Updates & Corrections
A dated log of material changes: fee verifications, data refreshes, new guides, and corrections. If something here contradicts an older copy of a page you saved, this log is the current word.
- July 17, 2026 — Fee figures corrected against the current USPTO schedule
- All fee references sitewide now reflect the USPTO fee schedule effective January 19, 2025: $195 per 10 documents undiscounted, $78 small entity, under 37 CFR 1.17(o); micro entity rates are not available for third-party submissions. Earlier copies of this site showed pre-2025 amounts framed as "$180 small entity / $360 large entity," which was incorrect in both amount and structure.
- July 17, 2026 — New guides: Finding Prior Art and Worked Example
- Added Finding Prior Art (where to search, proving publication dates, element-driven technique) and a complete annotated Worked Example of a compliant filing, including what the file wrapper shows after entry, refusal, or citation.
- July 17, 2026 — Outcome statistics expanded
- Alongside the USPTO's 2014 program data (12.96% examiner citation rate), the Strategic Risks and Drafting Guide pages now cite a 2017 practitioner analysis finding ~40% of submissions were followed by claim narrowing or abandonment, rising to ~65% for claim-chart-style submissions.
- July 2026 — Strategic Timing published; calculator logic corrected
- New Strategic Timing page covering USPTO first-action pendency, the priority-claim effect, and the extended window for PCT-origin applications under 35 U.S.C. § 374. The calculator was also corrected for the state where the 6-month prong has passed with no first Office Action: the window is still open in that state and closes on the day the first OA mails.
- May 2025 — Site launched
- Initial publication: 3PPS 101, Drafting Guide, Strategic Risks, Deadline Calculator, Filing Checklist, International Comparison, FAQ, and Glossary.