Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) - Fast Track Examination of Applications

Under the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), an applicant receiving a ruling from the Office of First Filing (OFF) that at least one claim in an application filed in the OFF is patentable may request that the Office of Second Filing (OSF) fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications filed in the OSF. PPH will leverage fast-track examination procedures already available in the OSF to allow applicants in the OSF to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.

The USPTO has PPH agreements with various Intellectual Property Offices around the world. For information, requirements and request form for each of the PPH programs, click on the links below:

PPH between USPTO and Australia	Request Form (SB/20AU) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Canada	Request Form (SB/20CA) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Denmark	Request Form (SB/20DK) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and European Patent Office	Request Form (SB/20EP) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Finland	Request Form (SB/20FI) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Germany	Request Form (SB/20DE) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Japan	Request Form (SB/20JP) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Korea	Request Form (SB/20KR) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and Singapore	Request Form (SB/20SG) [PDF]
PPH between USPTO and United Kingdom	Request Form (SB/20UK) [PDF]

 

PPH News: View the latest updates on USPTO’s Patent Prosecution Highway program and learn what others are saying about PPH.

For general information concerning PPH, download the PPH Portable Document Format [PPT]. If you have specific questions about PPH, send an e-mail to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.

Electronic filing support is available through the Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free) or 571-272-4100 from 6 a.m. to 12 Midnight Eastern Time, Monday – Friday, or by e-mail to ebc@uspto.gov.