The United States Patent and Trademark Office has launched a new website—the USPTO Patents Petitions Timeline. The new website provides the average pendency and success rates (over the past 12 months) for each type of petition that can be filed during the patent prosecution process. For example, petitions to correct patent term adjustment periods remain pending for nearly a year and have a success rate of 42%, while petitions to correct inventorship remain pending for roughly five months and are granted nearly 84% of the time. Not surprisingly, petitions for extensions of time during prosecution are quickly granted 100% of the time.

The Patents Petitions Timeline will help practitioners and applicants make better strategical decisions on when to file a particular petition during prosecution or for the life of the issued patent. Moreover, much like the first office action predication available in PAIR, this provides some guidance as to the likely timing of a decision for the various petitions available.