USPTO Discontinuing Accelerated Examination Program for Utility Applications

Washington, DC, June 10, 2025

On June 9, 2025, the USPTO announced that, beginning on July 10, 2025, it will no longer be accepting petitions under the Accelerated Examination program (37 CFR § 1.102) for utility patent applications.

Under the Accelerated Examination program an applicant could file a petition to make an application special without a fee, if the basis for the petition was the inventor’s or joint inventor’s age or health; or that the invention would materially enhance the quality of the environment, contribute to the development or conservation of energy resources, or contribute to countering terrorism (37 CFR § 1.102(c)).  If granted, the USPTO would advance the application out of turn for examination.

Advancement of examination for inventions on the grounds that they materially enhance the quality of the environment, contribute to the development or conservation of energy resources, or contribute to countering terrorism will no longer be available without a fee.  Applicants will be able to continue to file petitions to make an application special without a fee if the basis for the petition is the inventor’s or joint inventor’s age or health.

After the Accelerated Examination program is discontinued for utility applications, applicants can still receive expedited examination of their applications under two programs.  This includes the Track One program under 37 CFR 1.102(e) and the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).  The PPH program allows applicants to leverage fast-track examination procedures for a U.S. patent application for which examination has yet to begin and whose pending claims have been determined to contain allowable subject matter by a partnering PPH Patent Office.