the October 27 deadline approaches, pending-application owners should assess whether their applications meet the pilot's requirements. Missing the window means losing the opportunity for accelerated examination and the fee waiver, potentially delaying patent protection by months or years. With the cap on accepted applications, time is of the essence for those seeking to take advantage of this limited-time program.
