1836 John Ruggles Senate Committee on Patents Report (April, 1836):
The extent of the evils resulting from the unrestrained and promiscuous grants of patent privileges may be imagined when it is considered that they are now issued, since this year commenced, at the rate of more than a thousand a year; a considerable portion of which are doubtless void for want of originality in the inventions patented...
Senator John Ruggles, 1836
***
2018 Statement of Director Andrei Iancu Before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary (April 18, 2018):
In FY 2018, we expect to receive more than 600,000 new patent applications.
In general, quality patents are those that are issued in compliance with all the requirements of Title 35 of the United States Code as well as relevant case law at the time of issuance, and survive challenge down the line. Performing a complete prior art search and ensuring claims are properly scoped are important parts of issuing quality patents that can stand up to scrutiny if challenged. In addition, any action must include sufficient detail so that applicants and the public can better determine the basis for examiner decisions.
We will continue to look for ways to improve our prior art search and quality of examination
| Director of the USPTO Andrei Iancu, 2017 |
****
