The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report cites challenges in patent examination related to time limitations, application complexity, and technology and training, with time constraints as a common thread to all these challenges to examination and quality. The optimal balance between time, quality, and cost is a well-documented challenge that ubiquitously faces the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Most recently, the UAIA 2024 report, commissioned by the USPTO as part of its fee study report to Congress, extensively discusses the tradeoffs among these factors. In fact, the USPTO regularly reviews these factors and makes necessary adjustments to ensure an optimal balance between them. These efforts are set forth in more detail below and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the ongoing efforts taken by the USPTO, as well as a broader context for the time constraint challenges cited by examiners.
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