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The U.S. Patent Backlog

Posted by samzenpus on from the we-will-be-with-you-shortly dept.

coondoggie writes "Even with its increased hiring estimates of 1,200 patent examiners each year for the next 5 years, the US Patent and Trademark Office patent application backlog is expected to increase to over 1.3 million at the end of fiscal year 2011 the Government Accounting Office reported today. The USPTO has also estimated that if it were able to hire 2,000 patent examiners per year in fiscal year 2007 and each of the next 5 years, the backlog would continue to increase by about 260,000 applications, to 953,643 at the end of fiscal year 2011, the GAO said. Despite its recent increases in hiring, the agency has acknowledged that it cannot hire its way out of the backlog and is now focused on slowing the growth of the backlog instead of reducing it. This too is but one of the goals of the Patent Reform Act currently making the rounds in the US Senate."

9 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Therefore by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hereby submit a patent to use computing and human resources technology to increase the speed of the patent process.

    Pay me, bitches.

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    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    1. Re:Therefore by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorry, you have to wait until your patent is approved... catch 22.

    2. Re:Therefore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I hereby submit a patent to use computing and human resources technology to increase the speed of the patent process.

      I'll up you by one:

      I hereby submit a patent to use computing and human resources technology to increase the speed of the patent process using the Internet.
  2. A possible solution by Venik · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think in this difficult time for our government all patriotic Americans should refrain from inventing stuff for the next five years.

  3. Re:There is no real issue. Problem solved. by Idiomatick · · Score: 3, Funny

    They'd each need to do around a patent per day to get this finished with your numbers. But they are obviously flawed you forgot that you are dealing with a government program.

    Patent requests: 400$ * 1,300,000 = +345,000,000$
    RIAA support: 55,000,000
    Physical infrastructure costs: 1 * 10,000,000 = -50,000,000
    Execs: 2,000,000 * 7 = -35,000,000
    Coordinators: 500,000 * 10 = -15,000,000
    People who we don't know what they do (Management??): 80,000 * 300 = -24,000,000
    Political bargaining: -35,000,000
    Minimal patent examiners: - 35,000,000

    Remaining funds: -as mush as you can convince people

    In fact they are in dire need of financial support, for a government program they are barely scraping by.

  4. Patent #1094398532 - One click approval by neapolitan · · Score: 2, Funny

    I patent the "One-click" patent approval process.

    I'll license it back to them for a fee.

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    Slashdotter, ID #101. UIDs are in binary, right?
  5. Wow by professorfalcon · · Score: 2, Funny

    They actually *read* patent applications?!?

  6. Re:God I want this Problem by clickety6 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they start outsourcing to india, this kind of surplus could generate more revenue than oil.

    If they start outsourcing to India, we'd probably see a lot of new inventions coming out of India ;-)

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    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  7. Re:why check them at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Great idea! The backlog would vanish strait away.... I wonder why noone ever thought of this.

    In other news, the courts are saying that cases are taking years before being processed, due to a sudden surge in patentcases.